The first Alpine Mentors (AM) group recently finished its 2-year mentorship program with a 4-week expedition to a mountain called Brahmasar 4 in the Indian Himalyas. Now a Colorado chapter is starting up and has teamed up with some of the world’s most accomplished and experienced climbers and alpinists.
Among the mentors will be Josh Warton, Vince Anderson, Steve House and many more. These mentors will help the group of mentees organize trips that will advance their climbing skills with an eye towards competence on technical routes in the high mountains. Along the way AM will help connect the mentees with different mentors from each area they visit. The goal is not to build the best alpinists, but rather to help young climbers get the most from their climbing experiences.
“Alpine Mentors is a way for mentors to interact with younger, not-as experienced, climbers. Those of us who dedicated our lives to climbing mountains have learned much and this is where we can share that knowledge.” - Steve House
“I was a 20-year old California rock climber when I fell in with Fred Beckey. We spent a season together in the Canadian Rockies where I learned about how to move safely in the high mountains. It was a mentorship that I still value to this day and am the proof in that we are both still alive!” – Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia.
"The outdoor industry talks a lot about getting youth into the outdoors. Alpine Mentors' tangible approach of providing mentorship to a new generation of climbers is the kind of direct action that Polartec is proud to get behind." – Gary Smith, CEO at Polartec.
Application Process
Applications are accepted from now until midnight on December 1, 2015. Apply today.
Applicants’ Pre-requisites
- Be capable and comfortable leading trad 5.10, WI 4, and M6
- Have previous alpine climbing experience
- Be aged 19 to 29 as of March 1, 2016
- Live within one-day-driving distance to Ouray County/ Colorado
- No tuition fee
- Free alpine climbing mentoring from some of the world's leading alpinists
- Free training counseling
- Patagonia clothing & equipment
- GRIVEL ice climbing gear
- Asolo boots
- Mountain Safety Research (MSR) equipment
- Pro-purchase privileges with Liberty Mountain and other sponsors
- Group emergency communication devices/plans provided
Alpine Mentors longterm partner and title-sponsor Polartec as well as Patagonia, Grivel, MSR, Liberty Mountain, Asolo and LaSportiva provide necessary financial support to the non-profit and gear to the young climbers. The industry partners and AM’s strong roots in the climbing community make this all-volunteer program possible.
Past Mentorship Trips
AM maintains an alpine climbing blog where they publish trip reports from each mentoring trip. Details on trips can be found here – Alpine Climbing Blog.
About Alpine Mentors
AM is a federal recognized tax-deductible 501(c)3 non-profit cooperation and was founded by Steve House, Vince Anderson and Eva House in 2012 in order to promote alpinism by encouraging, coaching and climbing with technically proficient young alpinists who aspire to climb the world's greatest mountains in a lightweight, low-impact style. More info here.
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