Unexplored, Bold First Ascents Receive Climbing Grants

2004 Lyman Spitzer Grant Winners Announced

(Golden, CO) The American Alpine Club, MSR, Therm-a-Rest and Platypus jointly awarded $22,000 in Lyman Spitzer climbing grants and gear to support cutting-edge expeditions attempting bold first ascents in Pakistan, Greenland, China and India.

Twelve expeditions applied to the AAC for support, only four of which received cash grants totaling $12,000. The grants are drawn from an endowment made possible by support from AAC members, including a generous bequest from the estate of Lyman Spitzer. Additionally, MSR, Therm-a-Rest and Platypus hydration systems provided another $10,000 worth of gear for the expeditions.

Spitzer grants promote state-of-the-art, cutting-edge climbing through financial support of small, lightweight teams of climbers attempting bold first ascents or difficult repeats of the most challenging routes in the world's great mountain ranges. Grants of $3,000 each were awarded to the following team leaders:

Nathan Martin (Moab, Utah) – With Jared Ogden, Martin will attempt an ascent of a 2,000 foot granite fin in a remote fjord in southeastern Greenland.

Carlos Buhler (Bozeman, Mont.) – The team will try a new route on the north face of Kalanka (6931 meters) in the Garhwal Himalaya of India.

Josh Wharton (Boulder, Colo.) – Wharton and Jonathan Copp will attempt a first ascent of the southwest ridge of Great Trango Tower in the Karakoram region of the Himalayan mountains. The secondary goal is to make an alpine style ascent of Broad Peak.

Tommy Chandler (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Chandler and partners will try to establish new routes and further expand the climbing possibilities on Janmo Spire, Jarjinjabo Dome and the other formations in the Jarjinjabo Massif, in the Sichuan Province of western China.

Grants are awarded by a committee that includes Jack Tackle and such equally notable climbers as big wall pioneer John Middendorf and mountaineer/ rock climber Nancy Feagin.

About The American Alpine Club
Founded in 1902, The American Alpine Club is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting climbing knowledge, conserving mountain environments, and serving the American climbing community. The AAC currently has over 7,000 members throughout the U.S. and across the globe. More information can be found at www.americanalpineclub.org.