The Alaskan Alpine Club
The Alaskan Alpine Club
The Alaskan Alpine Club supports self-responsibility, mutual assistance, and the rights of climbers.
It was started by climbers for climbers. It isn’t your typical club, as most climbers aren’t the club joining type. Learn more about the Alaskan Alpine Club.
If you are looking for the Alaska Alpine Club website, you should look here. But, if you don’t explore this site first, you will miss out on some unique ideas and viewpoints.
If you want to open your mind, climb steep and high and explore the Alaskan Alpine Club Archives.
Ethan Berkeland leading the first pitch of Hot French Grotto in the Chitistone Canyon. Photo by Jonathan Koenig.
Projects
The Alaskan Alpine Club has a number of projects to support climbers and to promote safety and self reliance in mountain and Alaskan wilderness environments. These projects include:- Funding grants to support climbers, Alaskan adventurers, and programs that promote saftey and skills that benefit the Alaskan mountaineering community
- Support for the Eastern Alaska Range Avalanche Center
- Promoting the curation of images, journals, documents, and equipment and equipment that tell the stories of significant Alaskan climbs and alpinists
- Establishing a new mountain hut in the Central Alaska Range
Latest News
2025 Piolet d’Or Award for First Ascent of Yashkuk Sar I
“The trio climbed the mountain’s north pillar and named it Tiger Lily Buttress (2,000m, AI5+ M6 A0). They descended by the upper west and lower north faces. During acclimatization, they also climbed a new route on Sax Sar (ca 6,200m). Their route spiraled around the mountain, starting on the south side and following a glacial basin westward to eventually gain the west ridge, where they bivouacked.” ( 20205 American Alpine Journal – “Up, Up and Away: The First Ascent of Yashkuk Sar I | Pakistan, Karakoram, Baturah Muztagh” )Read Dane Steadman’s account of the climb in the 2025 American Alpine Journal. August Franzen’s story will be the feature article in the upcoming issue of Alpinist 92 (due to release in November, 2025). You can read about the team’s Piolet d’Or Award honor and a summary of the climb on Les Piolets d’Or website. The purpose of the Piolets d’Or awards is to raise awareness about the year’s greatest ascents across the world. They aim to celebrate the taste for adventure, the bravery and sense of exploration that lie behind the art of climbing in the world’s great mountain ranges. The jury was full of praise for this highly committing ascent and descent, and the young team, who embody the spirit of alpinism, searching journals and earth imagery for far-away objectives that push the boundaries of both technical difficulty and exploration. Team member August Franzen is an Alaskan Alpine Club member from Valdez. The club has supported August’s dedication to preserve the archives of photographs, journals, and climbing history of Andrew Embick, Brian Teale, John Weiland, Jeff Benowitz and other legendary Alaskan alpinists. August presented a slide program with hundreds of images from these archives at the UAF Pub in early October, 2025.
Adventure Photography of Dr. Andrew Embick – A Presentation by August Franzen
August Franzen has curated and digitized a collection of photographs from legendary Alaskan adventurer Dr. Andrew Embick. August will be delivering a presentation highlighting Dr. Embick’s climbing adventures on Thursday, October 2, 2025 at the UAF Pub, The show starts at 7:00 p.m. Attendees must be 21 or older and have a valid ID.
The Alaskan Alpine Club has been supporting efforts to preserve, archive, and share historical photographs and documents from Alaskan climbers. This is the first is a series of planned presentations by the club. This winter, we plan to collaborate with Fairbanks Paddlers to deliver a presentation of Dr. Embick’s whitewater kayaking photos and stories. Many of his Alaskan first descents are documented in his book, Fast and Cold: A Guide to Alaska Whitewater. You can invite friends to the Facebook Event or view the posts on our Instagram @alaskan.alpine