At the American Alpine Institute, we love mountains for their beauty and challenge, and for the livelihood they provide us as guides and teachers. But there are ample reasons for flatlanders to love mountains as well. Mountain ranges function as engines of water production, provide habitat for game, and supply resources for industry. In view of the universal value of mountains, the United Nations General Assembly established International Mountain Day of each year to celebrate this shared natural heritage.
This year, we have decided to benefit the Central Asia Institute with our International Mountain Day activities. The Central Asia Institute is a non-profit organization with the mission to promote and support community-based education, especially for girls, in the remote mountainous regions of northern Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Greg Mortenson, whose story was chronicled in the best-selling books, Three Cups of Tea and Stones to Schools, started the Central Asia Institute in 1993. Mortenson was inspired to develop a program to build schools at the foot of the Himalaya after he stumbled into a remote village in northern Pakistan following a failed attempt to climb K2. The villagers took him in, fed him, and gave him a place to rest while he recovered from his Himalayan failure. After Mortenson regained his strength, he vowed to come back to the village in order to help them to build a school. His return some months later marked the start of his quest to bring education to some of the poorest and most remote reaches of the world. Since 1993, Mortenson has helped build 145 schools throughout central Asia.
You can develop your personal climbing skills, your avalanche awareness skills and help us to benefit this important cause by participating in our International Mountain Day events.
You can now register online at aai.cc/imd.asp. Registration is optional, but space is limited and those who register will be given priority.
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Rock Rescue Clinics (Free with a suggested donation of $25)
We will be offering four two-hour rock rescue clinics at the YMCA Climbing Wall in downtown Bellingham. The clinics will focus on the baseline skills required to perform a rescue in a high angle environment. We will be offering these from 8am-10am, 10:30am-12:30pm, 1pm to 3pm, and 3:30-5:30pm. Those who donate $25 will receive a raffle ticket. For every additional $5, participants will receive additional raffle tickets.
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Avalanche Awareness Seminars (Free)
We will be offering two avalanche awareness events to celebrate International Mountain Day. The first event will be at 7pm at Western Washington University on December 2nd and the second event will also be at 7pm on December 11th at the American Museum of Radio and Electricity in downtown Bellingham. Food and drink – including beer donated by Boundary Bay – will be available at the event on the 11th.
At all events we will be selling raffle tickets ($5 per ticket) to raise money for the Central Asia Institute. Our sponsors have generously donated many thousands of dollars worth of prizes that we will be giving away. Sponsors include REI, Fairhaven Runners and Walkers, Backcountry Essentials, Boundary Bay, Black Diamond, Tendon, Outdoor Research, Fairhaven Bike and Ski, The Mountain Runners, Mountain Gear, the YMCA and the American Museum of Radio and Electricity. More sponsors are joining every day!
For more information, log onto
www.aai.cc/imd.asp
or call me at 360-671-1505.
Jason Martin
Operations Manager
American Alpine Institute
