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Monthly Program:

Climbing Ecuador's Volcanoes

Date: 
Tue, 2024-04-23

Rick Rubio will speak about climbing Ecuador’s volcanoes at the April 23 Mountaineers meeting. Rubio, along with five friends, climbed five of Ecuador’s volcanoes in December 2023, culminating with a climb of 6,263-meter (20,548 foot) Chimborazo. Chimborazo, 39th highest summit in the Andes, is farthest point on Earth's surface from the Earth's center, due to its location along the planet's equatorial bulge. It was the first mountain over 20,000 feet climbed by Europeans. The 1880 summit expedition was led by Edward Whymper, who was also the first to climb the Matterhorn.

Between climbs Rubio and friends explored Quito and the surrounding towns, trying the local cuisine, markets and colorful local attractions. The presentation will showcase the stunning Ecuadorian volcanoes, the surrounding natural beauty and also discuss logistics, equipment and preparation required for you to plan your own ascent of these magnificent 6000-meter peaks.

Rick hails from Southern California and recently moved to Los Alamos. He has been an avid skier, hiker, and mountaineer for over 40 years. He has been alpine and backcountry skiing all over the Eastern Sierra, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Japan, and the Alps. In addition to the Los Alamos Mountaineers, he is also an active member of the Southern California Mountaineering Association, where he is on the Safety Committee in charge of testing new members. He is AIARE 2 certified in avalanche education.

We welcome all to this Mountaineers’ meeting, on the regular fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be streamed at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – we would love to see your smiling face. Registration details will be posted once they are available.

Rick Rubio and his party on the glaciated summit of Chimborazo, the highest peak in Ecuador.

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Climbing School Update

Registration is Open for Los Alamos Mountaineers Climbing School

The Los Alamos Mountaineers are thrilled to announce that they will be offering a climbing school following last year’s successful revival of the school, in conjunction with Mountain Skills Rock Climbing Adventures of Taos. Details can be found on their climbing school page, here .
Mountain Skills, supported by Mountaineers volunteers, will teach rock climbing with a safety first attitude, including movement on rock, belaying, rappelling, cleaning protective gear, and removing anchors, with extensive on-rock practice. The course objective is such that successful students should develop the skills needed to participate in top roping, follow a leader in a multi-pitch trad climb, and be able to climb or descend moderate technical obstacles in unplanned backcountry situations using improvised gear (e.g. rope and carabiners). No previous rock climbing experience is required.

Outdoor sessions will be held at Northern New Mexico climbing areas, principally Tres Piedras. The outdoor sessions will encompass a full day (6 hours) on the Saturdays of April 6, 13, 20, and May 4, with a backup date to make up any weather cancellation on May 11.  Participants will sign a Los Alamos Mountaineers waiver at the first session, and additional waivers as requested by Mountain Skills. Mountain Skills will provide equipment (helmets, harnesses, climbing shoes) based on the information provided by participants in their registration form.

The cost for the school will be $650; a slot in the school will be secured when (1) participants sign up online,  (2) payment is received by the Mountaineers, and (3) participants sign up for Mountaineer membership, if needed. Payment may be made by check, made out to “Los Alamos Mountaineers”, mailed to LAM c/o Cecile Hemez at 1060-B 49th Street, Los Alamos, NM, 87544. The school will take place if we register at least 7 participants, and will fill at 25 participants.  Payment will be refunded only if the slot can be filled by a suitable replacement. Participants will be responsible for obtaining their own copy of the course book, “How To Rock Climb” by John Long and Bob Gaines. Registration will close on March 15.
Participants should be at least 18 years old, except that 16- or 17-year olds can take part if a parent or guardian is present at all outdoor activities, either as a fellow student or an observer. All participants should be members of the Los Alamos Mountaineers; joining the Mountaineers is easy, and can be done
at https://www.lamountaineers.org/drupal7/Member_Benefits.html.  If the money is a problem for you, we have a limited number of scholarships for community-minded individuals.  The scholarship application is here, completed applications should be mailed to taylortrugman@gmail.com.  

The climbing school was a highlight of the Mountaineers year for decades, and the Club is excited to have it back. Friendships made at the climbing school lasted for years, and participants went on to become Mountaineers participants and leaders. We trust that the renewed climbing school will open the door to adventures for decades to come.

For questions, potential students can contact Toni Taylor, the Mountaineers climbing school lead, at taylortrugman@gmail.com.

Ongoing Events


 

Monthly Public Meeting and Presentation:


Normally held in the planetarium of the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC)
on the fourth Tuesday of each month. Now offering hybrid meetings with in-person and zoom options! Sign up for each talk at the Monthly Program page.

Social at 6:45.  Reports of recent and upcoming trips at 7:05pm.   Program to follow.

Visitors are always welcome!  Free refreshments!

Past presentations, and occasionally future, can be viewed here

 

Future Club Speakers:  In addition to frequent presentations by nationally known adventurers, we love to hear from our own members....not that some of you aren't in that group.  A presentation gets you a free club membership and dinner at the restaurant of your choice in Los Alamos.

LAM Member Presentations Wanted! The LAM Board would like to encourage our members to provide more of our monthly presentations.  We understand well that club members are an active lot, with a wealth of activities in their repertoire that can and have been inspiring to new and old members alike.  We have often focused our monthly presentations on the elite of the outdoor adventure world, and perhaps created the undesired effect of squelching the voices of our own members who participate in frequent beautiful and exciting adventures of their own.  Although our own activities are not always "world class", they are representative of what we "weekend" athletes can and do accomplish.  We want many of our programs to inspire the "I can do that" attitude in our members, not merely entertain.  Shock and awe may have their rightful place, but inspiration to participate and shine is our true goal.

 

Trip Leaders:  Post your trip by logging in and then going here.  If you do not have an account, contact  the webmaster. For overnight trips, please ensure that membership waivers for participants are current and recorded by the club Membership Chairperson prior to your trip. Non-members may participate in day trips. All club sponsored trips require the trip waiver. After the trip, please scan and email a PDF of the waiver to the Trip Coordinator.

Trip Leader Awards: The club will recognize trip leaders as described here.

Borrow Equipment: We have a limited amount of mountaineering equipment for loan (e.g., avalanche transceivers). Contact our Equipment Manager listed on this page.

 

 

Trip Leaders: Anyone can lead a trip! Post your trip by logging in and then going here. If you do not have an account, contact the webmaster. For overnight trips, please ensure that membership waivers for participants are current and recorded by the club Membership Chairperson prior to your trip. Non-members may participate in day trips. All club sponsored trips require the trip waiver. After the trip, please scan and email a PDF of the waiver to the Trip Coordinator.
  • Canyon country hiking based in Blanding, Utah April 17-21

    Leader: 
    Bill Priedhorsky
    Telephone: 
    5054120376
    Date: 
    Wed, 2024-04-17
    Leader Email: 
    bill@priedhorsky.net
    Difficulty: 
    Moderate
    Technicality: 
    Intermediate
    Are dogs allowed?: 
    Not allowed

    To get the canyon trips rolling early for 2024, we will go again to Blanding, Utah, for 3 days of hiking on April 18, 19, and 20, Thursday-Saturday. I’ve reserved lodging in Blanding, Utah, in the same condos as last year and 2022. From there, we can pick our hikes over a wide range of the canyon country: the northern end of Comb Ridge, Mule and Arch Canyons, Natural Bridges National Monument, White Canyon, and/or the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park. We will have plenty to choose from, and the 3 days will go quickly.

  • Llama adventure Ticaboo Canyons May 5-13

    Leader: 
    Bill Priedhorsky
    Telephone: 
    (505) 412-0376
    Date: 
    Sun, 2024-05-05
    Leader Email: 
    bill@priedhorsky.net
    Difficulty: 
    Strenuous
    Technicality: 
    Intermediate
    Are dogs allowed?: 
    Not allowed

    I would like to propose a May 2024 canyon trip to the Ticaboo Canyon system in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. This adventure will take us to a complex canyon system with water enough for camping, and make possible a series of day hikes to slickrock tops and side canyons. We will camp somewhere in the canyon system. All the hiking will be off trail, and sometimes involves scrambling over rock ledges and ridges, or wading through creeks.

  • 10-Day Backpacking in the Revelation Mountains, AK

    Leader: 
    Tanja Pietrass
    Telephone: 
    575-418-7969 (leave a message)
    Date: 
    Fri, 2024-07-26
    Leader Email: 
    Tpietrass@gmail.com
    Difficulty: 
    Strenuous
    Technicality: 
    Advanced
    Are dogs allowed?: 
    Not allowed

    1. Trip Overview

  • Tenth Mountain Hut System Adult Hike/Bike Trip – Fowler/Hilliard Hut

    Leader: 
    Kathleen Gruetzmacher
    Telephone: 
    505-204-6075
    Date: 
    Mon, 2024-08-12
    Leader Email: 
    gkathleen1048@msn.com
    Difficulty: 
    Moderate
    Technicality: 
    Intermediate
    Are dogs allowed?: 
    Not allowed

    A hike/bike trip to the Tenth Mountain Hut Division – Fowler/Hilliard is planned for August 12-15, 2024.  We have the entire hut for 12 adults.  The deposit is $163.00 per person.  Please e-mail me with your interest.

    The route to the hut is 8.3 miles on forest service roads near Leadville, CO.  More info on the hut is at:  https://huts.org/hut/fowler-hilliard-hut/

  • Moab bike/hike/explore Nov. 2-10, 2024

    Leader: 
    Bill Priedhorsky
    Telephone: 
    5054120376
    Date: 
    Sat, 2024-11-02
    Leader Email: 
    bill@priedhorsky.net
    Difficulty: 
    Moderate
    Technicality: 
    Intermediate
    Are dogs allowed?: 
    Not allowed

    I would like to announce the sixteenth edition of our successful hike/explore/bike trips to Moab. We have been going almost every November since 2008, and every time has been a great success. The 2014 trip report can be found at http://lamountaineers.org/node/479#comment-57.

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