American Alpine Institute

🐻🎃 CO***NE BEAR: A HALLOWEEN SCREENING 🎃🐻

Things are getting a little unhinged this Halloween.

Join us October 29th for a special showing of Co***ne Bear, plus a costume contest with prizes!

👻 6:00 PM: Halloween party + costume contest
🐻 7:00 PM: Co***ne Bear on the big screen
🏆 Prizes: Yes. Costumes: Highly encouraged. Good judgment: Optional.

Round up your crew, put together your best costume, and come celebrate Halloween with one of the wildest movies of the last few years.

October 29th | Party & Costume Contest at 6 PM | Film at 7 PM

If you’ve been following routes, cleaning gear, and letting someone else take the sharp end, Learn to Lead is where that starts to change.

Our **Learn to Lead** program is a four-day introduction to traditional rock leadership, focused on the skills that let you lead single-pitch trad climbs independently. You’ll get hands-on practice with gear placement, anchors, lead belays, rope management, route planning, and the decision-making that goes into putting it all together. ([American Alpine Institute][1])

You'll not only learn how to place gear, but how to assess a route, build a system, manage the rope, make good decisions, and solve problems when things don’t go exactly according to plan.

And you get to do it on real rock in some pretty incredible places, including Leavenworth, Red Rock, Joshua Tree, and Moab.

Ready to take the sharp end? Learn to Lead!

Washington's insanely popular Prime Rib (5.7, III) was recently re-bolted. A second flash flood has washed through the Grand Canyon. And Utah is trying to create a publicly owned ski area.

Read about this and a whole lot more in this week's climbing, skiing, mountain rescue and outdoor news round-up:

www.alpineinstitute.com

Ready for your next adventure, even when you're off the mountain? The American Alpine Institute is hiring a Program Coordinator for Satellite Programs in Bellingham, Washington. If you're organized, energetic, and passionate about outdoor recreation, this is an incredible opportunity to help create life-changing mountain experiences for climbers around the world. Climbing experience is helpful, but curiosity, strong communication skills, and a love for the outdoors matter most.

Join a team that lives and breathes the mountains while building a career in the outdoor industry. Learn more and apply today.

Fall is in the air. The mornings are getting colder, the leaves are changing, and somehow pumpkin spice has already taken over everything. As the seasons shift, we’re starting to look a little farther ahead, toward shorter days, snowy mountains, and winter objectives.

Our AIARE Avalanche and Ski Mountaineering and Avalanche Leadership Part 1 (SMALP) programs are a great place to build the skills you’ll need for the season ahead, from winter travel and mountain movement to avalanche awareness and decision-making.

The best winter days start with the right skills. Explore our winter programs and start getting ready.

At the end of the season, we give a little back to the mountain that gives us so much.
The Kulshan Clean Up brings climbers, guides, local organizations, and community members together to help clean up Mt. Baker and the surrounding landscape.

American Alpine Institute is proud to participate in the cleanup and donate to support the effort.

We spend a lot of time on Kulshan teaching, climbing, and exploring, so taking responsibility for the places we use is part of being a good member of the mountain community. It is also at the heart of Leave No Trace. We should all strive to leave the places we love better than when we found them, whether that means packing out what we brought in, picking up something someone else left behind, or simply taking a little extra care with the places we visit.
The cleanup may happen at the end of the season, but stewardship is a year-round practice. Leave it better than you found it. 🏔️

Some of the things we removed from the mountain:
* 48 human poops
* 2 sleeping bags
* A nice patagonia vest
* A half bottle of w**e
* A hefty v**e pen
* Socks... so many socks.
* Also underwear, so much underwear
* All the microtrash
* And so, so much more

Thanks to all those who participated and donated:
* Alpine Ascents International
* American Alpine Institute
* Cascade Mountain Ascents
* North Cascades Mountain Guides
* International Mountain Guides
* Upward Transitions Institute
* RMI Expeditions
* Mountain Madness Inc.
* kulshanguidingcollective Collective
* Backcountry Adventure Guides

It has been a tough week in the outdoors. There have been several accidents and rescues, some animal attacks, and there are a lot of challenges in the preservation of public lands.

Read about this and more in this week's climbing, skiing, mountain rescue and outdoor news round-up:

Climbing, Skiing, Mountain Rescue and Outdoor News from Here and Abroad - 9/17/2026 –It’s time to start thinking about climbing in the Southwest. Book a trip to Red Rock Canyon or to Joshua Tree National Park.

What’s in your climbing pack? The answer is probably: it depends. 🧗

There are some definite essentials and nonnegotiables for every day at the crag: a properly fitted harness and helmet, climbing shoes, rope and belay device, plus the gear you need for the route. But beyond the basics, your kit is personal. Sport climbing, trad climbing, multi-pitch routes, and remote objectives can all call for a different setup.

Even if you expect a straightforward day, bring what you need to get yourself and your partner out if plans change. A little extra gear can take up space in your pack. An unexpected problem can take up a whole lot more.

Build your kit around the climb, know how to use everything you carry, and always leave room for the unexpected.