Day-Long AMC Meeting Will Be Highlighted With Everest Slide Program

ROCKY HILL — Cinematographer-climber Thom Pollard will be the featured speaker at the Saturday, November 18, annual meeting of the Connecticut chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club. The meeting will be an all-day affair at the Rocky Hill Marriot (follow I-91 to Exit 23). There are currently 8,000+ members in AMC’s Connecticut chapter.

The annual meeting is a day-long event consisting of a CPR class from 8 am to noon, workshops from 1:30 to 4:45 pm, social hour from 5 to 6, dinner from 6 to 7:15, a business meeting from 7:15 to 8, and the slide show at 8. The evening program will run from 8 to 9 pm, with half an hour for questions and answers at 9.

Thom Pollard is one of the world’s top cinematographers, the creator of documentaries on climbing, and one of the two climbers who in 1999 on Everest found the man who had been missing for 75 years: the famed mountaineer George Leigh Mallory.

Three-quarters of a century ago, the legendary climber and his climbing companion Andrew Irvine went to Mt Everest, hoping to become the first humans to reach the summit of the world’s tallest mountain... and disappeared. What happened to them? Until Thom Pollard and Andy Politz ventured to Everest in 1999, no one knew.

All that was known for certain of the doomed Mallory and Irvine expedition is that after June 8, 1924, the two mountaineers – who were equipped with what today is considered incredibly primitive equipage, such as wool and cotton clothing – were never heard from again. For all succeeding generations could tell, Mallory had vanished off the face of the earth.

What Mr Pollard and Mr Politz found at 27,000 feet on May 16, 1999, was a perfectly preserved body. With reverence, and the permission of Mr Mallory’s family, the two climbers verified that yes, it was indeed the body of George Mallory.

Thom Pollard filmed it all on site, and his footage and photos have appeared in BBC and PBS specials. Using footage that few have seen, Mr Pollard paints a picture of Everest’s lingering mystery and danger that is guaranteed to amaze. The shots he took on the expedition to find Mr Mallory already are slated to be reproduced in at least four books.

The format of the annual meeting is such that AMC members, guests, and non-members will be able to visit during almost any part of the day. Activities will include educational exhibits, a book sale, and a used outdoors equipment sale to raises funds for AMC.

Walk-ins will be welcome. Tickets for the afternoon workshops only or the evening slide show lecture program only will be available at the door for $5 each.

Dinner reservations, at $27 per person, can be made by calling AMC’s Richard Bartes at 860/489-6631. Dinner reservations must be picked up by 5 pm the day of the meeting. Additional information is also available from AMC member and publicity chairman Fred Iannotti of Newtown at 426-1377.

Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is a non-profit organization with more than 87,000 members. The club’s mission is to promote the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers, and trails of the Appalachian region.