Jeff Butterfield and Casey Newman, Bar Harbor, 1984

In 1984, Maine native Jeff Butterfield and fellow New Englander Casey Newman returned from a seven-year stint living and climbing throughout the western U.S. to open GALE FORCE CLIMBING in Bar Harbor -- the first independent climbing school ever established in Maine. Operating out of a small storefront on Main Street, GFC tried mightily to convince visitors to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park that rock climbing was a sport worth experiencing. Surprisingly, despite millions of seasonal visitors to the area, the pair discovered they were at least a decade ahead of their time: back then, the average visitor preferred window-shopping and a drive around the Park Loop Road to outdoor physical activity. After just two seasons of operation, GALE FORCE CLIMBING closed its doors.

Chris Kane, Tangerine Trip, El Cap

Jeff Butterfield remained in the area, making Mount Desert Island his home while continuing to climb regularly around the country. And over the next decade things in Bar Harbor slowly started to change. Mountain bike rentals gradually became immensely popular with visitors interested in exploring the Acadia’s extensive and historic Carriage Road system. Interest in hiking on the island’s vast network of scenic mountain trails exploded. Sea kayaking, at first slow to take hold, likewise developed a loyal following and guiding outfits blossomed. And by 1994 – ten years after GALE FORCE CLIMBING – rock climbing had moved from fringe sport to mainstream activity, fueled in part by the indoor climbing gym phenomenon that had swept the country. Local resident and experienced climber Chris Kane, fresh out of Stanford and a veteran of several routes on Yosemite’s El Capitan, learned of the increasing level of inquiries for climbing instruction in Bar Harbor and decided that the time was right for Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park to once again have a resident climbing school. ATLANTIC CLIMBING SCHOOL was born.

By 1995, its second year of operation, ATLANTIC CLIMBING SCHOOL was so busy that Chris asked Jeff Butterfield to join him as a climbing guide. In 1997 Jeff became a 50% owner of ACS, and in 2000, Chris returned west to pursue other interests and sold his share of the business to Jeff Butterfield.

The new ACS logo combines elements from the Gale Force Climbing and first generation Atlantic Climbing School logos.