Congratulations to Lisa Rouse, Claire Kamak and Juliet Holzknecht on their 2021 Skagit 60 accomplishments! Lisa won the 2021 Literary Award. Claire won the Most Active Climber Award. Juliet won the Most Inspirational Climber Award. A big thank you to Alex Kortuem for his fine craftsmanship in creating the awards.
January Meeting:
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 5, 2021, at 7:00 p.m at Burlington Library
Program: Boondocking, Boating, and Booting: A Mid-Pandemic Tour through Iceland, The Galapagos and Peru
JFro and Andrea will share how they managed to drive, pedal, float, paddle, swim, fly and trek their way through three countries in the brief window before Delta shut the world down (again). Join their action-packed adventures in geology, biology and archeology, from the arctic to the equator. Highlights may include flowing lava, posing puffins, diving iguanas, Machu-ing Picchus, a truly mysterious collection of colossal desert hieroglyphics that were definitely not made by aliens, Volkswagen-sized tortoises and more boobies than you can shake a stick at.
Skagit Alpine Club Meeting Notes: December 1, 2021
The SAC Christmas Potluck and White Elephant gift exchange was a great time. Thanks to everyone who attended.
By a vote of attendees at the meeting, the current executive board members will remain in their positions for 2022.
Important SAC Business:
Ski Weekend: The ski weekend will be February 25-27 with rooms costing $150. We will watch Covid trend and keep everyone updated as we get closer.
SAC Campoout: Unfortunately, our group camp reservation for Leavenworth was canceled by the Forest Service. It was planned for Mother's Day weekend. We are looking for alternative group camp areas that have a porta-potty or a pit toilet and can fit 50 people or so. Open to recommendations and suggestions.
The BMC: The 8-week Basic Mountaineering Course is planned for next spring with the addition of one extra ice axe arrest/basic snow travel weekend class. We will send out a notification when registration is set to open.
Newsletter Editor: As I mentioned before, if anyone feels called and wants to volunteer to take over writing the SAC newsletter, please reach out to Skagitalpineclub@gmail.com
Dues are Due: Reminder to pay club membership for 2022. Here is a link https://www.skagitalpineclub.com/membership
Basic Mountaineering Club Updates: As shared last year, we plan to host the full 8 week Basic Mountaineering Course beginning in late March. We will also offer a one-week course on Ice Axe Arrest and Snow Travel. Both course registrations will open January 5th and we hope to market the courses far and wide. We will have printed posters available at the January SAC Meeting (and have attached a copy of it to this page as well). We will also have a Facebook event that we would ask for help marketing as well!
Our next meeting for BMC planning will come in mid to late January.
Vamos Outdoors Collaboration: We are excited to announce a pilot project in collaboration with Vamos Outdoors and Riverstone Climbing Gym. If you are not familiar with the Vamos Outdoors Program (https://www.vamosoutdoorsproject.com/), it is a nonprofit located in Skagit County, focused on" building community through connection to the land and outdoors". Riverstone can provide free rentals and reduced rates, and Vamos will provide the high school students from Latinx, multilingual and migrant backgrounds, and the Skagit Alpine Club will cover the cost of entry for the students and provide 6 belayers for each of the two dates (2/19 and 3/12) to encourage more people into the outdoor community.
To confirm dates and times, we ask that anyone interested in volunteering for two hours on either of these dates, please complete the survey here:
What to do when it's pouring rain and flooding in Western Washington? Head for Smith Rock for a dry and extended Thanksgiving weekend of rock climbing. In this picture SAC member Jeni Chan is transitioning into lead climbing on this route in the Dihedral Area of Smith Rock. She is being belayed by her partner Kane.
When you go climbing in the colder months, a onesie can be a great option! Made this climbing dino-mite!