{"id":23514,"date":"2018-01-19T10:56:15","date_gmt":"2018-01-19T18:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=23514"},"modified":"2018-11-11T22:13:19","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T06:13:19","slug":"climbings-academy-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/climbings-academy-awards","title":{"rendered":"American Alpine Club Honors the Best in Climbing"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are very few red carpets in the world of climbing, a sport whose best take great pride in how little they need to pursue their greatest passion. But the American Alpine Club\u2019s Annual Benefit Dinner<\/a> is a bit of an exception.<\/p>\n

Held in a different city each year, this upscale event features fine wine, spendy auctions, and the AAC\u2019s Climbing Awards, which the club just announced<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese honors represent America\u2019s view of our highest climbing achievements,\u201d said the club\u2019s CEO Phil Powers. \u201cThere are other awards and grants out there\u2014I really applaud the Access Fund\u2019s Sharp End Awards geared toward access\u2014but these are the few awards that really represent what Americans find to be the best of the best in the past year or in a climber\u2019s lifetime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each award has its own selection committee comprised of climbing legends\u2014and intense debate. \u201cThese committees have a deep history and are quite earnest about their work,\u201d Powers said. \u201cWe identify a chair and that chair chooses his or her committee. I don\u2019t want to overly govern these things, because they should know more about their category than I do or the board does.\u201d<\/p>\n

The committee debate was particularly intense when choosing the Underhill Award, which honors achievements in mountaineering. The Underhill Award committee faced a conundrum and eventually stepped out from the norm. Alex Honnold was nominated after his mind-bending free-solo of Yosemite\u2019s El Capitan<\/a>. While Alex does have world-class mountaineering ticks on his resume, including the Fitz Traverse with Tommy Caldwell, he\u2019s mainly known as a rock climber and free-soloist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe committee was very serious about the integrity of the award and our views on soloing,\u201d Powers said. \u201cAnd I applaud them for stepping out to honor Alex\u2019s amazing year.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what these awards are meant to do, to exalt our best feats of the year in American climbing as well as lifetime achievements in both climbing and conservation.<\/p>\n

Without further ado, the winners of the AAC\u2019s 2018 Climbing Awards are:<\/p>\n

Honorary Membership | John Roskelly<\/h4>\n

Honorary Membership is the highest award the AAC has to offer. It is given to those individuals who have had a lasting and highly significant impact on the advancement of the climbing craft.\u00a0<\/em>View Previous Recipients<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cJohn was overdue for receiving this award,\u201d Powers said. \u201cThe current leadership of magazines and blogs may not know that in the late 1970s and early 80\u2019s, he was the man. A first ascent of Trango Tower? An ascent of K2 during the first successful American expedition? He had an amazing career, was incredibly motivated and driven. Not to mention, he\u2019s gone on to do great works in the public service world as county commissioner out in Spokane. He received our very first Underhill Award in 1983, along with John Bachar. This honorary membership is a big deal; He should have gotten it a little earlier!\u201d<\/p>\n

The Robert and Miriam Underhill Award | Alex Honnold<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Robert and Miriam Underhill Award is given annually to that person who, in the opinion of the selection committee, has demonstrated the highest level of skill in the mountaineering arts and who, through the application of this skill, courage, and perseverance, has achieved outstanding success in various fields of mountaineering. <\/em>View Previous Recipients<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEmbedded in our history is a value of partnership. Having someone else a rope length away or beside you to check your knot or check over your shoulder is so valuable,\u201d Powers said. \u201cBut this achievement [Alex free-soloed El Capitan in TK month last year] and the preparation and mind control it took is huge. It\u2019s a complicated reality, and I\u2019m proud we\u2019re honoring this rare–and hopefully never repeated\u2014career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heilprin Citation |<\/strong>\u00a0Ellen Lapham<\/h4>\n

The Angelo Heilprin Citation is awarded annually to that person who has, in the opinion of the citation committee, shown exemplary service to the Club. The purpose of this citation is to recognize those who have worked to maintain and strengthen the organization and thus further its ability to serve its fundamental purposes.<\/em> View Previous Recipients<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThis award is more about the how than the what,\u201d Power said. \u201cNot many climbers outside of the AAC will have heard of Ellen\u2014she\u2019s just a climber, and she gets out all the time. She started something called Exit Strategy to deal with climbers and waste in the mountains. This went on to become the Sustainable Summits Initiative<\/a>, an annual gathering of a couple hundred people who are doing scientific research on the impact we have on mountains.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Robert Hicks Bates Award | <\/strong>Margo Hayes<\/h4>\n

The Robert Hicks Bates Award’s purpose is to recognize a young climber who\u2014in the judgment of the selection committee\u2014has demonstrated exceptional skill and character in the climbing or mountaineering arts and has outstanding promise for future accomplishment. <\/em>View Previous Recipients<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe first winners of this award, in 1996, were Chris Sharma and Katie Brown,\u201d Powers said. \u201cThe concept that Sharma won this award and is still doing what he\u2019s doing now is amazing and many other recipients of this award have had long careers. Margo clearly broke out this year and represents how in the prime of your gymnastic prowess, one can do amazing things. I hope this represents just the beginning of a long and wonderful life in the out of doors for her.\u201d<\/p>\n

The David R. Brower Conservation Award | <\/strong>Former Secretary Of The Interior & Former REI CEO Sally Jewell<\/h4>\n

The David R. Brower Award, created in 1991, is an annual award recognizing leadership and commitment to preserving mountain regions worldwide. <\/em>View Previous Recipients<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cSally did amazing things in her role as our secretary. When Bears Ears was designated a National Monument with its unique climbing value mentioned in the designation, it was extraordinary for the environment and for our sport,\u201d Powers said. \u201cThese lands that we share together are not only wonderful opportunities for Americans but the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

These five climbers will be honored at the AAC\u2019s Annual Benefit Dinner in Boston on February 24th.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are very few red carpets in the world of climbing, a sport whose best take great pride in how little they need to pursue their greatest passion. But the American Alpine Club\u2019s Annual Benefit Dinner is a bit of an exception. Held in a different city each year, this upscale event features fine wine, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":13310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[734,288,697],"internal-tag":[1679],"class_list":["post-23514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climb","tag-climbing","tag-featured","tag-outdoor-news","internal-tag-pre-redirect-climbing"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/climb\/climbings-academy-awards","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"American Alpine Club Honors the Best in Climbing","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/climbings-academy-awards","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/climb\/climbings-academy-awards"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/06\/Noble_Alex-Honnold_Climbing_796-e1516388158348.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/06\/Noble_Alex-Honnold_Climbing_796-e1516388158348.jpg?fit=1001%2C963"},"articleSection":"Climb","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Aer Parris-Hoshour"}],"creator":["Aer Parris-Hoshour"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["climbing","featured","outdoor news"],"dateCreated":"2018-01-19T18:56:15Z","datePublished":"2018-01-19T18:56:15Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T06:13:19Z"},"rendered":"