Support the Embick- Teale Memorial Library

By appreciating the past, we are able to understand the present, shape the future and become inspired by climbers who set the bar and put Alaska on the map.

Valdez climbing conveys a reputation of high caliber adventure and legendary characters dating back to the 70s. The legacy of this fjord is steeped in rich history that has been carried through past generations as oral lore and epic campfire stories. Only a handful of key players still live to tell the stories first hand.

Andy Embick was one of these revolutionary Valdez climbers whose ripples would impact climbers across the globe and forever leave a mark on the history of mountaineering. Author of the quintessential guidebook, Blue Ice and Black Gold, as well as countless contributions to the AAJ and AAC; Andy’s meticulous documentation of routes, expeditions, and climbers through his hand written notes, slides and journals have preserved the untold story of Valdez climbing. These archives, including his personal library of climbing journals, photos, articles and classic literature have remained untouched, stowed away on bookshelves and hidden in boxes for decades.

The objective of the Embick/Teale Memorial Library is to compile these historically relevant documents, photos and literature in a communal space for Alaskan climbers. By scanning, organizing and printing these original slides into comprehensive photo albums and journals, the history and stories of Alaskan climbing may be preserved, shared and appreciated by the next generation.

Upon completion of scanning slides and documents, the digitized content will be distributed and shared amongst various Alaskan Climbing entities and historical archives. The original slides will be relocated and housed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for long term storage and preservation.

Copies of these scans will be printed and presented in Brian Teale’s shop located in Valdez. BT’s estate (now owned/ run by August Franzen) has served as a hub for Valdez climbing for decades- fostering the spirit of people and place that make Valdez so unique. Combining the legacies of Embick and Teale; the comradery reflected in a climber’s pad meshed with the poetic addition of historical books, documents and photos will provide an immersive step into the past in a historically significant space for Valdez climbing.

This project has grown to include the climbing collections of Alaskan climbing legends John Weiland, Jeff Benowitz, and most recently, Roman Dial. These additional slides and content will require further time, effort and funding to preserve the complete story of this golden era of Alaskan climbing. The estimated total slides and content is roughly 16,000 items to scan.

Funds will be applied to cover costs of:

-Professionally scanning slides, film and documents

-Printing photos and replicas of notes, journals and documents

-Binding photo prints, notes and supporting documents into albums

-Associated costs with archiving documents

-Any additional associated cost with establishing/ running the library

There is something important, something timeless about climbers keeping climbing legacies alive. All contributions of funding, content donation and raising awareness of this archiving project will assist in preserving the legacy of Valdez ice and document the untold story of a forgotten climbing mecca.