The name of the American Alpine Club’s annual award for excellence in mountaineering has been changed due to the previous name’s connection with antisemitism, Outside reported.
The award had previously been named for pioneering American mountain climbers Robert and Miriam Underhill. But the Alpine Club decided to rename the award after officials discovered that Robert Underhill held antisemitic views. His antisemitism was revealed in letters he allegedly wrote to colleagues in 1939 and 1946, as documented in two books by the climbing historian Maurice Isserman, according to the outlet.
The award will now be known as the Pinnacle Award.
"We wanted a name that could be around for a long time," former Alpine Club director Mark Richey said. Richey, who led the name changing project, explained that “we wanted to get it as right as we could."
The decision to change the award’s name began in April 2002 when the Alpine Club learned that Underhill’s antisemitic beliefs had been uncovered in the books Fallen Giants and Continental Divide, both written by Isserman.
Underhill is considered a giant in the field of US mountain climbing as one of the pioneers of mountaineering who introduced alpine climbing to Americans in the early 20th century.
"A shared passion for climbing and a commitment to fostering an inclusive community and protecting the places where we climb unite us all," the club said in a letter to members explaining its decision. "We firmly commit to a continual process of examining and shining a light on all parts of our history, including and especially the aspects of that history that must evolve."
After many consultation, the organization narrowed down the list of new names to three, Apex, Pinnacle, and Mastery of Climbing, finally deciding on Pinnacle because it represented the very best of the sport, the club explained.
"The [award] isn't necessarily for climbing the highest mountain," Richey told Outside. "In general, it's given to those who have performed at a high level on a world stage in some form of multidisciplinary climbing. Think climbers who are good at everything."