What's the point of the AAC?

The AAC club is a patch to be proud of !

I wonder how many firearms owners ask what the point of the NRA is?

Climbers need to get over this imagined dirtbag everything should be free foolishness. The AAC has a long history of advocating for climbers in policies about federal lands. That alone is worth supporting if membership fees are within your means.

I've been a member off and on over the years, and am currently a member. Honestly, for my uses, I don't really feel that the membership has been worth the $75/year. I'm still not convinced on the rescue benefits. I've asked for specific instances where they've paid out for domestic rescue and have yet to be provided any concrete information, so I'd love to hear of a specific example where AAC has provided real domestic rescue benefits.

The International Global Rescue Services...$5000 in benefits is almost useless, and the "discount" on higher benefits is negligible; for example I recently purchased 30 days GRS and the discount was about $10 for an almost $300 policy.

The library is nice, and I've used it to get guidebooks on road trips, but I have often had a hard time getting the books I wanted as they are often checked out. The AAJ and ANAM are nice and all, but it's not like I really read them, so also not really a great benefit perk IMO.

Being in NC, we don't get that many shows/dinners/films etc. at least there is probably more of that in places like CO. For conservation efforts, I'd much rather put my money to AF and/or to local organizations like the Carolina Climbers Coalition. Maybe the grants program is good, but I've never taken advantage of that.

divnamite wrote: BMC? Most western european alpine clubs are ten times better than AAC. Also, in case you don't know... AAC membership was never all-inclusive. It's a recent change.

Never say never, it is certainly inclusive now! :)

lucander wrote: Climbers need to get over this imagined dirtbag everything should be free foolishness. The AAC has a long history of advocating for climbers in policies about federal lands. That alone is worth supporting if membership fees are within your means.

I very much agree with the first sentence here. I also agree with the second sentence. The third sentence I am a bit iffy on.

Although the AAC does good things, a strong argument can be made that the Access Fund does more. If one's main concern is climber advocacy, the Access Fund is probably a better per-dollar investment.

drock3 wrote:Camping at the AAC campground in the Tetons is not cheap. $16/member or $25/non-member per night camping is ridiculous. 5 minutes down the road is a huge campsite for $21/night (no per person charge).

There's no AAC campground in the Tetons. However, there is the AAC Climbers Ranch, which provides bunkhouse accommodation, a cooking shelter, hot & cold running water, showers, electricity, a library and internet access, none of which you'll get at Jenny Lake campground. And unlike the campground they'll accept reservations.

Troll

Martin le Roux wrote: There's no AAC campground in the Tetons. However, there is the AAC Climbers Ranch, which provides bunkhouse accommodation, a cooking shelter, hot & cold running water, showers, electricity, a library and internet access, none of which you'll get at Jenny Lake campground. And unlike the campground they'll accept reservations.

Yeah, the Teton Climbers Ranch is super cush; really comfortable place to stay. For what you get, it is a good deal at the member rate. I spent a few weeks in the Tetons a while back, and got an AAC membership ($40 at the time for young'uns) specifically so that I could stay at the Ranch relatively cheaply (it was only $10/night at the time for members, which was a fantastic deal for what you get). Totally worth it to get an AAC membership if you are planning a trip for a week+ to the Tetons. The other membership benefits just add to it.

Nothing has to have a point, I mean whats the point of men having nipples? (I know why, but you'd think they'd fall off or something).
Not all gun owners are NRA members.
At $80 for a regular membership...people definitely weigh their options.

If they built a campground on the outskirts of Yosemite their membership would probably double!

I've toyed with joining for years but I don't see the value in it at my stage in life.

I'm not trolling. I live in Bishop and they are having something called the Highball Classic here this weekend where they charge people $15 to watch the Reel Rock tour in a horribly small little building with the movie projected onto a wall (the size of the projection is barely bigger than a big screen tv), and not enough room for everyone to sit down.

They are also having a couple people give slideshows.

I was just trying to figure out what benefit the AAC provides to the climbing community, and more selfishly to it's members. Thank you for the responses, it appears that they don't really do anything that I consider valuable.

I am a member of the Access Fund and appreciate the work they do. Last year I went and helped out at the buttermilk clean up, didn't realize till I looked at the "craggin classic" page that the AAC had anything to do with that...

Overall I'm certain that some people find value in what the AAC does, but my guess is that it's just one more organization invented to provide a couple of people the opportunity to live and work in Boulder.

http://www.americanalpineclub.org/p/craggin-classic

Alicia Sokolowski wrote: They will teach you to love offwidth. I know, I know, sounds impossible...

They must be a cult then! or maybe the part of the US government that tortures people.

I am more than happy to support the AAC. The AAJ is the best resource for information on alpine routes in South America.

skitch wrote:I'm certain that some people find value in what the AAC does, but my guess is that it's just one more organization invented to provide a couple of people the opportunity to live and work in Boulder.

Aha, so you've tumbled to the real agenda of the AAC, despite their (obviously inept) efforts to try to cover up their real plan by (1) locating in New York City for the first ninety or so years of their existence and then (2) relocating to Golden instead of Boulder.

Troll.

Boulder, Golden, whats the difference???

JLP wrote: At the core, it seems to me like a simple pyramid scheme. The common man pays a membership fee, gets a token to show their friends, the higher up members go party overseas with the cash, return with stories and a slide show. Repeat year after year.

That actually makes a lot of sense. Maybe I can start a sport climbers organization to pay me to live in Spain.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/nation/july-dec13/stephens_10-27.html

Is there a watch dog group for AAC or Access Fund? We all support them, and then we know we are doing good because they advertise that they are in the magazines...

Hamik, you got an AAC grant so you can't vote ;)

Reasons Not to Join

[edit] The Global Rescue portion is not rescue insurance and smells to me like a for-profit scam. I'm not calling Global Rescue to coordinate my rescue and pay whatever exorbitant fees they charge beyond the $5k AAC coverage. If you bump up your coverage through GR (starting at mere $119 a week for short-term) it only kicks in at 160 miles from your place of residence, perfect for those living in Bishop or the Front Range, right?

For rescue insurance, with a SPOT it's an additional $18 a year for up to $100K SAR coverage ($50K per incident with up two covered per year).

I have used the library, which is useful for obscure US guides, but otherwise I don't get much out of my membership. I get a better night's rest in my car than the Teton Climbers' Ranch. The way the AAC handled the situation with the local Eldo residents during their ill-fated plan to convert the Eldo post office building into a climbing hostel was completely unprofessional. I had signed up this past year after I left my membership lapse over the dropping of rescue insurance, but after the Eldo incident I will not renew.

I would have like to have seen AAC, or Access Fund, for that matter helping to negotiate post-flood climbing access on OSMP property.

skitch wrote:Is there a watch dog group for AAC or Access Fund? We all support them, and then we know we are doing good because they advertise that they are in the magazines...

Charity Navigator ratings (out of 70) for:

AAC (55.0)

Access Fund (59.8)

divnamite wrote: Also, in case you don't know... AAC membership was never all-inclusive. It's a recent change.

I joined in 1995 as a total gumby, so its been all-inclusive for almost 20 years. I wouldn't call that "recent".

skitch wrote:Boulder, Golden, whats the difference???

Ouch.