AC Members Receive 2024 RGS Awards

Among the recipients of the 2024 Royal Geographical Society's Medals and Awards are two RGS members. Former AC president Stephen Venables has been honoured with the Patron's Medal in recognition of "his lifetime’s contribution to geographical discovery in the high mountains of the world" and Professor Chris Clark has received the Busk Medal "For profound influence on the understanding of glacial systems through the ‘British-Irish Ice Sheet’ reconstruction." 

^{Venables on the summit of Ngabong Terong}

In typical fashion, Stephen responded to news of the award by downplaying his own achievements, commenting "What a wonderful honour and surprise, to be rewarded for what is essentially having fun – exploring remote corners of the world’s most spectacular mountains, in the company of some of the world’s finest mountaineers.

Congratulations to both Stephen and Chris for these well-deserved marks of recognition.

Steve Swenson Receives AAC President's Award

Alpine Club member Steve Swenson has been announced as the recipient of the 2024 American Alpine Club President's Medal in recognition of 'extraordinary accomplishments in the climbing world'.

^{Swenson with his teammates on the successful 2019 expedition to Link Sar}

Swenson is quoted by Gripped Magazine as finding the award "very humbling", taking the opportunity to thank friends and family for their many years of support.

Originally from Seattle, Swenson has been climbing for more than fifty years and has climbed routes that have twice been recognised by the committee of the Piolets d'Or, as well as making ascents of Everest and K2 without supplementary oxygen.

Join Us for the Unveiling of the Newly Restored Mathews Monument

Following a three year project to relocate, restore and rededicate the Mathews Monument in Chamonix it has finally landed in its new permanent home at the entrance to the Couttet Park. Originally, it was dedicated to the memory of CE Mathews (founding member and former president of the Club) but has now been rededicated to also represent the shared history and comradeship between Chamonix and the Alpine Club.

Alpine Club Supports Pakistani Porter Training Workshops

Over the past several years, the tragic deaths of a number of high altitude workers in the mountains of Pakistan have brought the world’s attention to the fact that these workers are often untrained and poorly equipped for the environments in which they are expected to operate.

There is no single, simple solution to this problem, but the Alpine Club has been given the opportunity to contribute towards improving the situation for some high-altitude porters.

In 2021, renowned mountaineer and Alpine Club member Rick Allen was killed while climbing on K2. Rick left the Club a bequest to fund our ongoing work for members and the wider mountaineering community. Rick made many of his most famous climbs in the Karakoram and had a strong bond to both the area and its people. We have therefore decided to use part of Rick’s bequest to support mountain training in the region.

The Alpine Club Committee has agreed to grant £2,000 p.a. for three years to AC member Karim Hayat who has set up a training programme for Pakistani high-altitude porters. This modest sum will support a much-needed local initiative and hopefully provide leverage for further funding.

The first of these courses, run by Karim through the Gilgit Baltistan Mountaineering Council, has already concluded, with seven participants completing a 12-day basic mountaineering course. Before the expedition season begins, additional training on snow, including the supervised ascent of a 6000m peak, will also take place.

We are very proud that our funding has increased capacity on the course, equipping more participants with the skills required to operate safely in the mountains. In the coming years, we hope to see other organisations and government bodies working to address the pressing issues around porter welfare.