Ice Climbing in the Age of Climate Change with Taylor Luneau

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I’ve been dry-tooling more than ice climbing this winter, largely because it’s been frustratingly warm in New England. Call this my adaptation strategy — but really, I feel like I’m just getting ahead of the curve since trigger alert: dry-tooling is the future of ice climbing. #provemewrong(please)

Not to be all dire, dour and doom and gloom, but globally, climate change is leading to fewer days below 0°C, aka, the planet is warming. (according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report from 2021). Since ice forms below the freezing temp of water, it’s not hard to see that the result will be fewer climbable days of ice as a result.

So what’s an ice climber to do?

Today, we chat with Taylor Luneau, an ice climber from Vermont, former Policy Director of the American Alpine Club, and current Conservation Manager at The Wilderness Society. Taylor has spent the bulk of his adult working life in conservation efforts, protecting public land, and now, supporting climate change mitigation strategies through forest management policies.

During his time at the AAC, Taylor commissioned a first-of-its-kind study evaluating ice season length for one of the premiere ice climbing destinations in the U.S. — the Mount Washington Valley in New Hampshire. You might have seem the film that came out of this, freeze//thaw, which shares the scientific findings and socioeconomic impact on guides in the area. Definitely worth watching.

We talk about the study, how climbers can get involved in responding to climate change, along with mitigation and adaptation strategies in today’s episode.

Timestamps:

3:56 - Is it an end of an era for ice climbers in New England?

6:22 - Growing up in Vermont

11:36 - Interest in environmental policy

17:45 - Experiencing climate change firsthand

20:07 - Work with the AAC

27:31 - Targetting climate messaging

31:21 - Climate solutions

35:21 - Mount Washington Valley study

51:27 - How can climbers take action?

Resources and links:

If you’d like to connect with Taylor, his Instagram is @taylor.luneau, and his Wilderness Society email is [e-mail].

To learn more about the Mount Washington Valley study, here is the webpage that has “freeze//thaw”, an article by Jimmy Voorhis and Micheal Wejchert, and the full study by Voorhis, McDowell, and Burakowski, et al.

The impact of our national forests to mitigate climate change:

“Forests in the U.S. remove the equivalent of about 12 percent of annual U.S. fossil fuel emissions or about 206 teragrams of carbon, after accounting for natural emissions, such as wildfire and decomposition. Worldwide, healthy forests absorb 1.1 billion metric tons of carbon per year, the same contained in nearly 54 million tanker trucks worth of gasoline. Biologically rich, continuous networks of public lands play an important role in absorbing climate-changing emissions, sustaining plants and animals, and helping the hardest hit communities adapt to the impacts of a changing climate." Source

Nationwide forest plan amendment to conserve old growth:

Remember that the scoping period runs through February 2nd. Here are some resources to learn more and get involved:

• TWS Action Alert on the national amendment to all forest plans to conserve old growth
• TWS blog explaining what it is
• Federal Register scoping notice for the national amendment to all forest plans to conserve old growth
• USDA Press Release on National Old Growth Amendment

Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) Amendment:

The comment period wraps up on January 29th. Here are more resources and how to comment:

• TWS Action Alert on the NWFP
• TWS Blog explaining what the NWFP is and what's happening
• US Forest Service landing page for NWFP amendment
• USFS comment portal for the NWFP: here

Make sure to get your voice heard!

Find the rest of the notes, timestamps, resources, and more on the episode page.

Credits:

Episode cover photo by Marcus Garcia.

Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).

Sponsors:

Of course, a big thanks to our sponsor, Blue Ice, for supporting this show!

Blue Ice is the best kind of ice, and also my choice when it comes to fast and light ice climbing gear. Their Aero Lites go in like a hot knife through butter and their climbing packs hit the sweet spot between function and lightweight. Designed to get to the point in the alpine, their gear is tested by mountain professionals between the Alps and the Wasatch. If you’re looking to get to the point too — and with a little less weight on your kit, check out Blue Ice’s gear at blueice.com or your favorite local retailer.

Patreon:

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Credits:

• Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).
• This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.

Patreon:

Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more, consider supporting us on Patreon. (And for less than the price of a bougie beer per month!).