Climbers are out there—we climb the highest peaks, roam deserts, and explore the woods for the most inspiring boulders. And the climbing community has been increasingly seeing anecdotal evidence of climate change impacting our climbing landscapes. But stories are one thing–scientific evidence, on the other hand, can be our topo for advocating for change. In a first-of-its-kind study, a finalist for the UIAA Mountain Protection Award @uiaa_official, a team from the American Alpine Club joined up

A burly day in the mountains 😅 📸 Gemm.uk batting up the crux of the traverse of Pointes Lachenal - a route we whizzed up last year in perfect dry conditions. Today was very different!! It took me an hour to lead the crux pitch, and I considered backing off.. The snow was plastering everything but wasn’t useful at all until the top few meters, gear was hard won and all the holds and hooks needed clearing out, making for quite insecure climbing.. Especially with our lightweight Alpine rack 😂 I