Lectures
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Mountaineering Museum Speaker Series
If you are interested in booking a lecture event with the American Mountaineering Museum, please contact info@mountaineeringmuseum.org
PAST LECTURES
Cinnamon Toast Snow Melts Faster: Dust on Snow Presentation
by Jeff Deems
March 2nd @ 6:30PM in the Foss Auditorium; Museum will open at 5:30pm
$3 for AAC/CMC members, $5 for non-members, FREE to members of the museum & library.
On March 2, National Snow and Ice Data Center scientist Dr. Jeffrey Deems will present at the American
Mountaineering Center in Golden. Dr. Deems of Boulder became interested in avalanche and snow
science research through his background as a backcountry skier, and he has conducted studies combining
field data collection, modeling, and remote sensing in most of the mountains in the western US. Dr.
Deems’ presentation will cover the striking impact dust on snow can create for backcountry skiers,
municipal water boards and agriculture.
Dark-colored dust that settles on snow in the Upper Colorado River Basin robs the Colorado River of
about five percent of its water each year, according to a new study coauthored by NSIDC researcher
Jeffrey Deems. Dr. Deems told the Denver Post, “We're seeing earlier and faster runoff, which makes it
harder to manage resources. In the West, we depend on the snowpack as a reservoir. We can store a lot
more water in the snowpack than in our surface reservoirs. If you melt everything off a month early and
melt it off faster, that's a big challenge for water managers." The water flows will also affect backcountry
skiers who see snow melt faster, and kayak and raft recreationalists and outfitters who depend on stable
stream flows.
Dr. Deems’ presentation will discuss new scientific research that identifies both the sources of the dust
that lands on Colorado’s mountains and the effects of the dust. "Basically any activity that disturbs the
soil crust and vegetation in the desert causes dust," Deems told the Post. "When we go out and disturb it
— whether by drilling, plowing, driving, cow's hooves, mountain bikes or feet — then all of the sudden
the dust is ready to be blown away by the next wind storm." Research on the topic has looked back as far
as settlements in the 1800s.
American Mountaineering Museum and AAC Library Present
The Last Wild Mountain: Portrait of the American Climber
November 16th 6:30PM
Join in a special film preview of The Last Wild Mountain: Portrait of the American Climber with film makers Oakley Anderson - Moore and Alex Reinhard. View the film ask questions about their journey making the film, and learn how you can get involved in helping finish it!
$3 for AAC/CMC members, $5 for non-members, and FREE to members of the museum and library.
Sponsored by First Ascent
Gyatso: Tibetan Ecology Foundation
October 6th 7:00PM American Mountaineering Museum
Join in a presentation by Gyatso witht he Tibetan Ecology Foundation on topics about how the Tibetan lifestyle is in the translation between tradition and modernization. Also some issues about Tibetan rivers, Tibetan food, Buddhism and the environmentl.
Tibetan Ecology Foundation
info@tibetanecology.org
www.tibetanecology.org
Jean Mollicone : First American Woman to summit Mt Vinson, Antarctica
September 21st 6:30PM AAC Library and American Moutnaineering Museum
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of her Vinson climb, Jean will recount some of the highlights of the 1990 expedition led by Mugs Stump. She will present slides of Vinson and include anecdotes from her climbing history, remembering friends and climbers who have influenced her over the years. Jean is donating a variety of artifacts to the AAC archive from the Vinson expedition, many of which will be on displayfor the presentation.
Donations to the AAC Library are welcome.
The Last Man on the Mountain with Jennifer Jordan
August 11th 7:00PM - Museum open at 5:30PM for attendees.
In 1939 the Savage Mountain claimed its first victim. Born into vast wealth yet uneasy with a life of leisure, Dudley Wolfe, of Boston and Rockport, Maine, set out to become the first man to climb K2, the world’s second-highest mountain and, in the opinion of mountaineers, an even more formidable challenge than Mt. Everest. Although close to middle age and inexperienced at high altitude, Wolfe, with the team leader, made it higher than any other members of the expedition, but he couldn’t get back down. Suffering from altitude sickness and severe dehydration, he was abandoned at nearly 25,000 feet; it would be another sixty-three years before Jennifer Jordan discovered his remains.
In a story where The Great Gatsby meets Into Thin Air, readers follow Wolfe from the salons of Europe to the most forbidding landscape on earth. Wolfe went to K2 to find his own strength, only to encounter his teammates’ lethal weaknesses in a place called the Death Zone.
JENNIFER JORDAN, an award-winning author, filmmaker, and screenwriter, has twice lived at the base of K2, where in 2002 she found the hero of this, her second book.
Sponsored by: First Ascent and KEEN Footwear
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Climbing in China with renowned Chinese alpinist Bin Sun
July 7th 7:00PM - Museum open at 5:30PM for attendees.
Topics include:
Rock and ice climbs in China
Unclimbed peaks in China
China, with a landmass almost the same as that of the U.S., boasts fantastic and abundant rock and ice climbing opportunities, most remain to be discovered and explored. Even more appealing is the massive number of unclimbed high peaks and routes that surely provide the ultimate challenges to the ambitious alpinists.
Mr. Bin Sun has climbed all over the world. He has trained with the Chinese Mountaineering Association national team and went to various remote high mountains, rock and ice climbing sites in China training with the National Mountain Climbing and Skiing Academy of France (ENSA)) in Chamonix, North Wales, Scotland, Spain and the U.S. Sun summitted Mt. Everest from the north in 2007 and Mt. Shishapangma in 2009. He guided a team of Chinese to summit Aconcagua in 2009 and is leading another Chinese team to Denali this June. Further, he was the chief designer of the Chinese rock/ice climb training and certification programs. In 2008, Mr. Sun produced a movie called “Dragon Breath” about ice climbing in China and in 2009, he translated Mark Twight’s classic “Extreme Alpinism” into Chinese language.
Sponsored by: First Ascent
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Hiking in Norway
with Lori Russell
June 2nd 7:00PM - Museum open at 5:30PM for attendees.
Hiking in Norway fjord country is a hikers dream. This slide show offers views of this spectacular geology, where granite mountains rise 5000 ft right out of the sea. The shores are dotted with quaint villages that have lovely hotels with fabulous food. Norway is beautifully designed to accommodate the traveler and avid hiker. If you have not been to Norway, be sure to put it high on your list of places to visit.
Sponsored by: First Ascent
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Mountain 2 Mountain
Breaking Barriers on Two Wheels in Afghanistan
May 5th 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Open @ 5:30)
Shannon Galpin has travelled to Afghanistan five times in the past two years on behalf of her fledging non profit, Mountain 2 Mountain. Established to strike at the heart of gender inequity and human rights, Mountain 2 Mountain looks at girls education as the entry point to the full cycle of support needed to create lasting change for Afghanistan.
Working within the women's prisons, building schools in rural mountain communities, and establishing computers labs in Kabul, are the first steps in their charge to create educational and trade opportunities and to provide the follow through to microfinance and small business start up.
Shannon became the first woman to mountain bike in the country, and has used that unique experience to bring her closer in communication with the men and women she encounters and to highlight the rugged beauty of this land often lost in the battle of war.
"Education for women and girls is the first step towards empowerment. When these girls are given the tools not just to read and write, but to critically think, to understand political and social issues that affect them, then have the ability to be heard, to be respected, and to become the catalysts for change within their own country. This will do more for women's rights, violence against women and children, and economic growth than anything else we can do." Shannon Galpin
Sponsored by: First Ascent and KEEN Footwear
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Phil Powers
Life lessons from K2 and other big mountains
April 7th 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Powers is author of Wilderness Mountaineering and Climbing: Expedition Planning. His essay, "The Importance of Pace", was aired on NPR's "This I Believe" in 2006. Powers has led dozens of expeditions to South America, Alaska and Pakistan's Karakoram Range, including ascents of K2 and Gasherbrum II without supplemental oxygen. He made the first ascent of the Washburn Face on Denali, naming it in recognition of the impact longtime AAC member Bradford Washburn's photos had in the planning and route research of many Alaska climbs. Powers also made the first ascent of Lukpilla Brakk's Western Edge in Pakistan, and the first winter traverse of the Tetons' Cathedral Peaks.
Phil Powers joined the American Alpine Club as executive director in May of 2005. His previous experience in the non-profit world includes service as vice president for institutional advancement at Naropa University and seventeen years with the National Outdoor Leadership School as chief mountaineering instructor and development/partnerships director. He remains an owner of Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.
Sponsored by: First Ascent and KEEN Footwear
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Rob Roach
a presentation on the Altitude Research Center
March 3rd 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Join Rob Roach as he presents on the research work performed at the Altitude Research Center.
A continuous supply of oxygen is essential for proper physical and mental functioning. If this supply is compromised for any reason, a condition called hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen, results. Everyone who travels to high altitude experiences some degree of hypoxia before their body adapts to the lower oxygen levels, and they know the feeling well. Simple physical tasks become much more difficult and mental deficits begin to appear. But altitude isn't the only factor causing hypoxia: millions of people experience chronic hypoxia and these same symptoms every day at sea level due to common cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.
Despite this significant impact on quality of life, large gaps still exist in our understanding of how the body is impacted by hypoxia. There is little to no research exploring how altitude affects vulnerable populations, such as aging populations with underlying cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic diseases. The pressing need to understand such basic problems becomes even clearer when the economic impact of hypoxia is considered. The Altitude Research Center exists to address these problems using the full array of modern medical research tools.
Sponsored by: First Ascent and KEEN Footwear
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum and LOWA presents:
"You Want to Go Where?"
February 3rd 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Lowa Boots presents Jeff Blumenfeld’s talk, “You Want to Go Where?” based upon his new book from Skyhorse Publishing that covers some of the world’s most historic expeditions and adventures with an eye towards how people can gain funding for their own travels.
The talk includes illustrations of such noteworthy adventures as:
Norman Vaughan - climbed Antarctic mountain named after himself
Will Steger - first confirmed dog sled trek to the North Pole
Reid Stowe - currently engaged in his quest to be at sea for 1,000 days
Mike Haugen - climbed tallest U.S. peaks in record time
Paul Schurke – dogsled expedition across the Bering Strait
Barbara Hillary - went to the North Pole; now wants to go to the South at 77
Andre Tolme – adventure golf? Yes indeed. He hit a golf ball across Mongolia
Blumenfeld then explains that companies are not there to pay for your vacation. However, if you have a project that is bigger than yourself - a trip with a purpose - it is possible to generate cash or in-kind (gear) support. His talk is illustrated with over 40 photographs taken all over the world.
Jeff Blumenfeld is editor of Expedition News, a 16-year-old monthly newsletter that covers the adventure marketing world. A resident of New Canaan, Conn., he is a member of The Explorers Club, the American Alpine Club, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Sponsored by: LOWA Boots
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
Part 1 of 3 sPEAKer Series Video from Jeff Blumenfeld's presentation.
The Mountaineering Museum and Colorado Mountain School presents:
Avalanche Awareness Clinic - (make-up)
January 27th 2010 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Welcome back to the new year with an avalanche awareness clinic presented by the Colorado Mountain School!
Every year, avalanches are one of the leading causes of death among backcountry enthusiasts. Our home turf, Colorado, consistently leads the nation in avalanche fatalities.
If you plan on spending time in high, snowy country, be prepared.
In this one hour clinic our expert guides give an introduction to how avalanches happen, what they look like, and how to avoid them.
Our guides are American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (AIARE) trained to teach avalanche courses, and they also spend some 300 days a year in the field-they know snow from an academic and practical perspective, and they share their knowledge with you.
Topics covered include:
Types of avalanches
Avalanche terrain
Snowpack analysis
Weather considerations
Avalanche decision-making
Trip planning and preparation
Travel techniques
Sponsored by: KEEN Footwear, and The Colorado Mountain School
$3 CMC/AAC Members, $5 Non-Members - FREE to Friends of the Museum and Friends of the AAC Library.
The Mountaineering Museum and KEEN Footwear presents:
Jake Norton with a presentation on George Mallory
December 3rd, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
Click here for more info!
Sponsored by: KEEN Footwear
The Mountaineering Museum and KEEN Footwear presents:
Secrets of Shangrila with Brot Coburn
November 11th, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
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Since the fifth century, when a Chinese poet wrote of a hidden utopia for faithful Buddhists, people have fantasized about those magical places where people live long lives in health and harmony—and adventurers have sought to find them.
In 2007 Brot Coburn, Harvard grad and author and editor of seven books (2 national best sellers), is the premiere authority on the culture and environment of the Himalaya. Two of his books became national best sellers and he has lived and worked in the Himilaya for two of the past 3 decades. Coburn joined forces with fellow climber Peter Athans to explore a series of caves in the remote Himalayan kingdom of Mustang, an area that had previously been off-limits to outsiders.
In a subterranean chamber, 14,000 feet up, they found a gigantic 55-panel mural from the 13th century depicting important Buddhist sages and 11th century Tibetan manuscripts, suggesting a gathering place for a large religious community—perhaps the sort of meditative, self-sufficient community that inspired the myth of Shangri-la.
Coburn and Athans returned in 2008 with a multidisciplinary team to properly document, study, and begin to preserve the treasures. Join us as Coburn shares images, stories and video from this remarkable Tibetan site that is shedding light on the spread of Buddhism through the Himalaya.
Sponsored by: KEEN Footwear, and The Golden Hotel
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Best Snow Climbs and Scrambles with Dave Cooper
October 7th, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
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Join us for a night with Dave Cooper discussing his popular guidebooks to the best Snow Climbs and Scrambles in Colorado!
"Colorado Snow Climbs" is organized by season, and ranges from routes requiring little more than an ice ax and the requisite skills, to technical climbs involving sections of serious ice and mixed climbing.
By including "classics" as well as a sampling of lesser-known high quality routes, plus detailed maps and route descriptions, Dave continues the tradition started in his best-selling "Colorado Scrambles".
"Colorado Scrambles" includes more than 50 scrambling routes in the major mountain ranges of Colorado. Author Dave Cooper ("Colorado Snow Climbs") climbed each of these high-quality routes, selecting them based on challenge, rock quality, location and interesting route finding.
Born in Yorkshire, England, Dave Cooper has spent the last 25 years exploring the Colorado Mountains and has climbed extensively in many of the world's great ranges, including the Andes, Himalayas, Canadian Rockies and Alaska Range.
Join Dave Cooper for a presentation about the best Snow Climbs and Scrambles in Colorado!
Copies of Snow Climbs and Scrambles will be available for sale and Dave Cooper will be on hand to sign copies upon request.
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Fun Climbs in Colorado: Best Family Climbs in Colorado
Author: Sibylle Hechtel presents
September 2nd, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
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Fun Climbs Colorado: Best Family Climbing Vacations is the first vacation travel guide written specifically for climbers. It is a comprehensive guide to climbing vacations for traveling climbers and their families.
It describes camping, other lodging, restaurants, rest day activities including horseback riding, white water rafting, mountain biking, nearby hikes, fishing, mini golf, and other activities. The 10 climbing areas have routes that are suitable for beginners, provide easy access for older climbers, a safe base area for kids, good quality rock, and an easy descent.
Sibylle Hechtel and Beverly Johnson did the first all-female ascent of Yosemite’s El Capitan. She wrote the iconic story “Walls Without Balls”, which has been reprinted in Steve Roper’s Ordeal by Piton and the controversy about its title was featured in the movie Vertical Frontier.
Join Sibylle Hechtel for a presentation about climbing in Colorado, plus City of Rocks, Tuolumne Meadows, and Squamish Chief.
Copies of Fun Climbs Colorado will be available for sale and Sibylle will be on hand to sign copies upon request.
July 1st, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
First Ascent in Cochamo Chile
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Join Clayton Laramie, local American Alpine Club member, for a presentation on his recent expedition to Cochamo, Chile. Clayton and friend Francisco Parada set off to establish a new route at El Monstruo but circumstances led them to the Cirque of La Paloma, on Pared de las Profetas. This is the first route to complete the wall to the summit.
The route is called Otro Dia Orto Largo (Another Day Another Pitch) in honor of the time spent and hard work required to establish this line. The route took them 5 days of effort over 2+ weeks (lots of rain) and an epic decent on summit day through waterfalls and vertical rivers.
"Hiding in the remote jungle mountains of Northern Patagonia, Cochamo is a wonderland of huge granite domes with endless potential for routes. It's kind of like Yosemite, except that there are 5 walls bigger than El Cap and maybe 200 established routes in the whole valley!"
Come see the slide show, and hear Clayton talk about his incredible experience establishing this line. It was a trip of many “firsts” for Clayton and inspiring for climbers and explorers of any level.
June 3rd, 2009 @ 7:00PM (Museum Reception @ 5:30)
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
Author and Geologist Jack Reed on his book Rocks Above The Clouds
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Rocks Above the Clouds by Jack Reed and Gene Ellis is the first geology primer written specifically for hikers, scramblers and climbers. It is an exploration of how the nature of mountains works and the challenges they present to the hiker, scrambler and climber.
Join Jack Reed on June 3rd for an insightful discussion and presentation on the rock of Colorado. Copies of Rocks Above the Clouds will be availabe for sale and for Jack to sign as well! Copies are also available in the museum's adventure gift shop at BASE CAMP.
JACK REED, a Scientist Emeritus at the United States Geological Survey, has written popular books on the Appalachians, the Tetons and the Alaska Range. He has climbed most of the 14ers and is a 50-year member of The Colorado Mountain Club where he teaches courses on geology, map reading and GPS.
GENE ELLIS is the Associate Chief Scientist of the Earth Surface Processes Team at the USGS. He has climbed on rock and ice, trudged up endless talus slopes, and suffered his share of adventures and misadventures in the mountains of Colorado.May 6, 2009 at 7:00PM
The Mountaineering Museum presents:
A kick off to the climbing season with the screening of Wall Rats!
Kids 10 and under get in free!
Featuring: TORI ALLEN, SCOTT CORY, HANS FLORINE & LYNN HILL
Directed by: STEVE EDWARDS
Produced by: HANS FLORINE
Tori Allen, 13, and Scott Cory, 11, are sport climbers who've excelled at international competitions. Speed climber Hans Florine thinks that their small stature might allow them, as a team, to make the coveted second free ascent of the Nose, a famous line shooting straight up Yosemite Valley's El Capitan.
However, neither Allen or Cory have much outdoor climbing experience or have ever been more than 100' off the ground. How they'll respond to a multi-day adventure up a 3,000 foot wall is anybody's guess, not to mention no one that young has ever been up El Capitan. With very little planning, they embark on a 5-day adventure into history.
Won Best Kids Film in 2006 at:
Boulder Adventure Film Festival
Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival
Kids First! Film Festival
Mountain Film at Telluride
View the trailer here!
Copies of Wall Rats will be available for sale the night of the screening.
April 1 , 2009 at 7:00 PM
The BWAMM Speakers Series presents:
Antarctic Retrospective: An Evening with John Evans and Conrad Anker
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In 1966, the American Antarctic Mountaineering Expedition set off for the vast, unclimbed peaks of the Sentinel Range in the Ellsworth Mountains of Antarctica. The expedition, led by Nick Clinch from the American Alpine Club and sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the National Geographic Society, was wildly successful.
On December 18, 1966, Alaskan Bill Long unfurled the Alaska state flag (along with others) atop 16,067 foot Mount Vinson, the highest point in Antarctica. It was the first ascent of the peak. Accompanying Bill were expedition members Pete Schoening, Barry Corbet, and John Evans. In the following days, other expedition members - Nick Clinch, Sam Silverstein, Charley
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Several weeks later, John Evans and the late Barry Corbet stood atop the jagged summit of Mount Tyree which, at 15,919 feet, is the second highest peak in Antarctica, but considered far more challenging than it's higher neighbor. In 1997, the American alpinists Conrad Anker and Alex Lowe went to Tyree with Dave Hahn; Anker and Lowe reached the summit, the 6th and 7th people to ever stand there.
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On April 1, 2009, John Evans and Conrad Anker will join us as part of the BWAMM Speakers Series at the American Mountaineering Museum to share stories of then and now from the great mountains of Antarctica. (Conrad's appearance has been made possible by The North Face.) At the same time, we will proudly display for the first time the original Alaskan flag unfurled by Bill Long 43 years ago atop Vinson!
Since we expect a large turnout for this great event, it will be held in Foss Auditorium at the American Mountaineering Center. As with all the Speakers Series events, this event is free and open to the public. Donations to the Museum are appreciated!
Contact us with any questions!
March 4 , 2009 at 7:00 PM
The BWAMM Speakers Series presents:
John Noel's 1924 Silent Film The Epic of Everest with an introduction by Museum Director Jake Norton
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On June 8, 1924, George Mallory & Andrew Irvine disappeared into the mists high on Everest, spawning one of the greatest mysteries of Everest history. Cinematographer John Noel filmed much of the expedition, and compiled it into the Epic of Everest.
Join us at the Museum on Wednesday, March 4th at 7pm, to see this rare and famous film, with an introduction by museum director Jake Norton, who helped discover the remains of Mallory in 1999.
You can read more about the making of the film on NOVA and you can learn more about John Noel and the Mount Everest 1924 Archive here.
February 4 , 2009 at 7:00 PM
The BWAMM Speakers Series presents:
Pete Takeda's An Eye at the Top of the World:
The Terrifying Legacy of the Cold War's Most Daring C.I.A. Operation
In the early 1980s, the CIA decided to put a nuclear-powered spy device on the top of Nanda Devi—one of the Himalayas’ most remote and forbidding peaks. The goal was to gather information on Chinese troop movements. Some time later, the apparatus stopped sending signals; it was as though it had completely disappeared. The device was never recovered, and now, nearly four pounds of plutonium, locked in the glacier beneath the mountain are moving ever closer to the source of the Ganges River.
“That’s enough manmade poison to kill every human on earth, or to produce a bomb capable of flattening a city,” explained Takeda.
For this book, Takeda not only interviewed surviving members of the original expedition—during which the climbers huddled around the spy device for warmth given off by the decay of radioactive elements—he retraced their steps to the peak itself. While en route, Takeda has his own harrowing experience with the violent forces of the mountain, and was almost swept away in an avalanche.
Stay tuned for more information and details...
January 8, 2009 at 7:00 PM
The BWAMM Speakers Series presents:
An Evening with Maurice Isserman & Everest pioneer Tom Hornbein.
Isserman's book, Fallen Giants:A History of Himalayan Mountaineering From the Age of Empire to the Age of Extremes shares unforgettable stories of the history of the world's highest peaks and the climbers who challenged their lofty summits. Its in-depth research gives us unique insights into previously unknown controversies, mysteries, and dramas.
Isserman will join Everest pioneer Tom Hornbein for a conversation about the history of Himalayan climbing. Hornbein made the first ascent of the West Ridge of Everest in 1963 with Willi Unsoeld.
Copies of Fallen Giants will be available for sale at the event, and Maurice will be on hand to sign copies upon request.
This is a free event open to the public on January 8, 2009 at 7pm.