$18,000 of Climbing Grants Handed Out

Two American Alpine Club grant programs have selected nine teams for a total of $18,000 in grants, backing expeditions from Greenland to Tibet. The AAC’s 2007 Lyman Spitzer Cutting Edge Awards were given to six teams:

• Jonny Copp and Michael Pennings, for an alpine-style attempt on an enormous rock wall in Kashmir, India.

• Micah Dash, Aide Jebb (UK), and David Noddings (UK), for an all-free attempt on the striking rock pyramid of Dojitsenga (5,700 meters) in the Kangri Garpo Range of southeastern Tibet.

• Scott DeCapio and Kelly Cordes, for an attempt on unclimbed K7 West (6,858 meters) in Pakistan.

• Cory Richards, Eammon Walsh (CAN), and Dana Ruddy (CAN), to attempt the unclimbed Southeast Face of Huantsan (6,369 meters) in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru.

• Dave Turner, for a solo attempt on a new big-wall route on Cerro Escudo, Patagonia.

• Josh Wharton and Bean Bowers, to attempt the much-tried North Ridge of Latok I (7,145 meters) in Pakistan.

This year marks the first time that the new McNeill-Nott Grants have been awarded. Named in honor of Karen McNeill and Sue Nott, who died last year on Alaska’s Mt. Foraker, the new grant is funded by private donors and by Mountain Hardwear, which had sponsored both climbers. The grant program backs climbers who do not receive any corporate cash sponsorship. This year’s recipients are:

• Jessica Drees and Erin Whorton, for unclimbed routes in the Fox Jaw Cirque of Greenland.

• Joe Puryear and Chad Kellogg, for a new route on 20,505-foot Mt. Siguniang in Sichuan, China.

• Jon Sullivan and Liu Yong (CHI), to attempt unclimbed, 5,000-meter-plus peaks in the Bipeng Valley of Sichuan, China.

The Lyman Spitzer and McNeill-Nott grants are awarded once a year. Applications are due March 1 and can be found at www.americanalpineclub.org.

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