Hall of Mountaineering Excellence

 

 

 

The American Mountaineering Museum's Hall of Mountaineering Excellence Gala and Induction Ceremony

 

April 15th, 2010- On Saturday April 10th 2010, the American Mountaineering Museum inducted Robert Craig, Robert Bates, Yvon Chouinard and Charles Houston into the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence. It was a spectacular night and garnered great enthusiasm and excitement for the museum and the inductees, as well as raising over $13,000 for the museum. Check the media page for some of the articles written about the event and see below for some pictures from the sold out event here at the AMC. Our 2011 date will be announced soon!

Thank you to First Ascent for underwriting the event, and the following organizations for thier additional support; Lifestyles Catering, The Golden Hotel, BoldeReach, MillerCoors, Ken's Reproductions, Colorado Party Rentals, Foothills Art Center, Richardson Reporting Service, the Colorado Mountain School and the American Alpine Club Library.

 

    Yvon Chouinard                                     Robert Craig                                                gala crowd


Tom Hornbein and Ed Viesturs                       Yvon Chouinard                                        Ed Viesturs


     Jake Norton                                  Nick Clinch and Edie Bates Buchanan               Nick Clinch and Yvon Chouinard

 

The Event

 

We hope you were able to join us for a spectacular night April 10th, 2010 at the American Mountaineering Center and Museum for the first annual Hall of Mountaineering Excellence awards gala, as we honored significant individuals in mountaineering's past and present. The night included fine dining, entertainment, a program honoring the first inductees into the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence presented by Tom Hornbein and Nick Clinch and ended with special guest speaker Ed Viesturs.

 

The American Mountaineering Museum will induct four members into the new Hall of Mountaineering Excellence each year. This year we celebrated the lives and achievements of American climbers Yvon Chouinard, Robert Craig, Robert Bates, and Dr. Charles Houston.

In addition to being a pioneering ice and big-wall climber, Chouinard has been one of the most important outdoor equipment and clothing innovators of modern times and a leading voice of environmental activism. Bates, Craig, and Houston are perhaps best known as climbers for their roles in the dramatic K2 expedition of 1953, but each has had profound impacts outside mountaineering: Bates as a beloved educator; Craig as founder and longtime president of the Keystone Center public-policy conference center; and Houston as a doctor and medical researcher.

 

Location: American Mountaineering Center and Museum


sponsored by

 

 

2010 Inductees

 

 

From left to right.

Robert Craig, Robert Bates, Dr. Charles Houston, Yvon Chouinard

 

The Award

In keeping with the goals, mission, and vision of the American Mountaineering Museum, the inductees are broad-spectrum in their accomplishments on and off the mountain. Criteris is listed below.

1.      Accomplished mountaineer: Any inductee must have a substantial list of mountaineering accomplishments under his/her belt. This can be in any discipline - mountaineering, rock, ice, mixed, etc. Inductees should have a background that includes significant achievements like ground breaking first ascents, etc.

2.      Multi-dimensional: The museum focuses not only on the sport of mountaineering, but also on the tangential aspects of climbing, namely environment, culture, art, teamwork, etc. Thus, any inductee must not be simply a great mountaineer, but must also have made contributions of significance in other areas relating to the mountains. These areas include, but are not limited to:
o    Giving back to the climbing community directly through advocacy, financial support (grants, etc.), activism, etc.
o    Giving back to the climbing community indirectly through the creation of an admirable and inspiring legacy which touches and inspires current and future generations of climbers.
o    Positively impacting the cultures and peoples of the mountains through various works.
o    Positively impacting the environment of the mountains through various works.
o    Preserving mountain and mountain climbing history through various works. 
o    Contributing heavily and uniquely to mountain art, through poetry, painting, photography, video/film, etc.
o    Contributing to the field of mountain science and medicine.

 

* special thank you to Sam Spina for the Hall of Mountaineering Excellence logo design and John Heartling for the award design.