Mountain Hardwear & American Alpine Club Extend Deadline For Women’s Climbing Grant

Mountain Hardwear, in partnership with the American Alpine Club (AAC) have extended the deadline for the McNeill-Nott Award through December 31, 2020.

With the untimely death of Mountain Hardwear athlete, Sue Nott, and her partner Karen McNeill on Mt. Foraker in 2006, The AAC partnered with Mountain Hardwear to establish the McNeill-Nott Award in their memory. This award seeks to preserve the spirit of these two talented and courageous climbers by giving grants to amateur female climbers exploring new routes or unclimbed peaks with small and lightweight teams.

“The AAC is grateful for Mountain Hardwear’s ongoing support to empower and inspire individuals pursuing their mountaineering dreams,” said American Alpine Club Grants Administrator, Kenzie Schott. “New for the 2020-2021 grant cycle, the McNeill-Nott Award will support female-only climbers and alpinists in their exploratory pursuits of some of the world's most remote mountain ranges. We look forward to celebrating these women’s successes in climbing and outdoor environments.”

Two to three grants totaling $5,000 will be awarded to amateur teams that best meet the criteria for pursuing an exploratory and adventuresome mountaineering objective. The applications will be reviewed by a team of AAC representatives, athletes, and volunteers. Applications will be judged on various factors including, the exploratory nature and remoteness of objective, the teams overall experience level and the significance of the proposed climb. Teams climbing with the highest ethical standards and using a minimum of fixed ropes, camps, personnel and equipment are strongly favored.

The application period for the McNeill-Nott Award is from October 1 through December 31, 2020. Applications must be submitted via the online portal no later than 11:59 p.m. MST on December 31. Recipients will be notified after the selection committee has made their final award choices in January.

Grant recipients are asked to do their best to practice low impact and leave-no-trace ethics, acting as strong mountain stewards. Winners will be required to provide a written trip report along with photos and/or videos of their expedition. It is expected that if called upon, recipients will give presentations of their expedition at national or local AAC-sponsored events or other public engagements.

For more information and to apply please visit https://americanalpineclub.org/mcneillnott