2003-2004 Cross-Culture Climbing Exchange Grant

The Anatoli Boukreev Memorial Fund is proud to announce the following grant awards.

2003 - Valetova Elena Evgenyevna: A young women from Almaty, Kazakhstan has been chosen to receive a grant to climb in the US in 2003. Schooled in Economics and Management she works as a Chief Accountant, plays classical piano and rides horses competitively. Member of the Central Sports Club of the Army, Valetova has numerous ascents in the Tien Shan Mountains

Melis Coady, Aubrey Knapp, Keri Meagher and Molly Loomis have been chosen to receive a grant to attend a Russian Climbing Camp near Almaty and then climb Khan Tengri. This group of American Women are all NOLS instructors and Alaska guides. Under a grant from the American Alpine Club they recently completed a ski expedition to Kamchatka, in Far East Russia.  Climber Molly Loomis' flight ticket was donated by SummitClimb.com. Briefly this is the American Group:

Melis Coady – Speaks Russian, B.A. Central Asian Studies, NOLS instructor, member of the Talkeetna Volunteer Fire Department, ascents in Alaska include Denali and Foraker as well as numerous ascents in the Chugach, Wind River and Cascade Ranges.

Aubrey Knapp – B.A. from Berkeley, EMS Medic at the Girdwood, Alaska Fire Department, NOLS Instructor, Ski instructor University of Alaska.

Keri Meagher – B.S. University of Colorado, Kinesiology. NOLS Instructor, Instructor at Alaska Pacific University, numerous ascents in Selkirk, Alaska and Chugach Ranges.

Molly Loomis – B.A. Political Science, also studied in both France and Argentina, fluent in Spanish and French. NOLS instructor with climbs Alaska and rock/mixed climbs in numerous areas in the U.S..

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MORE ABOUT OUR WORK

Anatoli Boukreev shared his love of the high mountains with a passion that transcended national divisions. He combined his early training in the former Soviet Union with his extensive Himalayan experience to achieve new levels of physical and psychological endurance. Between 1988 and 1997, Anatoli made 18 ascents to8000 meters, including eleven of the fourteen 8000 meter peaks without oxygen- four within a ninety day period-establishing difficult technical routes as well as speed records. Friendship with his fellow mountaineers from around the world was as important to Anatoli as testing his abilities in the mountains. Even after his death in an avalanche on Annapurna on December 25, 1997, his example as a mountaineer and a person has remained  an inspiration to people around the world.

   Anatoli was grateful for his training in the mountaineering tradition of the former Soviet Union. His dream was to see its emphasis  on teamwork, structured competitive training, and disciplined acclimatization survive and be integrated with the individualistic style  and environmental ethic of the west.  In his memory, the Anatoli Boukreev Memorial Fund strives to celebrate his spirit by providing financial and logistical support for cross-cultural climbing exchanges involving young mountaineers from Anatoli's region, the Tien Shan and Pamir mountains, and from other ranges of the world.

   The Anatoli Boukreev Memorial Fund has supported  two young Kazakh mountaineers on an expedition to the United States and supported an American climber's expedition to the International Mountaineering Camp in the Tien Shan where he and two partners from Kazakhstan climbed the spectacular and technical Khan Tengri (7010 meters). We supported a joint Kazakh-US expedition to Shishapangma (8008 meters) which reached the summit and made the first snowboard descent of an 8000 meter peak, and donated climbing equipment to the climbing clubs of Almaty, Kazakhstan.

   With this strong beginning and with your ongoing support and interest, we will continue to provide financial and organizational assistance for future exchanges, expeditions, and high altitude training camps, to celebrate and strengthen the bond of friendship shared by mountaineers around the world.

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