november general contents of this issue meeting … .pdf · meeting thursday, november 13th –...

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NOVEMBER GENERAL

MEETING Thursday, November 13th – 7:30PM at The Union Project

801 North Negley Avenue.

Pittsburgh, PA 15206

Some reminders:

Guests are always welcome Please arrive early to briefly socialize

so meeting can start promptly at 7:30. Bring any loaned library materials or

gear for return.

Upcoming General Mtg. Presentations:

November – Club Gear demonstration – Derek Stuart

December -- Morocco Trip – Felix Duvallet,

AGENDA-November 13th

General Meeting Officer Reports Appointee & Committee Reports Old & New Business (Presentation of BOG Actions & Recommendations)

Review of Proposed Constitutional Amendments

Ratification of Amendment to Article 12 §3.

Approval of $2000 award from Mike Brown Expedition Fund for ski expedition to Mongolia

Approval of Presidential School Committee appointments Post-meeting Presentation – Derek Stuart will demonstrate care and use of Club Gear Items

CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE General Mtg Schedule & Agenda p 1 BOG Mtg Schedule & Agenda p 2 CONTACT INFORMATION Officers & Appointees p 2 Activity Coordinators p 3 CLUB BUSINESS October General Mtg Minutes p 4-5 October BOG Mtg Minutes p 5-8 Reel Rock Film Tour – Wrap Up p 8 October Treasurer's Report p 9-11 Mtneering School Report p 12 Proposed ConstitutionAmendment p 12 Reminder: Renew Membership p 13 Support Friends of Muir Valley p 13 New Gear –Courtesy of Rock Schl p 14 ACTVITIES AND EVENTS Calendar p 15 Mike Brown Fund Application p 16 TRIP REPORTS Backcountry Skiing in Iran p 17-22 Adventures in Kentucky p 23-25 Tom George Treks in Peru p 26 Horse-Shoe Canyon Arkansas p 27

Membership/Renewal Form p 28

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NEXT BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING Thursday, December 18

th, 2014 – Gather at 7pm Meeting starts promptly at

7:15

AT: Ron Edwards' Residence - 107 Greyfriar Dr. - Pittsburgh, PA 15215 All ECP Members are welcome to attend and participate in the discussions. We do request that attendees notify

the host/hostess or VP Ron Edwards of their intention to attend. Over the past several years it has become

traditional for attendees to bring snacks, beverages, or covered dishes to be shared pot-luck style

PRELIMINARY AGENDA:

Officer and Appointee Reports

Mountaineering School & Backpacking School Reports

Consideration/Nomination of candidates for Flag Membership

OFFICERS - 2014 President -- Jeff Maurin [email protected]

Vice-President – Ron Edwards

[email protected]

Secretary – Dave Martin

[email protected]

Treasurer – Chris Ciesa

[email protected]

Activities Chair – Greg Buzulencia

[email protected]

Equipment Chair – Derek Stuart [email protected] 412-956-2123

Editor – Philip Sidel

[email protected] 412-521-9570

APPOINTEES The ECP Appointees are persons appointed by the president to fill key positions in the club. – In addition there are appointed Activity Coordinators and Special Committees

Environmental – Ginette Vinski


Historian – Phil Sidel


Librarian – Phil Breidenbach


Assisted by Bill Baxter


Membership – Martha Gray

[email protected], 412-228-9307

Webmaster – Tom George

[email protected], 412-831-4711

SCHOOL CHAIRPERSONS

Mtneering School 2014-15 – Chris Ciesa

Rock School 2014 – Matt Janick

Backpacking School 2014 – Jamie Billings

mailto:[email protected]













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ACTIVITY COORDINATORS

* New in 2014

We still have eight Activities for which we are seeking coordinators:

Adventure Racing Biking – Mountain Rafting Sea Kayaking

Triathlon Training Orienteering Geocaching Skydiving

What does an Activity Coordinator do? General advocacy and point of contact for the activity by helping current, new, or prospective members get connected with others in the club also interested in the activity and any events planned for it.

Some specific duties/expectations of the Activities Coordinators have been set forth as club policies – so coordinators will have a clear idea of what is expected of them. (see Minutes of the March 13th meeting, below). Those duties can be found in Section 1.5 of the ECP's formal policy statements which are posted on the club website.

If you are a member interested in an activity, you should contact the coordinator for that activity and let him/her know of your interest. You can work with the coordinator to keep informed about trips and events involving that activity and to help in organizing and promoting events around that activity.

Activity Contact Email

Backpacking Bethany Melvin * [email protected]

Biking – Road Bill Brose* [email protected]

Caving Doug Fulton & Teralyn Iscrupe [email protected]

Fly Fishing Bruce Cox [email protected]

Ice Climbing Tom Prigg [email protected]

In-Line Skating Robin Kamin [email protected]

Mountaineering Sam Taggart [email protected]

Paddling – Flat Water Tony & Ginette Vinski* [email protected], [email protected]

Paddling – White Water Barry Adams [email protected]

Rock Climbing Ron Edwards [email protected]

Rowing Bob Dezort [email protected]

Ultra and Trail Running* Brian Ottinger [email protected]

Sailing Bill Baxter Jeff Baxter

[email protected] [email protected]

SCUBA Barry Smyda* [email protected]

Skiing – Downhill Kevin Chartier* [email protected]

Skiing – Cross-Country Kristin Pytlak* [email protected]

Yoga Allison Pochapin Elise Nolan

[email protected] [email protected]

















mailto:[email protected]?subject=Skiing%20--%20Downhill




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MINUTES - ECP GENERAL MEETING – Oct. 9th

, 2014 At: Phipps Conservatory Meeting Hall (in lieu of Botany Hall which was occupied by another group.)

Attendance was 21 members, 2 former members, 3 applicants President – Jeff Maurin – Call to Order 7:35 PM

OFFICER REPORTS Vice President – Ron Edwards – Apologies for the short notice of the change of location. We will return

to the Union Project for the next meeting

Treasurer – Chris Ciesa – Absent - No report

Equipment Chairperson – Derek Stuart –No report

Editor – Phil Sidel –

Has reviewed the BOG listserv members and notified the inactive members that they will be deleted from the list if they do not renew their ECP membership..

Activities Chairperson – Greg Buzulencia –

Recap of the successful Annual ECP party attended by approximately 30 members

Reel Rock Tour to be held at CMU's McConomy Auditorium on October 14.

APPOINTEE REPORTS Membership Coordinator - Martha Gray –

The following new members were voted into the membership by the club. Tony & Elaine D'Angela,

Pallavi Baljekar, Laura Kustaborder, Tony Seethaler and Stephen Cummings

Martha also reminded the club of the multi-year option Starting with 2015, members may renew with the following cost savings: 5 year membership at x4 the current annual cost 10 year membership at x7 the current annual cost (Valerie Kramer and Tom Brooks were the first members to take advantage of the new multi-year option by purchasing a 5-year membership.)

Weekly Rock Climbing – Jonathan Seethaler reported that the rock school weekly climbing sessions at

Mc Connell Mills was a success and was the longest in ECP history. Accolades to Jonathan and Mellissa

Vander Plaats for organizing the weekly climbs.

OLD BUSINESS Phil Sidel – Moved to change the ECP P.O. Box address to 5854 Hobart Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217.

[effective starting in April when current Box rental expires) The motion was passed by the membership.

NEW BUSINESS Ginette Vinski informed the members of details of the upcoming Mountaineering School:

Intro Party at 5732 Kentucky Ave. Apt.3 Pittsburgh PA 15232 (Shadyside) on October 21.

The applications for the school are due on October 23. See details on the ECP website.

Jeff Maurin informed the membership that he will be presenting a Year End report to include a summary

of the budget, ECP contributions to organizations, a highlight of ECP yearly events, a map of ECP

member destinations and out of state members. A survey will be submitted to the membership to gather

information of the adventures that ECPers participated in during the past year.

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Jonathan Seethaler informed the club that he will be moving to McCall Idaho and that he has enjoyed the

friends and activities he has experienced with the ECP and that all are welcome to contact him when in

Idaho. Also that his dad, Tony is a new member who can provide information of his new address. He

thanked the ECP for the awesome experience.

Meeting Adjourned 8:05pm

Barry Smyda the Scuba Coordinator gave an interesting and instructive power-point presentation on Ice Diving -- Dave Martin, Secretary

MINUTES - ECP BOG MEETING – Oct. 16th

, 2014

Role Call / Quorum Date/Time: October 16 / 1930 Hours Location: Phil Sidel’s House – 5854 Hobart Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Attendees: President- Jeff Maurin Vice President – Ron Edwards Editor – Phil Sidel Secretary – Dave Martin Activity Chair- Greg Buzulencia Guest Member – Mike Schmitt

Officer Reports VP- Ron Edwards-Union Project meeting location has been scheduled through May 2015. Meeting presentations/slide shows have been scheduled through January 2015.

Secretary - Dave Martin - No report

Treasurer- Chris Ciesa - Absent

Editor – Phil Sidel – The ECP P.O. Box will not be renewed after the current rental expires. The new address for ECP mail will be 5854 Hobart Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Activity Chair- Greg Buzulencia – Recap of the successful Annual ECP party and Reel Rock Tour. The Reel Rock tour collected $1,100 for the Access Fund and South Western Climbers Coalition. A discussion ensued regarding charging an entry fee to next year’s Reel Rock tour and would that affect the money collected from the raffles for the Access Fund and South Western Climbers Coalition. To be tabled for next year’s BOG.

Equipment Chair- Derek Stewart - Absent

Historian – Phil Sidel – Need to locate the box of old news letters to continue with scanning of the historical ECP documents.

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Old Business

1-- Policy / Constitution Amendment

I typed in the new policy about BOG on-line voting as a General Policy (Section 1, Paragraph 6). There is no "BOG" section in the Policy Statements. The BOG Article in the Constitution is not explicit about meeting form (face to face chaired by a presiding officer was assumed) or frequency. I did note that it states: *§4: The BOG shall review applications for membership following the procedure described in Article 3, §3.* Suggested change: Delete the statement “The BOG shall review applications for membership following the procedure described in Article 3, §3” since

1) the BOG reviewing applicants is an antiquated practice and 2) the referred paragraph currently does not exist.

2-- Special Fund allocation policy change:

There should be a corollary to the Multi-Year Membership proposal, such as "Allocation of multi-year dues shall be allocated to General and Special ECP Funds as mandate by the Constitution and Policy Statements using the same multipliers (currently 4 for 5 year memberships and 7 for 10 year memberships) specified in the multi-year offerings."

A discussion ensued regarding what would be the easiest least confusing allocation of funds regarding the multi-year membership funds.

Greg Buzulencia motioned to convert the fund amounts to percentages:

Bogel Fund to receive 15% of the renewal proceeds

Equipment Fund to receive 15% of the renewal proceeds

Mike Brown Expedition Fund to receive 10% of the renewal proceeds

Phil Sidel seconded the motion – Motion Carries

Revised wording of 5.3 Special Funds: In addition to the general fund and equipment fund, the accounting records and budget of the club shall recognize the following: Contingency Fund …[no changes have been proposed for the wording on this fund, but it is noted

that no monies have been allocated to a contingency fund for years,] George Bogel Memorial Fund, A fund shall be maintained and used for the funding of conservation related activities of interest to the club. When the balance in the George Bogel Fund is less than $3000, three dollars 15%from each individual membership dues and $4.00 15% from each family membership dues shall be allocated to the George Bogel Memorial Fund. Equipment Fund. A fund shall be established and maintained for the purchase, storage, and maintenance of equipment for club activities. Revenue for this fund shall be provided on a per-student basis from club schools and surplus school revenues (as outlined in section 2.2), and from equipment rentals, and, when Bogel Fund Balance is greater than $3000, three dollars 15% from each individual membership dues and $4.00 15% from each family membership dues shall be allocated to the Equipment Fund.

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Mike Brown Memorial Expedition Grants Fund. A fund shall be established for grants in support of worthy club expeditions. Procedures and committees will be set to review applications for these grants and determine their worthiness and the amounts of the grants to be made. Funds for these grants will be obtained by allocation of $2.00 10% from each individual membership dues and $2.00 10% from each family membership dues as well as from school revenues (as outlined in section 2.2) and from donations and special fund-raising programs.

3-- ECP website events calendar Monitoring of continued spam that is posted on the events calendar is challenging due to technicalities of the site. Options discussed are restricting the site to the Activity Chair (AC) that would require members to email calendar events to the AC to post or adding access restrictions for members who will have to log in to the ECP site to add activities. Jeff Maurin will contact the web designers (Tony Vinski and Tina Castillo) for suggestions regarding the activity calendar.

Scheduled Business (Annual Tasks) The following annual tasks were initiated:

Appoint Budget Committee – to include Chris Ciesa (treasure), Mike Schmitt (member volunteer), one additional volunteer to be appointed by the President

Rock School Committee Chair – The President will ask Matt Janick to head the committee

Nominating Committee - Mike Schmitt (volunteered), The President will ask Bruce Cox and one other member to preside on the committee

Audit Committee - The President will ask Valerie Kramer and one other member to preside on the committee

2015 ECP Budget - to be proposed by the Treasurer Chris Ciesa and published in the November Newsletter

Publish a reminder for membership renewal – Completed by the Editor Phil Sidel

Review the BOG listserv members and notify the inactive members that they will be deleted from the list if they do not want to participate. Completed by Phil Sidel -Several of the inactive members of the listserv indicated that they plan to renew membership and want to continue to be a member of the listserv. – Phil Sidel

New Business

1) Retiring equipment (i.e. old harnesses) – The BOG determined that the Equipment Chair, Derek Stewart is best suited to determine what equipment should be retired and present to the BOG.

2) Policy Section 2 possible revision re: Committee Chairs. Current statement: 2.1 For each school, the President shall appoint a committee of three or more club members, including a chair. Committees and chairs shall be appointed at least three months before the school is expected to begin and shall meet within one month of the appointment and report to the BOG regularly.

Action: the BOG task list will be realigned to mirror this policy statement

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3) Flag Membership Candidates: The BOG reviewed a list of 19 members who may be qualified to be a Flag Membership candidate. Additional Flag Membership Candidates will be requested from the membership. Those present entered ballots to narrow the field to a few highly regarded candidates,. Members will be encouraged to submit names of members they think of as most highly qualified (given the Constitution's statement on qualifications), with a narrowed list and perhaps some more "bio" information, The combined 2014 and 2015 BOGs will hope to have one or two nominees to recommend for January awards.

4) President’s Year End Report and Survey

The President will initiate a Year End report to include a summary of the budget, ECP contributions to organizations, a highlight of ECP yearly events, a map of ECP member destinations and out of state members. A survey will be submitted to the membership to gather information of the adventures that ECPers participated in during the past year

Mike Schmitt indicated he will work on mapping the geographic aspects of ECP 2014 activites..

5) Mike Brown Exploration Grant Application

Greg Buzulencia submitted an application for the Mike Brown Expedition Grant for a ski mountaineering expedition to Mongolia in May 2015. Thus far one additional committee member is needed to review the application. Dave Martin volunteered to find the additional member and begin the review process ASAP.

Adjourned 10:15

Next Meeting Date and Location: December 18th, 2014 Ron Edwards Residence: 107 Greyfriar Dr. - Pittsburgh, PA 15215

-- Dave Martin, Secretary

REEL ROCK FILM TOUR A SUCCESS

This year Paul Guarino coordinated the project of bringing the Reel Rock Film Tour to Pittsburgh, and on October 14th over 300 climbing and outdoor enthusiasts enjoyed, free of charge, a fascinating film on climbing. The proceeds from the optional raffle were divided: $830 was donated to the Access Fund and $275 was donated to the newly formed SWPACC. Paul thanked the ECP for its part in bringing this event to Pittsburgh.

http://www.swpacc.org/

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ECP Treasurer’s Report - October 2014

Total ECP Account Balance as of October 31, 2014: $25,815.00 Balances in the various Club funds, as of October 31, 2014, are as follows:

Bogel Fund: $9,348.03

Mike Brown Fund: $5,746.71

Equipment Fund: $1,411.97

General Fund: $9,308.29

A more detailed breakdown of budget and finances is listed below.

2014 Budget/Actual Income and Expenditures

2014 Budget 2014 YTD Difference

ECP BOGEL FUND

ECP Bogel Fund Revenue

Membership $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Family Membership $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Indiv. Membership $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Interest $25.00 $3.46 ($21.54)

Other Bogel Fund Income $100.00 $0.00 ($100.00)

TOTAL ECP Bogel Fund Revenue $125.00 $3.46 ($121.54)

ECP Bogel Fund Expenses

Organizational Memberships $1,000.00 $0.00 ($1,000.00)

Mt. Washington Cleanup $100.00 $0.00 ($100.00)

Archiving $1,000.00 $0.00 ($1,000.00)

TOTAL ECP Bogel Fund Expenses $2,100.00 $0.00 ($2,100.00)

Fiscal Year Carry Over $9,344.57

TOTAL Bogel $7,369.57 $9,348.03 $1,978.46

MIKE BROWN MEMORIAL FUND

Mike Brown Memorial Fund Revenue

Membership $300.00 $290.00 ($10.00)



Donations & Fundraisers $500.00 $0.00 ($500.00)

Rock School $250.00 $200.00 ($50.00)

Mountaineering School $250.00 $75.00 ($175.00)

Backpacking School $100.00 $185.00 $85.00

Total Mike Brown Fund Revenue $1,400.00 $750.00 ($650.00)

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Mike Brown Memorial Fund Expenses

Mike Brown Memorial Grants $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Total Mike Brown Fund Expenses $0.00 $0.00 $0.00


TOTAL Mike Brown $6,396.71 $5,746.71 ($650.00)

EQUIPMENT FUND

ECP Equip Fund Revenue

Membership $600.00 $475.00 ($125.00)



Mountaineering School $250.00 $60.00 ($190.00)


Rock School $200.00 $200.00 $0.00

Other Equip Fund Income (rentals, etc.) $300.00 $329.00 $29.00

TOTAL ECP Equip Fund Revenue 1450.00 $1,789.00 $339.00

ECP Equip Fund Expenses

Mountaineering School $0.00 $0.00 $0.00


Rock School $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Ropes $450.00 $0.00 ($450.00)

Other Equip Fund Expenses $1,000.00 $549.92 ($450.08)

TOTAL ECP Equip Fund Expenses $1,450.00 $549.92 ($900.08)

Fiscal Year Carry Over $172.89

TOTAL Equipment $172.89 $1,411.97 $1,239.08

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GENERAL FUND

ECP General Fund Revenue

Membership $2,450.00 $2,335.00 ($115.00)

Family Membership $950.00 $760.00 ($190.00)

Indiv. Membership $1,500.00 $1,575.00 $75.00

Donations and Raffles $100.00 $202.00 $102.00

Events $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Sales $0.00 $43.00 $43.00

Rock School $0.00 $3,275.00 $3,275.00



Other General Fund Income $100.00 $139.99 $39.99

TOTAL ECP General Fund Revenue $2,650.00 $6,898.71 $4,248.71

ECP General Fund Expenses

Advertising $50.00 $0.00 ($50.00)

BOG Supplies $200.00 $222.96 $22.96

Library $200.00 $71.69 ($128.31)

Meeting Location $600.00 $760.00 $160.00

Roast, August Party $700.00 $682.85 ($17.15)

Rock School $0.00 $3,165.20 $3,165.20


Sailing School $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

Web Hosting $175.00 $242.11 $67.11

Membership Events $200.00 $0.00 ($200.00)

REEL Rock Tour Sponsorship $325.00 $394.20 $69.20

Women's Trad Climbing Sponsorship $100.00 $100.00 $0.00

Other General Fund Expenses $100.00 $107.00 $7.00

Adjustments $0.00 $0.00 $0.00

TOTAL ECP General Fund Expenses $2,650.00 $5,786.01 $3,136.01


TOTAL General $8,195.59 $9,308.29 $1,112.70

Total Monthly Revenue N/A $9,441.17

Total Monthly Expenses N/A $6,335.93

Monthly Total $3,105.24

OVERALL TOTAL $22,709.76 $25,815.00 $3,680.24

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Mountaineering School 2014-15 is Under Weigh

This year's Mountaineering School, under the directorship of Greg Buzulencia, Martha Gray, and Shane Shin, has had its intro party and its skills test outing, and has enrolled 15 students to this year's program. The students starting out are:

Bethany Melvin

Bowen Lee

Brendan Redler

Daniel Rolotti

James Laird

Kate Ekmann

Keegan McCormick

Lauren Kester

Lu Huang

Mark Wolfe

Matthew Evans

Michael Schmitt

Rachael Grasso

Robert Mullin

Will Foran

The stair workouts and readings have been assigned and by the time this gets published, the first class meeting will have been held.

Welcome Class of 2014-15!

PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Article 12 §3: of Current Constitution States: "Dues collected will be placed in the general fund.". BOG proposed that Article 12 §3 be amended as follows: Article 12 §3: “Dues and other revenues collected shall be deposited in the club accounts.”

Background information: Reason The current Article 12 §3 is at at variance with our present policies and practices. In current practice, as revenues are collected they are deposited in the club's bank accounts, but recorded as being allocated and placed in ECP general and special funds according to policies established by the BOG and membership . With modern spreadsheets, it has been much more convenient to record them in the appropriate funds immediately

This proposed amendment was published in the September and October ECP newsletters as well as in the issue. It did not come up for ratification at the October General Meeting, so It will be on the agenda for ratification at the November General Meeting -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Article 6 §4 states: " The BOG shall review applications for membership following the procedure described in Article 3, §3." The BOG recommends deletion of this paragraph from the constitution since

1) the BOG reviewing applicants is an antiquated practice and 2) the referred paragraph currently does not exist.

This proposed amendment will be published again in the December newsletter and on the agenda for ratification at the December General Meeting.

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TIME TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP

Attention all active and past members: Be sure to renew your membership for 2015. It is easy to renew on-line using PayPal/CreditCard. The procedure starts by ctrl-clicking on the following link: http://www.pittecp.org/content/renewing-members-0 For those who wish to avoid the small charge ($1.50) for renewing on-line, you can print out the application and waiver form found at the end of this newsletter (or on the pittecp website), and, after filling it out, mail or deliver it with the dues ($20 or $25 for "Family" membership) to Membership Coordinator Martha Gray (7636 Highland Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15218) or deliver it at a General Meeting. 2015 Dues must be paid by the December 11th General Meeting to be eligible to vote for your 2015 club officers. NOTE: Starting with 2015, members may renew 5 year membership at x4 the current annual cost 10 year membership at x7 the current annual cost For new applicants (and for past applicants who have not yet renewed for 2014) an application or renewal during this last quarter of 2014 will be good through calendar year 2015.

SUPPORT FRIENDS OF MUIR VALLEY

Rick and Liz Weber plan to gift Muir Valley to FOMV, ensuring climber access to this great area at the Red. The gift is contingent on FOMV being able to raise sufficient funds to execute the transfer and maintain the area,. To help Friends of Muir Valley in this fundraising campaign, ECP has pledged to match members' 2014 donations up to $1000.

Show your support for this great area and the ECP will match your donation. Making a donation is super easy: http://www.muirvalley.com/donations.html Do it now!

If you donate $20, Muir Valley gets $40. If you donate $50, MV gets $100. etc... Matching is simple: just forward the receipt to [email protected]. Many of you have already donated. On September 18th, Felix Duvallet reported: As of today (November 7th). Thirteen ECP members have donated $705.00 to Muir Valley That is an impressive amount, but we hope more ECPers will donate to this good project before the year ends - and before December 1st after which it will be administratively difficult, perhaps impossible, to submit and match donations.

http://www.pittecp.org/content/renewing-members-0

http://www.muirvalley.com/donations.html


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NEW GEAR

COURTESY OF THE 2014 ROCK SCHOOL

The 2014 Rock School class made a generous gift to the club of close to $370 for new gear. Along with the remaining fund in the Rock School budget, this gift was used to purchase one very long (430 foot!) static rope (blue water, 9.5mm) that can be used for rappelling at Seneca during the Rock School annual graduation trip. At Seneca, there is a new rappel from the summit which will alleviate the congestion of getting many people down from the Traffic Jam area. But it requires a longer rope – it is a 200’ rappel. In the past, we have worn out climbing ropes on the Traffic Jam rappel due to many uses and rubbing. Many people weighed in on this decision and thought it would make sense to get something long enough for the new rappel and to get a static rope for longevity. Hopefully, this will improve the Seneca graduation trip for many Rock School classes to come. With some remaining funds, the 2014 Rock School also purchased two Beal rope markers to be shared amongst the club for safely marking ropes. These will be housed with the club gear but available for everyone’s use. Thanks to Melissa Vander Plaats who gathered input about what to buy and then did the actual searching for the best deal and the purchasing. And a really big thank again to the 2014 Rock School class for this unprecedented way of giving back to the ECP!!

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ECP CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES & EVENTS

Note: The Activities descriptions presented below have been radically abbreviated. Check the Activities List on ECP Website (www.old.pittecp.org, or email the contact person for more details. There are also some notes on some upcoming events later in this newsletter.

Date / When Activity / Description Contact / Info Source & Sponsoring

Organization

DECEMBER 2014

Dec. 26-31 Ice Climbing: Ouray Colorado

Lindsay and Sam will be heading to Ouray between

Christmas and New Years. If anybody would like to

join, they'd be glad to have you along.

The Ouray ice park offers a bunch of easily accessible

ice climbing (both toproping and leading) and there is

also some backcountry ice climbing to be found if

avalanche conditions are right. You can literally walk

from the hotel to the ice climbing.

There is also downhill skiing nearby in Telluride and

Silverton.

Contact: Sam Taggart

[email protected]

If anyone is interested in joining us

just send me an email.

Sponser:ECP

JANUARY 2015

Jan. 2-4 Cross-country Ski Weekend at Wilderness

Lodge, With option to come a day early for a New

Years evening party and an extra day to ski. (Brian said it will be a small added fee to stay the extra night Thursday and he will provide New Years Day dinner for the price of his regular dinners.) Sign up Early!

Contact: Joyce Appel

[email protected]

724-526-5407

Sponsor: Butler Outdoors Club

Jan 23-25 Cross-country Ski Weekend at Wilderness

Lodge, -- Sign up Early because these ski

weekends fill up fast.


[email protected]

724-526-5407


FEBRUARY-MARCH 2015

Feb 27 - Mar 2 Cross-country Ski Weekend – Allegheny

State Park: Reason for extra evening Sunday is so

we don't have to be out of the cabins by 11 AM on Sunday. (Therefore, you have the option to go home anytime Sunday or stay over, be out of cabins by 11 AM Monday. You could still ski longer if you wish.)


[email protected]

724-526-5407


http://www.old.pittecp.org/

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Greg Buzulencia Submits Application

for Mike Brown Memorial Expedition Grant

An application for a Mike Brown Memorial Expedition Grant has been submitted

by Greg Buzulencia. Greg reports that tickets have been purchased and the plan

remains the same, but dates of the various stages have been changed.

The proposed Expedition is to explore, via ski and foot, a little known mountain

range in Mongolia called the Tsambagarav Uul Range of the Altai Mountains.

Goals are to circumnavigate the range and to summit the four 4000 meter peaks

in the area. The three-person (Greg, Aaron Phipps, and Philip VanPerseum)

expedition is planned for the period April 23rd to May 11th, 2015, and the estimated

overall cost is about $9000.

The application notes:

"The proposed expedition is derived of an interest to explore a unique, seldom-visited area

with a rich culture of both nomads and skiing dating back 8,000 years. It was recently

discovered via petroglyphs that the Altai Mountains are the birthplace of skiing, born out of a

necessity for hunting in the winter. This culture is one of the few places that has had little

influence from the West and the culture today is not all that dissimilar from many centuries ago.

We are hoping to meet some of the hardier nomadic hunters to experience this culture and way

of life up close and personal, though to mix this chance meeting with good ski conditions may

prove to be difficult as far as timing. …. "

"Additionally, we’d like to continue to work with Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation to gather glacier and snow sample data off of high glaciers in Mongolia. Aaron and Greg did this in Greenland and it was a successful mission in collecting data on contaminants in remote areas of the world to determine if the rest of the world is effecting remote areas with little industrial influence, such as Western Mongolia or East Greenland."

The Review Committee (Dave Martin, Sam Taggart, Shane Shinn, & Bruce Cox) reports: The committee reviewed the submission of Greg Buzulenci prior to the meeting. Greg joined at the meeting to answer questions. We all thought that he met all of the requirements of their submission. They will be crossing significant territory of 50 to 70 miles and making first descents at elevations of approximately 13,000 feet. He has a strong team with experience in remote backcountry skiing, medicine, and rescue. They are NOLs WFA or military trained in rescue. We went through the ranking exercise and determined that scores of 8-10 for the applicable criteria. The committee decided to award $2,000 to Greg to help with the success of the expedition.

At the November 13th General Meeting, the membership must now vote whether to approve this$2000 award from the Mike Brown Expedition Fund.

17

Backcountry Skiing in Iran

February 2014

By Greg Buzulencia

Without fail, three basic questions were asked when I told friends I was going to Iran: Are

there mountains? Is it safe? Are you sure it snows there? Shortly after landing in Tehran

I got the answers I had hoped for. That first morning I took in

my initial impressions of Iran while driving

around the largest Middle Eastern city to

pick up supplies for the first few days in

the mountains. With the light flurries

amidst the tall and gorgeous mosques, it

looked like some kind of Middle Eastern

snowglobe. After a period of adjustment in

my dreamy jet-lagged state, this

juxtaposition soon became reality along

with a commonly heard term by those who

knew Persia well: Iranian hospitality. That

first day I was just starting to realize that

this would be as much a cultural awakening

as a ski adventure.

Nine months earlier I had been in a bar in Pittsburgh, enjoying a post climbing beer. A

mutual friend introduced me to Babak, an Iranian-American. It took less than thirty

seconds for the conversation to gravitate towards the Alborz mountain range North of

Tehran. Over the next hour we discussed backcountry skiing, mountaineering, travel,

politics and the beauty of Iran. I voiced my surprise and delight at the chances of this

conversation, as I had a keen interest in skiing there ever since I read a Powder magazine

article a decade before. Reminiscent of Hans Solo in the Star Wars cantina scene, Babak

told me he could take me to the places I wanted to go, but I would need to trust him as my

guide. We exchanged info and a few e-mails as I attempted over and over to persuade my

more adventurous ski partners to take on Persian mountains with skis and skins. Finally,

in the fall, I got an unexpected call from Babak asking if I was still coming to Iran. I was

in, solo.

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“You want a traditional Iranian breakfast?” my local mountain guide and fast friend

Babak asked me one morning as he perused a the menu. “Sure”, I said half-awake, not

knowing I had just committed to eating sheep’s feet at 6AM. We were surrounded by

avalanche laden mountains on our way to Shemshak village for some touring.

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We were running on little sleep after getting up at 4AM to avoid the infamous Tehranian

rush hour. Hours and seemingly centuries away from the smoggy Middle Eastern city I

was in a sleepy café enjoying the bottomless supply of tea while figuring out which part of

a pig’s foot I was supposed to eat. An hour later we were skinning up a sun soaked valley

as the early morning light rushed in.

After gaining a

couple thousand feet

we came across a

small rollover

overlooking the

valley. I looked at it

and told Babak to get

his camera out. I

scurried up the slope,

transitioned and

hucked my second

large rollover that

week.

I didn’t look back

and continued the run

all the way down to the bottom, floating through heavenly cloud-like powder without

looking back. Utah snow wasn’t even this good most of the time. Once at the bottom,

Babak learned about the concept of ‘laps’ which is fairly foreign in an area where a single

6,000’ bc ski descent is not only readily available, but a full day’s work. I explained that

as an East Coast native, I’d be done at mid-morning if it wasn’t for skinning back up and

trying a new line. We soon were handpicking routes that looked good, skinned over and

shredded them yelling “yip, yip!” the whole descent. Babak, more of a mountaineer than a

regular backcountry skier, was immediately hooked. I too was stoked on skiing the knee-

deep powder on a bluebird day.

I ended the day with another shot at the rollover, hoping for a bigger and better takeoff. I

did, but one turn after touchdown I popped out of my bindings, tumbled down a ways

before coming to a halt. For about 15 minutes we played ‘where did my ski go?’ It was

only through a stroke of luck that my avy probe finally hit something 3 feet down that

didn’t feel like a rock. Even with the shake-up it was one of my favorite runs of the trip,

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floating back down the valley in soft, deep pillows as the waning Persian daylight outlined

the jagged shapes in the background. As we made our way back to the civilization of an

atypical Middle Eastern ski town, we found the Persian upper class scooting across icy

paths with their ski boots and colorful one piece suits. Men and women sat at bars and

restaurants outside having tea, sharing stories amidst hookah smoke and laughing. It really

didn’t feel much different than Aspen or Tahoe on a sunny afternoon, except for the funny

accents and outdated one-piece suits. We jumped in to the 4Runner for yet another

bumpy ride through the mountains enroute to the Polour Hut, at the base of Iran’s largest

mountain, a volcano named Damavand that tops out just under 19,000’. Another day’s

worth of adventures lay ahead.

Later that week we were back in the 4Runner, following our new friends Esan and Davood

down a bumpy and dusty one-lane road to a

small village named Lasem at the base of the

Doberar. The only entrance to the village is

protected by a sleepy security guard, a chain

across the road and an ominous looking sign

with squiggly lines. At breakfast I engaged

my new ski partners for the day, scoping out

what I was in for. It became immediately

apparent that they weren’t going to be slowing

me down much. Davood and Esan were

training for a ten-day running race across the

Alps and this was to be a warm-up to their fifty

kilometer run the next day. Finishing the

meal, a quick conversation in Farsi to the

village shepherd ensued. After fighting off

some sheep to fill up on water, we were off.

With the sun shining, the skin route started up

a silent valley that absorbed our friendly conversation about marraige, Muslim

discrimination, Western culture and a spirited debate on who was having more fun. As is

the case on any good day in the mountains, layers were shed, laughs were had, high fives

slapped. Our ascent route eventually took us up through some shallow avalanche debris,

but a few quick checks on the snow stability quelled any anxiety over a repeat occurrence

and we decided to push onward. Eventually we winded up a steep section towards a high

ridge, which topped out around 14,000’. The view up at the top was magnificent with

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Damavand looming in the background, just across the valley. Esan and Davood, who was

on a splitboard, were at ease carving their way down large bowls, quietly smiling from ear

to ear every time we stopped to

catch our breath on the 5,000’

descent.

Esan loved to ask me how to

improve his technique, but from

what I had seen, he was the best

skier in the country. Babak, who

decided to take the day off from

skiing due to earlier equipment

issues, had hiked up to an

intermediate peak and got some

amazing footage of our trio. All

of us eventually converged at a

creek which divided the village

from the Doberar ridge and we

just sat in the sun in meditative

peace.

I finally broke the silence by teasing

everyone that this is typically the

point where a few beers would be

nice. After some laughs, they told

me we had something just as good in

store. Apparently the shepherd we

met in the morning agreed to prepare

some tea and dinner in his home, a

common custom in Iran even among

strangers. It wasn’t quite the same as

tailgating at the trailhead at dusk, but

I’d take Iranian hospitality, sunshine,

and good company any day of the

week over a beer.

22

For those of you who have been lucky enough to travel to beautiful places in the name of

adventure, you know that regardless of country or culture, people are always friendly when

you treat them with respect. Iranians took this to a whole new level though. While the

landscape was beautiful and the culture unique, what made this trip stand out more than

the skiing was the people themselves. Over eleven days I had Iranians ignore longstanding

laws to invite me for dinner in their home, buy me food on the street before I could even

introduce myself, and enthusiastically inquire about my thoughts on their beloved country

while standing on a 15,000’ summit.

It was inspiring to be treated with the utmost respect by a culture known in the media for

their head of state rather than their people. I arrived thinking I was in for an epic ski

adventure and left with an intense appreciation for humanity. Sometimes that unexpected

twist is the difference between simply recalling a great trip and wanting to go back.

23

My First Adventure in Kentucky

Louisville 50, Red River Gorge, & Natural. Bridges State Park

October 4 & 5, 2014

By: Mike Ciccone

This was the first trip I ever took to Kentucky that involved more than just driving through for half an hour.

Through our local Sea-kayaking group (the Outkast Paddlers) I heard that there was a 50 mile Kayaking event in

Louisville, Kentucky. I did a search online, and found an event called the Louisville 50, which is essentially an

organized challenge event where kayakers (and some canoeists) attempt to paddle 50 miles from Westpoint

Kentucky to Westport Kentucky (miles 580 to 630 on the Ohio River) in one long day. I had been working long

hours, and left from my office around 9PM on Friday night October 3, 2014, hoping to get to Kentucky in time to

catch some sleep before the event began around 6AM on Saturday October 4, 2014. I drove and drove, and

finally entered into the little Ohio River town of Westpoint Kentucky (about 20-25 miles from Louisville) around

3:30AM.

At this point it was too late to set up a tent, so I tried to make do with sleeping in my Dodge Nitro, which was

overloaded with outdoor equipment for Kayaking, +

included my bike, suitcase, etc. Finding no way to get

comfortable it was soon 5AM, and paddlers were

assembling along the shore of the Ohio River in the

pre-dawn near the small community park where this

event begins. With headlamps on, boats were being

lowered, and packed with all the gear needed for a 50

mile unsupported adventure on the Ohio River. A

powerful cold front had just come through, however,

and the temperature was in the upper 30's with very

high 20-35mph winds. I put on every layer I had, and

my winter hat. There was a safety talk, and some

information on the brief 2-3 year history of this event,

and then at 6:30AM (1/2 hour later than planned) I

set off into the dark with the first set of paddlers.

I followed the lights on canoes and kayaks ahead of

me across the misty Ohio River (which was churning

up some big waves with whitecaps). Once on the

Indiana side of the river I paddled near the shore,

making what seemed like decent progress until

shortly after sunrise, when the wind and waves made

it nearly impossible to push forward.

24

Several other paddlers for the area caught up to me and we talked about various adventures we had been on. I

was amazed at how much the Ohio River in this area is nothing like the Ohio River in Pittsburgh. The river was

enormous (maybe 3 times the width that it is in Pittsburgh), and the waves (sometimes 4' high) reminded me of

lake Erie. The sun came out and it was a beautiful day as the eerie mist whipped across the river. Since this was

the first cold weather of the year in the Louisville Area the river water felt like bath water. When possible I did my

best to find areas protected from the wind to help make progress down river. The wind was trying to push

everyone up river! I stopped to have snacks a few times, and eventually (maybe 10AM or 11AM) I thought I must

have gone 12 miles or more and still had a chance to make 50 miles until I saw a river milepost sign that said

something like 587.8!

I had been averaging 2mph. I can usually

paddle 4 mph sustained in a lake with no

current and had expected to make 6mph on the

river. It was clear that I would not finish all 50

miles. At this point I determined that I would

go as far as the organizers would let me go.

Around 1PM I got a call from one of the

organizers asking me where I was. I had not

even made it to the first of 3 intermediate

checkpoints. I explained that I could see a

bridge under construction in the distance, and

was told to paddle to the other side of the

bridge and look for a restaurant (whose name I

forget) on the Kentucky side of the river, and to

pull out into a small creek there. It took about

1.5 hours to make the last 1.5 miles, and when I

finally arrived at the first checkpoint (mile 16- not even to Louisville, KY) I was soaked through all 5 layers of

clothes I had on and a bit cold. I asked if I was the last person to finish. Out of 38 participants only 19 showed up,

and only about 8 or 9 made it to mile 16, with just a handful making it to a dam at mile 22. The ones that made it

to mile 22 were elite racers!

This ended up being the end of the race, it was

called off early due to intense headwinds, but I was

thrilled (and exhausted) that I had not fallen too far

behind some of the best ultra distance kayakers in

the USA. I think I came in somewhere in the middle

of the group that made it to mile 16. Afterwards, a

race volunteer from the area took me and another

person who finished around the same time as me

back to Westpoint, KY where our vehicles were. I

had not slept in over 36 hours, and asked where

the closest hotels were.

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I was given directions and found the Ashbury Best Western where I got the best night of sleep I ever had in a

hotel. Around 5:15PM I was asleep, and I did not wake until a little after 7AM the next morning (10/5/2014)!.

The breakfast was wonderful, and the hotel staff and everyone else I met in Kentucky were so friendly and nice.

Great Southern hospitality. I had once done a kayak endurance event in Erie, PA and the experience was terrible.

This was the total opposite. I can't wait to go back next year and give the Louisville 50 another try.

With the whole day

ahead of me, and a new

state to explore I

decided to drive to

Louisville (to at least get

a glace at the skyline)

and then head East on

I-64 towards West

Virginia. I headed for 2

places I had been told

about by the guy who

brought me and my

boat back to the start

point on Saturday

10/4/2014- The Red River Gorge, and Natural Bridges State Park. Natural

Bridges State Park actually had an arch that looked like something you might

see in Arches National Park (Utah). It was a huge (maybe 60' high and 100' long) limestone Arch. The leaves were

very colorful. I did a few short hikes here, and 1 slightly longer 3-4 mile hike at Red River Gorge.

Apparently Red River Gorge is popular with Rock

Climbers. There is a place where you can even do a

zip line adventure (which I did not do). After

visiting these 2 gems in Western Kentucky, I made

the long trip back to Wexford, PA. I had dinner

right at the KY/ WV border, and then drove through

Huntington, and Charleston, WV. I had never been

to the Westernmost Part of WV so it was as new to

me as KY. Finally I reached I-79 at mile 0 in WV,

and headed the whole 160 miles up to PA, and

followed it 68 more miles into North Hills. What an

adventure. I will never forget the people and

places I saw this fall weekend.

http://www.americancanoe.org/event/id/425157/The-Louisville-50-Westpoint-to-West-Port.htm

http://www.americancanoe.org/event/id/425157/The-Louisville-50-Westpoint-to-West-Port.htm

26

TOM GEORGE TREKS IN PERU

Tom George notifies us:

I recently returned from Peru, where I did the Salkantay Trek to Machu Picchu and a jungle tour in the Amazon basin. I put together a report with pics. If you're interested in checking it out, it's at: http://www.tomcentral.com/peruweb/

This excellent report, with links to numerous photos is designed for internet/on-line enjoyment

and cannot be fit into the club's monthly newsletter, Hopefully, this and Tom's other wonderful

reports can be stored in the club archives for ECPers of the future..

.

http://www.tomcentral.com/peruweb/

27

Horse Shoe Canyon Ranch, Arkansas

Trip Report by Jim Schuring

On Tuesday, October 14, Michelle and i headed for her new job location in Texas. We decided our travels would

take us a two day drive to horse shoe canyon ranch fifteen minutes outside the small town of Jasper Arkansas

which is about 2 hours northwest of Little Rock

We entered from high on the mountain and around several switch backs and finally down to the working dude

ranch as we checked in at the trading post paying our $5 for camping and $5 for climbing per day. We then

headed up a very rough road to an open area near the base of the of the cliff line where there was a bath house

and large open lighted pavilion equipped with community refrigerator and cooking grille. After setting our tents

up at the edge of the hillside overlooking the ranch below, we grabbed our climbing gear and headed for the rock

trying to take advantage of the last couple hours of daylight. The small hike to the rocks included a narrow

swinging bridge over a small ravine. It wasn’t long before we started to encounter several goats, and the more we

looked there were goats everywhere. Upon entering the wooded area at the bottom of the cliff we came upon a

huge boulder (kindergarten boulder) with several routes. We quickly jumped on and did the first bolted routes we

saw just because they looked nice

The next morning we had opted for the late start of about 10. We arrived at the north forty area after the less

than 5 minute, fairly level approach and began at the first climb we came to. Everything on this wall is heavily

bolted in all grades, so I gave Michelle the option of just point and I’ll lead it. This proved to work well as we only

had an online guide book which works well if you like to climb with a laptop. After climbing 6 climbs we decided to

go back to camp and have lunch. After lunch we moved down the wall to pick up our climbing trail. The climbs are

so close I would lead; Michelle would tr;, we would pull the rope and recover our top draws by doing a small

traverse at top to the next climb. This process proved to work well as we ended up climbing another 12 climbs

after lunch and stopping by 6p.m. For those of you keeping score we had about 6 -7 hours climbing, 18 climbs, (2-

6, 7-7, 7-8, 1-10, 1-11)=188 points. Most of the climbs in this area were 45-55 feet high.

This area appears to begreat in all grades of climbing and bouldering. Even though we only visited 1 area, they do

list 420 climbs, 180 of which are 5.9 and lower with 250 bolder problems. This is a horseshoe shaped canyon

around a working dude ranch which operates in the valley below. The ranch cliffs have been heavily bolted mainly

for the yearly competition that is held every year: “24 hours of horseshoe hell.” I understand this to be set up

similar to an indoor completion. Every year registration is typically filled within the first few hours; one interesting

rule is you only have to clip one bolt to get credit for the climb.

Unlike many climbing areas that only have good climbing in the med to hard zone this area would be a great

destination for a mixed group. Although it is not very high the rock quality is good.

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