a AAC member Bernd Zeugswetter THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB ANNUAL REPORT 2017 A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO WHEN I TOOK THE HELM at the AAC in 2005, we looked In 2011, we reaffirmed this direction and the organi- inward and asked: who do we represent? Who do we zation’s growth accelerated. Mountaineering became just want to be in the future? The answer came back con- one of many ways for people to engage with the Club. sistently: we want to be the Club for all climbers. We changed the name of Accidents in North American We had long been associated with expedition climb- Mountaineering to Accidents in North American Climbing. ers and alpinists. We talked of reaching summits— Our efforts to keep up with this landscape demanded often by new and difficult routes—as the culmination a board, staff, and volunteers who could represent and of a dedication to climbing. We spent decades honor- reflect the new dynamics in climbing. We revised our ing achievement within the narrow mountaineering com- mission and vision to reflect who we strived to be. munity, while the sport of climbing was subdividing into We actively sought women to lead and found how a multitude of specialties, each with its own culture. difficult it can be to change a culture—like that of Looking back, it may not have seemed momen- our board or staff—and make those changes stick. tous for us to give our Underhill award for climbing The results of our steps towards inclusion have brought achievement to John Gill in 2008 for advancing boul- nothing but good news. Our 20,000 members bring a a dering, but for the AAC, it was a significant nod to the diversity of thought, location, climbing interest and politi- AAC member Jeremiah Watt evolving and multifaceted nature of our identity. cal point of view that helps us deepen our commitment to 2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 1 change. Our Craggin’ Classic Events are meant to connect local climbing communities across the nation. This atten- tion to grassroots needs and changing community cre- ated a platform for conversation, learning and conservation TOGETHER WE... that now vies with our Annual Benefit Dinner for finan- cial results. These events are emblematic of the balance we strive for: honoring our heritage as a Club while welcom- ing fresh outlooks and continuing to proactively evolve. I firmly believe that the fiscal health, membership growth and the array of other successes listed below has 50 x 50 $50,000 been made possible by the changing complexion of our Convened in Washington, DC with 50 Awarded in Cornerstone and Research volunteers across the nation and the concerted effort climbers to attend 50 meetings with grants for conservation projects and by our board to develop variety within its ranks. legislators and agency leaders scientific endeavors in mountains and So much of what we have done seems inconsequential crags around the world, respectively by itself. Together, small moves create change, and today, the AAC is more open, more inviting and more capa- ble of taking even bolder steps in the years ahead. We’ve been able to bring our traditional membership and lead- ership along on this path. There have been debates, hic- 23,000 2,660 cups and missteps and there will be more, but the AAC is Comments submitted for the Climbers gathered across the country a very different place than it was a decade ago. We must protection of Bears Ears National at our local Craggin’ Classic Series continue to forge ahead in these new directions. We have Monument events begun the journey and I am proud of how far we’ve come. Thank you each for the role you play in where we’ve been and where we’re heading. 25,844 14 4 Nights spent under the stars at one of Live Your Dream grant projects funded; the AAC’s five campgrounds over $70,000 awarded Phil Powers a AAC member Ken Etzel CEO American Alpine Club 2 | THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB 2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 3 a AAC member Leon Legott ADDITIONALLY, WE... ཀྵ Hosted a panel discussion with Paiute leaders at our Bishop Craggin’ Classic event ཀྵ Worked to increase visual representation of all climbers across digital channels ཀྵ Developed womens-specific clinics at each of our Craggin’ Classic Series events ཀྵ Featured the first female on the AAJ cover ཀྵ Appointed Deanne Buck as our new–and second– female board president ཀྵ Featured our first female keynote at the Annual Benefit Dinner ཀྵ Developed a member composition task force ཀྵ Started the process of developing an education- specific grant to cultivate the leaders and role models of tomorrow 4 | THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB BY THE NUMBERS: a AAC member Jeremiah Watt FINANCIALS CLUB GROWTH, ‘09 –’17 3% 20,000 26% 44% 18,000 CONTRIBUTIONS GENERAL & ADMIN PROGRAMS MEMBERSHIP 16,000 37% REVENUE 54% EXPENSES $4,035,873 MEMBERSHIP $3,809,029 FUNDRAISING 14,000 OTHER 10% PROGRAMS 12,000 9% 16% 10,000 8,000 6,000 5,000 2009 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 8 | THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB 2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 9 MEMBERSHIP: CLIMBING DISCIPLINES MEMBERSHIP: TOP 5 BENEFITS Rescue Ice Climbing 2.72% Publications Gym/Indoor Climbing 3.66% Bouldering 4.45% Gear Discounts Hiking/Backpacking 4.65% Lodging Facilities Non-technical Mountain Climbing 4.94% Ski/Snowboard Mountaineering 4.97% Climbing Grants Alpine Climbing 19.28% Sport Climbing 22.12% Trad Climbing 33.21% 10 | THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB 2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 11 MEMBERSHIP: AGE MEMBERSHIP: CLIMBING EXPERIENCE MEMBERSHIP: ETHNICITY MEMBERSHIP: GENDER 28.68% 1% 24.54% Male Female 14.18% 12.30% 28% Other 10.11% 9.80% White Asian/Pacific Islander Other 71% 0.40% Hispanic or Latino Native American 18 or 19 - 25 26 - 30 31 - 40 41 - 50 51 - 60 61 or Older 5 + Years 2 - 4 Years 1 - 2 Years Less than 1 year Younger Black or African American 12 | THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB 2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 13 MEMBERSHIP: HOUSEHOLD INCOME MEMBERSHIP: INSTRUCTION BEGINNINGS MEMBERSHIP: LOCATION DENSITY MAP 10.68% 12.21% 62.22% 16.3% 14.13% 16.97% 16.17% 29.72% 7.96% 2.47% 0.95% $25k or under $25k - $49,999 $50k - $99,999 Mentor/Friend Climbing Gym Online College Club Local/Regional Instruction Instruction Club $100k - $149,999 $150k + Prefer not to answer 14 | THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB 2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 15 WHO WE ARE MISSION To support our shared passion for climbing and respect for the places we climb VISION A united community of competent climbers and healthy climbing landscapes 16 | THE AMERICAN ALPINE CLUB a AAC member Jeremiah Watt 2017 ANNUAL REPORT | 17 UNITED WE CLIMB americanalpineclub.org.