California Institute of Technology

New: in August and September 2008, the club's email alpine has been partially broken (it cannot receive email); we are fixing it, but until then, please email srbecker with any Alpine Club related inquiries. Thanks.

News and Upcoming trips

• Thanks to the efforts of Nick Stadie, we are hosting a screening of Teton Gravity Research's brand new Under the Influence, a 16mm/HD ski and snowboard film (follow the link for more info and trailers). The film will be shown at 8 PM on Wed, October 29th, 2008 in Caltech's Ramo Auditorium. Here is a PDF version of the TGR poster. This event is free for all Caltech students (but ticket still required) and $5 for the general public.
• Winter break '08/'09: climbing the Mexian Volcano Pico de Orizaba. If interested, email hamik
• If you have ever wanted to get involved and help your fellow climbers/hikers/backpackers in need, Sierra Madre Search and Rescue (SMSR) is currently recruiting for the 2009 training class. Primary requirements are that you are at least 25 years old, live within 20 minutes of Sierra Madre, and are reasonably fit and comfortable in the wilderness.
  If you have any questions about the rewards or commitments involved in joining, don't hesitate to ask (email alpine and you will be forwarded to the appropriate person). We currently have several Caltech affiliated people on the team.
• The 3rd annual Reel Rock Tour comes to California in September and October. Riverside on Oct 9th, San Bernardino Oct 23rd, San Diego Oct 32st, ... See website for details
• 2nd Wednesday (and 3rd!) of every month is ladies' night at the Arc gym -- women climb free. New student rate of $35/month!

For more details, and to see all past and future trips, please see our events page.

Major past events

• Update, May 13 2008: The Student Investment Fund has funded our request for a portaledge! Much thanks to the SIF. Email alpine for details.
• The long-lost Climber's Guide To The California Institute of Technology (3.8 MB PDF) has resurfaced! See also this old article profiling Caltech's climbers (1.5 MB PDF).
• Wilderness First Aid course, May 2008. The course is co-sponsered by the Caltech Y, and will be taught by instructors from the Wilderness Medical Institute of NOLS. The application period is over; due to constraints, only 30 participants are allowed.
• Sierra Winter Mountaineering Trip in February and March 2008. This involved four trips: two practice trips to Mt. Baldy in February (15 to 20 participants each trip), and then serious trips to Mt. Whitney and Mt. Sill in March (about a dozen participants for both trips).
• The 2007/08 Banff Mountain Film tour came to Ramo Auditorium at Caltech on Tuesday, March 25th and was sold out once again. Here's the Caltech Public Events Banff Film Festival site, and from the events website you can find information obtaining tickets. More information at banffmountainfestivals.ca
• Avalanche Course, March 2007. Thanks to the Moore-Hufstedler fund's generous support, we organized a free avalanche course on March 23-25, 2007. The course was in Bishop, CA, taught by instructors from the Sierra Mountain Center. We had two weekends, with about 24 participants total. See the avy course page for more info.
• Mt. Whitney trip, March 2007. See the Whitney '07 trip page. We ascended the Mountaineers Route in early March 2007 with a group of 15 climbers after a few practice trips in February.
• The 2006 Banff Film Festival (2006 films, but shown in 2007) came to Caltech on Tuesday March 27th, 2007 at 7:30 PM in Ramo Auditorium. Here is the Caltech Public Events Banff Film Festival site, and information on obtaining tickets. There are 25 films on the tour; we had time for about 11 or 12 of these to watch (a listing of the films is on the public events website).
  
• Wilderness First Aid course, Oct. 2006. We hosted a wilderness first aid course, which was Fri. evening Oct. 13th through Sun. Oct. 15th, 2006. The course is co-sponsered by the Caltech Y and the Moore-Hufstedler Fund, and was led by instructors from the Wilderness Medical Institute of NOLS. See also our list of acronyms from the '06 WMI course.
• The Banff Film Festival came to Caltech on March 29th, 2006.
  
• Mt. Winchell trip page Oct '06. A moderate late-fall outing.
• Mt. Shasta trip page July '06. We tackled the giant Whitney Glacier on the N. side of Shasta over two days, navigating ice fields and crevasses.

Backcountry.com sponsorship

Backcountry.com has a deal with the Alpine Club for a variable discount on their products. Much thanks to Nick Stadie for organizing this, and to the folks at Backcountry.com. To use the discount, you must be a member on the email list; see the Feb 7th 2008 email for details.

The club also has, or has had, arrangements with MountainSmith, Outdoor Research, and Evolv. We appreciate our sponsors!

Who we are

The Caltech Alpine club serves the entire Caltech and JPL community and is dedicated to all aspects of mountaineering. We have about 480 people on our email list, ranging from sport climbers to backpackers to cavers to alpinists. This website contains information on upcoming events, local climbing areas and places to buy and rent gear. We also have listed the modest amount of gear and books that we loan out free of charge to members.

If you are new to the community or to this site, you might try joining our mailing list. For specific questions, please email alpine -- not to be confused with the email list, which is alpineclub (all email addresses end in @caltech.edu unless otherwise stated).

About membership: for the past few years, we haven't charged dues, and hence there is no such thing as being an "official member" of the club. To be involved with us, join the email list and check this site for upcoming events.

As of September 2007, the club's membership breakdown is as follows:

• Staff: 21 members
• Faculty: 7 members
• Grad Students: 162 members
• Guests, Visitors and Summer Students: 17 members
• Postdocs: 38 members
• Undergrads: 49 members
• Unknown Affiliation: 138 members

New website aliases

To help those of us with failing memories, it is now possible to access this site via different virtual hosts, including:

• alpine.caltech.edu
• www.alpine.caltech.edu
• alpineclub.caltech.edu
• www.alpineclub.caltech.edu

All aliases will redirect automatically to www.its.caltech.edu/~alpine

New online guidebooks from the SMC

The Sierra Mountain Center has some small PDF guidebooks, mainly by S.P. Parker as well as with assistance by Todd Vogel and Andy Hyslop. The following PDFs are available:

• The Palisades
• Mt. Sill, The Swiss Arete and description.
• Temple Crag and description.
• N. Ridge of Lone Pine Pk, and description.
• Horse Shoe slabs (a top-roping crag near Mammoth
• Clyde Minaret, SE Face 5.8 and description.
• Mt. Dana, 3rd Pillar 5.10 and description.
• S. Face of Charlotte Dome and description.
• Staying in Bishop, guide to camping/hotels/restaurants ..., RockFax MiniGuide from 2003

Some of the guides are still a work in progress. Much thanks to SP and the SMC for publishing these on the web!

Prodeal with Mountainsmith

Members of the club can recieve a wholesale prices on Mountainsmith products. Contact alpine for details. Much thanks to Mountainsmith! The club has a few other prodeals -- email for details.

SIF grant

Thanks to the Student Investment Fund (SIF), we have recieved $400 to buy new guidebooks in spring 2007. An updated list of all the books in our library will be posted once the books arrive. We have nearly comprehensive coverage of most SoCal destinations, as well as areas such as Bishop, Yosemite and Red Rocks. The SIF also funded our purchase of two ice axes and two pairs of crampons last year.

ASCIT funding

ASCIT, the Caltech undergraduate association, will give the Alpine Club $220 next school year. We received $120 from ASCIT for '06/'07. Much thanks!

Climbing class

Held Tuesday evenings at 7:30 at Hanger 18 climbing gym. If you'd like to be part of a carpool, email alpine. This class is normally held every quarter, and you can either be "in the class" (the teacher, one of the Hanger 18 employees, is great), or just climb on your own. Either way, there's a $40 / quarter fee (as of 2007).

New for Aug 2006! Check out upcoming Alpine Club events on Google Calendar

If you have a Google account, you can use Google Calendar beta and add the Alpine Club's calendar to your calendar (don't worry, you can remove it later if you wish). To see the Alpine Club calendar, follow the link below:
. If you don't already have a Google account, you can still view the calendar here.
Email alpine if you'd like permission to edit the calendar.

What's on this website

• Alpine Club homepage
• Upcoming trips
•   Calendar
• Guide to local areas
• Equipment
• Library
• Bouldering on campus
•   Bouldering Gym
• Links
•   Avy/Weather links
•   Altitude links
• Member Directory
• Packing Lists

• New photo galleries
•  Add photo gallery
•  Old photo galleries

• About the Alpine Club
•   Expedition History
•   Mailing list
•   Contact Info

• Old webpage ('97 to '05)

Back to top of page.

In Brief:

• Using Caltech's Rock Climbing Gym
• Jan '08: Check out the new Skiandboard mailing list.
• Sierra Trailhead Shuttle Service
• Steve House takes less gear to Nanga Parbat than most climbers take to an indoor gym. Watch and learn as he discusses gear on youtube.
• High altitude causing brain damage? Worth reading.
• Acronyms from the '06 WMI course
• Sue Johnston sets John Muir Trail record at 3 days 20 hours
• News in climbing -- safety and gear
• June 24 '07 -- LA Times: Where to stay overnight in Yosemite article.
• June 23 '07 -- it's mosquito season! Comparison of Insect Repellents, taken from this N.E.J.M. article. Also, many favorable reports about Permethrin impregnated clothing.
• Giardia -- probably not as worrisome as you thought. Rockwell, 2002; Rockwell, 2003; LA Times, 2005; WMS, 2004
• Ice-axe self arrest video -- pretty good, but if you're not wearing crampons, you definitely should dig your feet in.
• Packing lists
• Documents on the Altitude Sickness supplement (requires password)

Of Note:

• New climbing gym in Arcadia as of late 2005: Arcadia Rock Climbing, aka "The Arc". $15 per day.
• Athletic Dept. Rock Climbing class, Hanger 18 gym: email the email list if you'd like to carpool
• Williamson Rock closed. See this message board or visit Friends of Williamson Rock for information on the situation.

Our '07/'08 Sponsors

Caltech organizations:

• SIF
• ASCIT

Our '06/'07 Sponsors

Caltech organizations:

• M.H.-Funds
• SIF
• ASCIT

Webcams

• Yosemite
• a list of webcams in the Sierras

Friends of the Club

The club supports...

Local organizations