CASCADE SECTION
Washington has traditionally been a stronghold for climbing in North America, and the sheer diversity of climbing here is its trademark. Mt. Rainier is the fifth highest peak (guarded by the most glaciers) in the lower 48, and the steep granite walls at Index offer some of the finest cracks in the country. The real prize, though, is the outstanding alpine climbing that has been the training ground for some of the finest alpinists in the word. Come up to the PNW and see for yourself!
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Email: cascade@americanalpineclub.org
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Meet your Section leadership
Andreea Gabor
Section Chair
Andreea Gabor grew up in Romania and Eastern Kentucky on a steady diet of Everest movies, hikes, and survival books. She's lived in many places, from Florida to Italy, then New York City and Seattle. Yet it's the mountains that make her heart beat, and the strong climbing community that makes her feel at home.
Andreea is a passionate ski-mountaineer, climber of all terrain, and amateur mountain runner. She believes that climbers from all backgrounds should be able to send their dreams, and she'll pull out all the stops to support our community. You can find her running our social and comms, advocating for our PNW landscapes, and plotting a new FA or FKT to get more women represented in climbing history.
Andrew Puhl
Policy Volunteer
Andrew Puhl has been enamored with mountains since his earliest childhood memories. Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, his climbing career started with a Chestnut tree in front of his grandparents house and quickly escalated to the New River Gorge and Seneca Rocks.
Since landing in Seattle, the alpine environment of the Cascades taught him what type two fun really means, why skin tracks are better than chairlifts and that dawn patrol is an acceptable out of office message. Andrew also enjoys spreading the stoke of skiing and snowboarding to the masses, pouring beer at AAC events and advocating for good design to be apart of all aspects of our lives.
Emma Cousin - Education Co-Chair
Originally from France, Emma (she/her) has spent the majority of her life moving from one place to another. Yet it wasn't until she moved to Seattle that she found herself at home here and in the mountains. Since then, she has been working to develop her skills as a passionate skier and climber, as well as sharing her stoke with anyone and everyone she can.
As our event coordinator and education co-chair, Emma works with our partners to bring the community together and pour one out to our fellow climbers and skiers! Having had first hand experience with climbing best practices through her position at Vertical World, she's especially passionate about debunking the myths around the outdoors and educating herself so that she can be a resource to others.