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2014 AAC International Climbers Meet

adam24 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 0

I'm really excited for my first trip to Yosemite (first time climbing in the USA! I come from England so i'm probably going to fly to SF or LA. I'm hoping to fly around the 3rd and come back around the 14th, i guess others will be staying at least a few days after the trip.

Does anyone have any plans or objectives for the trip? The only routes I know much about in Yosemite are the big walls, I've never done one, but when in Rome...

Cor · · Sandbagging since 1989 · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 1,445

Adam,
If you don't have a guide book look on this website at all of the routes.
You can do many types of searches within the "area" you are looking at.
Lot's of good cragging, to long day climbs on multi pitch stuff! Many 4 & 5 star climbs!

Take a look, and maybe print out some info for the routes you are hoping to do.
You can also get the app for your phone, or iPad and have all of the info. (without cell service.)

In previous years we had some dry erase white boards at the camp site.
These were good for hooking up with partners at the event. Folks put up
that they are looking for a partner(s) for route X,Y, & Z.

INFO: If people are looking for guide books, I think the Yosemite Free Climbs - SuperTopo book is good, as well as the older more complete Don Reid Yosemite book.

Hope this helps some.

Cory

Michael Hjorth · · Copenhagen, DK · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 0

Dear all!

Also I am looking very much forward to participate in the AAC Yosemite ICM!

I have a confirmed flight into SFO with arrival on Fri Oct. 3 at c. 3 pm, and leaving again on Mon Oct 13 in the afternoon. I would be happy to share a car in to/out of the Valley.
I have ofcause heaps of far reaching plans for long & short, hard & soft routes. But maybe it's wiser to wait and check weather and actual form...;-)

Anyway, I am on!

Kind regards - and see you in a few months!

Michael Hjorth
Copenhagen, Denmark

Lisa Andrews · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 10

Hi all~
I'm excited to be joining you all this year. I will be coming from CT and haven't booked my flights yet, but planning on arriving in SF or OAK on 10/2, staying with friends in Oakland for a couple days, then renting a car and driving to Yosemite on 10/5. Planning to leave the park on 10/12, back to Oakland for a night or two, fly out on 10/14 or so.

I'm new to leading trad but will bring a rack and rope. I'll mostly be looking to second (or join a party) on shorter (or longer-as Adam said, "when in Rome...") multipitch routes up to 5.10+, maybe some single pitch or bouldering or hiking as well. I'd also love to get a chance to practice my climbing photography! This will be my first time in Yosemite. I'm a Gunks girl through and through so I'm looking forward to experiencing a totally different style of climbing. All my friends out here keep telling me to get excited for vertical cracks. We don't have many here so yeah, I'm excited!!

Take care,
Lisa

Michael Hjorth · · Copenhagen, DK · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 0

Maybe I should also add my previous experience and hopefull goals...!?

I've been to Yosemite twice (1994+2005), and are regularly climbing trad in Scandinavia up to easy 5.11 (but not expecting to find Yosemite 5.11s easy!).
I would be aiming for free routes on smaller grade V walls, 5.9-5.10+, and possibly also some single pitch things. Should the right weather, partner and form show up, something bigger could be interresting.

I'll bring a 70 m rope, 1 set of cams to 4½ inch & wires.

Michael

KHadley · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 10

Hi Gang,

Thought I would check in before heading to the Tetons, Wind River Range, and City of the Rocks later this morning.

I am very much looking forward to the ICM and will be in the Valley September 22 to October 13. Bob - see above - and I have tentative plans to meet September 28 or so. I will have a full rack and some aid gear and am open to climbing 5.6 to 5.10 a/b leading (or C2) and possibly following at higher grades. I am old and easy :) Everything from the Center Route on the Grack to an easy/moderate Grade V sounds great.

I'll send some thoughts about routes after I return mid August. I was, and will hopefully be again, familiar with the Valley and Tuolumne climbs by the time the ICM rolls around.

Looking forward to a great experience!

Keith Hadley

P.S. Let me know if you will be passing through Bend, Oregon or climbing at Smith between mid-August and September 20. It is hot here this time of the year now but some days are climbable especially in the shade.

Brian Monetti · · New York, NY · Joined Jan 2012 · Points: 322

Hey Everyone! Psyched to be joining on the ICM again this year! Had a blast last year in Bishop, but cant wait to get to the valley.

I would really love to get on some long routes (IV to V in a day) while out there. Iv been training for endurance and to move fast over 5.8-9, and leading into the 10s. Im looking to head out a few days early, but final schedule TBD. Ill be going with a double set of cams to 4, all the standard runners/draws/wires, and either a single 70 or thinner double 70s. If anyone has particular routes they want to get on lets hear it! Steck Salathe looks like it would be an awesome one to try to tick off while there!

Ken Dyer · · University Place, Washington · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 0

Hey fellow rockers. My tentative plan is to rent a car after flying into Oakland Oct 2nd. I suppose I'll stay for a few more days after the shindig. Hoping to climb some longish routes: middle cathedral E buttress, central pillar of frenzy, serenity crack, regular northwest face of half-dome, etc. (or whatever!). Really psyched to meet you all.

David Sweet · · Silver City, NM · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 430

Hi Folks. I'm psyched to be joining the ICM this year. I'll be driving from Idaho so I won't be going past any of the airports serving the Valley. However, after the meet I will be driving to Boulder, Co. to arrive by Oct. 20. Anybody interested in a few days in Red Rocks and/or Indian Creek after the fest? I've got a huge van - big enough for two people and a lot of gear to travel and sleep in comfortably. Let me know if that fits in with your travel or climbing plans.

While in the Valley I'd love to get on some of the classic moderates I've heard about for years - Snake Dike, Royal Arches, DNB, East Buttress of El Cap, maybe even Northwest Face of Half Dome. I'll be bringing tons of gear including some big stuff and a few ropes. Hope to get on those and other great routes with the crew!

Cor · · Sandbagging since 1989 · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 1,445

Thank you everyone for getting involved!
I like to see this thread being useful to folks.

See you soon…

Cheers,
Cory

Jonathon B · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 61

Hey guys and gals!

I'll be joining this year and am super psyched! I am looking to fly out of San Fran on the 12th and would possibly need a ride from the valley out. I will gladly throw gas money your way if anyone has an extra seat and travelling that day.

At this point, exact travel times are TBD, but I will give more details when available. I will be coming from Denver; mainly just trying to get a feel for who has seating options available and your travel times to possibly coordinate a flight time around that. Thanks for any assistance guys! See you out there!
feel free to PM me.

Yuyu Hayakusho · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 5

Hi guys, its nice to see that everyone is getting ready. I cant tell yet if Im going because of a problem with my credit card and the fedex guy giving it to another person. But I will try to solve as fast as they let me.
A little about me Im Jorge Rivero and I been climbing for a while but for some events not hard as I used too and last year had a motorcycle accident, a stupid drunk driver closed on me. But Im training for the meeting. Also looking forward to the presentation of other countries climbing in the Auditorium.
I will be driving from Ensenada Baja California to the meeting.
See you soon and hope to meet all of you.

training ground :)

KimPalonen · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 0

Hi all,

I've got my flights booked to SFO. I'm arriving on September 30th and departing on October 10th, so I have a few days to climb before the meet. If anyone is arriving in the Valley before the meet and would like to meet up to climb or hike, let me know. I'm a beginning leader, and lead up to 5.7, usually on Ontario limestone, but with some slab experience from the Adirondacks and crack climbing experience from the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. I'm keen to climb, so let's make it happen!

Kim.

jordand · · Seattle, WA · Joined May 2012 · Points: 100

I know the application deadline for AAC members is well past, but I just learned about this event and it sounds fantastic. Is it completely futile to apply for a spot at this point, or do they occasionally take stragglers?

Carol Kotchek · · Louisville, CO · Joined Jul 2002 · Points: 323
jordand wrote:I know the application deadline for AAC members is well past, but I just learned about this event and it sounds fantastic. Is it completely futile to apply for a spot at this point, or do they occasionally take stragglers?
Hello Jordan,
There may still be room for you. Contact me at icm@americanalpineclub.org ASAP if you are seriously interested.
Wendy Ong · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 0

Hi everyone, just joining the party...

I have lived in Cambridge, MA for a few years now, but I was a long time SF Bay area resident, who was fortunate enough to learn how to climb in the Valley, Tuolumne and the Sierra Nevadas. Spent a lot of time in all these places, got up to 11's trad, A2 aid, until a climbing accident.

(I'm TheLittleUnit).

If you're interested, you can do a search on my name and "climbing" and a ton of stuff will turn up.

Anyway, after a few years off, I'm back climbing again on the sharp-end and am very much looking forward to returning to a place that is so special to me.

My main physical limitations are a paralyzed left leg (from my accident - that is permanent), and two broken middle fingers (those are recent injuries because I hang off my fingers so much on small holds to compensate for my leg, but, temporary at least ) and torn collateral ligaments - so long, steep approaches are kinda hard for me, as are sweet finger cracks at the moment. Trying to keep a positive attitude about the temporary injuries. Man, I wish this was happening around ice-climbing season. I've learned to accommodate around my gimpy leg by just getting super-strong everywhere else and learning to use my body in different ways; I pogo up a lot of routes, high-step a lot with my right leg or just hang off my hands/fingers if I'm crack climbing :)

Anyway, I'll be bringing my full rack (up to BD #5), and probably my rope too.

Right now I'm flying into SFO (3 Oct) and hanging out with friends before the meet. My plan was to drive from Palo Alto to the Valley some time on Saturday or Sunday. Happy to share a ride with someone if you need a ride. If anyone is interested in meeting up earlier to do a day of climbing, I'd be open to that. I'm also not entirely sure when I am leaving the Valley (right now, my flight back to Boston is 14 Oct).

I wanted to throw out a few ideas (if they are allowable options with the AAC):

1. Weather permitting, would people like to check out the high country? I'd be happy to be a tour guide for places in Tuolumne

2. I've been toying with the idea of getting back on a wall; if anyone is interested in doing some aid-climbing, I'd be open to bringing my aid climbing gear out, but I don't have a haul bag anymore.

Again, my disabilities present some physical limitations with steepness of approaches/descents, so I don't want to hold people back if they have particular climbing goals.

Lisa: I believe you and I have a mutual friend, Chad Hussey? I met him the very first time I did ANY kind of climbing post-accident (rock, ice, or indoors) at a Paradox Sports Ice-climbing event in North Conway in Feb 2013. That marked the beginning of my return back to climbing :) Vertical cracks are the best! But, if you want to Gunk it up sometime, let me know :) My finger injuries are holding me back right now, and I'll be at the Paraclimbing World Cup early-mid Sept in Spain, but will be back in the Northeast between that and the ICM.

Keith: I'd be open to do some aid. PM me if you like and we can sort out details. I've spent time climbing in the Winds and the Tetons. The Winds are one of my favourite places in the world to climb. If you have time, I think the Sawtooths just over the border in ID are worth checking out too.

Sorry for the long email. Looking forward to meeting you all, and happy to answer questions about logistics, Yosemite etc.

Carol Kotchek · · Louisville, CO · Joined Jul 2002 · Points: 323

Hi All,
Thanks for all the information Wendy. Looking forward to meeting you.

Just to let everyone know, we try and keep everyone climbing in the Valley and not heading out to Tuolumne or other distant locations. It would be really rough for us if some participants headed out and didn't come back.

Thanks
Carol

David Gibbs · · Ottawa, ON · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2

I am flying into SFO (San Francisco airport) on Sunday the 5th around 1pm and renting a car. I've got one car-share passenged joining me about 2pm. If anyone is looking for a lift from SFO to Yosemite around that time, let me know.

Similarly, I'll be returning to SFO on the morning of Sunday the 12th -- probably leaving around 6-7am, aiming to be back at SFO before 11:30am (I have a 1:30pm flight). Let me know if you're interested in a lift back at that time, too.

This is my second ICM, though my first in Yosemite -- I attended last year, the year of the diversion eastwards. I'm really looking forward to actually getting to climb in Yosemite this year. Royal Arches is one thing on my hopeful list.

Cor · · Sandbagging since 1989 · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 1,445

Thanks David! Looking forward to seeing you again!

Thank you everyone for reaching out, and making this thread work for us!

See you,
Cory

Aaron McDonald · · Santa Cruz, CA · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 15

The Hobbit Book

In the high country but highly recommended! Perfect weather this last weekend.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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