Our Mission

The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) promotes the protection, enjoyment, and understanding of the mountains, forests, waters, and trails of America’s Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. As a key volunteer-led organizational unit of the AMC’s Boston Chapter, the Mountaineering Committee supports the AMC’s broader mission with a specific emphasis on rock, ice, and alpine climbing in New England. We sustain a longstanding tradition of community involvement through instructional programs, events, and support for climbing area access.

Our History

The AMC was established in 1876 by Edward Pickering and 33 other outdoor enthusiasts. Early work including building trails, huts, and advocating for preservation. As early as the 1890’s, a sub-set of climbers from the AMC began exploration of the Canadian Rockies and French Alps. Bringing new techniques back to New England, AMC climbers explored popular climbing areas including Cannon Cliff, Mt. Washington's Huntington Ravine, North Conway's Whitehorse Ledge and Mt. Katahdin in Maine. Adventurous AMC climbers like Miriam and Robert Underhill and Kenneth Henderson were instrumental in exploring untouched rock faces throughout New England in the 1920’s. In 1937, New England’s first climbing guide detailing 13 routes was distributed amongst AMC climbers.

By the 1960’s modern improvements in equipment helped AMC climbers establish increasingly difficult routes. In the following decade, famous AMC climber, “Hot” Henry Barber, singlehandedly helped raise the climbing standard worldwide, beginning with a slew impressive first ascents in New Hampshire up to the grade of 5.11. Over the years, the AMC has continued to generate impressive climbers on cliffs as small as those at Hammond Pond. The Boston Chapter Mountaineering Committee has also been integral in the development of new climbing areas and the preservation of lands where access has been threatened, including Farley Ledges, Quincy Quarries, Eagle Bluffs, and Hanging Mountain.

It is from this rich history that our volunteer-led committee has evolved its modern instructional programs and community events. We continue to espouse the same spirit of exploration, adventure, and quality education that our predecessors had in forming the New England climbing community that we know today.