A Climbing Report by AAI Guide Andrew Wexler
Andrew Wexler does it again. With his signature, seriously funny sense of humor, he recounts his recent climb of Huayna Potosi's West Face, the longest, most sustained ice, rock, and snow climb in Bolivia's Cordillera Real. In an attempt he and his climbing partner, Danny Uhlmann, name "The Brilliant Plan," the two set out to climb this 3000-foot face in one day - roundtrip - from La Paz.

♦ Cascades and Sierra - Climb in two of the most beautiful ranges in the country.

• Outdoor Leadership Courses (9 - 36 days, Sierra and Cascades) Learn to lead your own alpine climbs!
• Alpinism 1 - Intro (6 days, Cascades) Learn the essentials for glacier travel, and climb Mt. Baker.
• Sierra Intro to Alpinism (5 days) Pick up the rock, snow, and ice skills you'll need to climb in the Sierra.
• Mt. Whitney Ascent (3 or 4 days, Sierra) Climb the tallest mountain in the lower 48 via a non-standard route.
• Mt. Baker Ascent (3 days, Cascades) Ascend a massive, glacier-covered volcano in northern Washington.

♦ Mt. Rainier Ascent - One spot left!

• One spot left on this summer's Kautz Glacier Climb! Join us from July 23 - 26 for an intermediate route well off the beaten path. Previous glacier climbing experience required.

♦ Bolivia and Peru: Spots open on late August/September trip.

• Cuzco and Machu Picchu Tour - Peru (3 days, begins Aug 22) Explore the most important sites of the Inca Empire in the central Andes, including Machu Picchu.
• Remote Bolivia Trek (7 days, begins Aug 25) View Inca and Aymara archeological sites and embark on a trek over a 15,000-foot pass and through Aymara mountain villages largely unaffected by the modern world.
• Bolivia Alpine Mountaineering and Illimani Expedition (10 - 15 days, begins Sept 1) The Cordillera Real of Bolivia is one of the world's major ranges and offers some of the finest alpine climbing. We make ascents on several high altitude peaks in the Condoriri Valley and on Huayna Potosi (20,011') and Illimani (21,201'), the highest in the range.

Sign up for any South American expedition or trek before July 31, 2007 and receive a $200 gift certificate for use in our gear shop.

Fine Print: To redeem this offer, you must mention code EN706 when registering. Offer expires July 31, 2007. New registrations only. Cannot be combined with other promotions. Not valid on sale items.

View our year-round Special Offers, including our Ring Leader Discount, Second Summits Program, and Green Energy Discount.

AAI and AC staff members in New Zealand and the U.S. are still glowing from the successes this spring on Denali (48 to the summit) and Everest (25 to the summit). It's been a great year, and though it is a ways off, we are looking forward to the upcoming season. We are already receiving applications for those two peaks for our spring 2008 Everest and Denali expeditions.

The first AC-AAI Elbrus Expedition of the year is about to depart, led by Luis Benitez. Luis will stay on to guide the second trip as well, and he will be joined by Mark Sedon. The Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, and Island Peak Expeditions are all nearly full, though applications are still being accepted for all three departures. Vinson climbs are also coming up, with Luis leading the first trip in November and Mike Roberts, who co-led our last Denali expedition of 2007, leading the Dec 27 Antarctic trip.

Let's begin with a definition. Alpine climbing, in general, is: 1) a long way from the trailhead; 2) any combination of rock, snow, glacier, and ice; and 3) lots of moderately technical terrain (up to 5.6). In other words, alpine climbs are long, complex, and are best done as quickly as possible. Weight becomes a significant factor in reducing the time and energy spent on the approach, climb, and descent. Unfortunately, somewhat at odds with the "light is right" credo is the wide array of gear that one needs to climb safely on rock, ice, snow, and glaciers.

This article is intended to provide a starting point in choosing what kind of and how much gear to bring on any given alpine climb. Read on for a discussion of what makes up a basic alpine climbing rack and for advice on how to choose what to bring on a climb. Read the full article.

GUIDES CHOICE: Rock, Snow, and Ice pro on sale!

ROCK PROTECTION

	Black Diamond C4 Camalots BUY 4 or more units and save 20% C4 sizes .4 - .6
	Black Diamond Stoppers and Micro Stopper BUY THE SET and receive 20% off BD ovalwire carabiner included for easy racking.
	Metolius TCUs & Ultralight Power Cams (UPC's) BUY any set and receive 20% off: TCU set #1 - #4, TCU set #00 - #4 UPC set #1 - #4, or UPC set #5 - #8 Cam lube included with each set.

ICE & SNOW PROTECTION

	Black Diamond Turbo Express Ice Screws BUY 3 or more and get 25% off
	SMC I Picket 20% off per unit

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Guides Choice is an independent, international gear evaluation program started by the American Alpine Institute in 1989. Our professional climbing and ski guides are continually field-testing equipment and clothing in a variety of mountain environments and conditions throughout the world. Guides Choice awards are given to the top item of gear in each product category based on excellence in design, performance, and durability. View the list of 2006 award recipients.

JULY PHOTO CONTEST: Vote for your favorite!

Vote for your favorite!
The photos are in, and now it's time for you, the readers, to decide which photos deserve first, second, and third place.

Enter the September 2007 Photo Contest
Send your best mountain photo(s) to climberspath@aai.cc and have a chance at winning the following prizes:

• 1st Place: $200 gift certificate for trips or $100 for gear
• 2nd Place: $100 gift certificate for trips or $50 for gear
• 3rd Place: $50 gift certificate for trips or $25 for gear

The act of submission constitutes your consent for AAI to publish your photo(s).