Vol. 25, No. 1

Spring 2010
Club member
makes first
Canadian ascent
of 8000er
page 8
Club Library needs
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Executive Committee
Peter Muir President
Gord Currie Secretary
Neil Bosch Treasurer
Roger Laurilla VP Activities
David Foster VP Access & Environment
Carl Hannigan VP Facilities
Isabelle Daigneault VP Mountain Culture
Evan Loveless VP Services
Marjory Hind Honorary President
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SW-COC-001271
Mountaineering / Climbing
10 Gadd slays ice, raises money
20 Giving time yields community
23 Marj Hind named Honorary
President
28 Club recognizes new Honorary
Members
30 ACC members invited to Bhutan
Mountain Culture
12 Club Library needs support – from
you!
13 ACC Library history
14 A Mountain Culture Committee
view on preserving the Library
15 Of books and mountaineers
Facilities
4 Largest network of backcountry
huts
29 Member shares a custodian’s
pleasure
6 Terrain, terrain, terrain
8 Club member makes first Canadian
ascent of 8000er
16 Experience Mountain Adventures
21 Parks Canada launches
parksmountainsafety.ca
22 Big volcanoes, fast pumas and really
bad maps
24 L’accès aux sites d’escalade du
Québec
24 ACC seeks collaboration for
climbing access in Québec
25 TNF course provides instruction
extraordinaire
26 Colombia – misunderstood,
undiscovered and spectacular
Editorial / National News / Awards
6
18
30
30
Short rope
Route finding
National Office news
Summer job opportunities
What’s Outside...
Cover photo: From top, Val Pitkethly (tiny face left of flag), Tensing Sherpa (red
jacket), Helen Sovdat, (blue jacket) and Mel Proudlock celebrate in the
thin air of Manslu’s 8163-metre summit. Photo by Rob Casserley. Story
on page 8.
Inset photo: Ottawa Section member Rachel Slater peruses books in the ACC Library
at the Whyte Museum. Photo by Meghan Ward. Story on page 12.
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Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette
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Spring 2010 5
Terrain, terrain, terrain
A.K.A. The three most important things to know about avalanches
by
Ernst Bergman and Peter Amann
T
Infrequent ice climber Lynn tops out on the St.
Boniface, Manitoba ice tower. photo by Josée Lavoie.
Short rope
by Lynn
A
Martel
side from opposable thumbs, one
key thing that sets human beings
apart from the other species with
which we share this planet is the ability
and the drive to record our history. For
thousands and thousands of years, man
has developed his skills, first drawing in
crude ochre sketches on rock walls, then
through the development of verbal and
formal written language practices, to
record his own history as it happens for
future generations to inhale, to study and
(ideally) to learn from.
All jokes about knuckle-bashing and
high altitude brain cell deterioration
aside, of all uniquely human endeavours,
climbing and mountaineering enjoys a
rich and prolific written history. Climbers
throughout its youthful history have been
blessed since the inception of the pursuit
by the fact that many of the earliest
mountaineers were educated men capable
of expressing their thoughts and record‑
ing their experiences on a written page.
So much so that the creation and preser‑
vation of a Club Library was key among
the founding guidelines of our very own
Alpine Club of Canada.
As booksellers find themselves seek‑
ing bankruptcy protection, as newspapers
stop their presses and magazines fold,
the written word is undergoing an unset‑
tling revolution of sorts. A key thing
to remember, however, is the fact that
people, thank goodness, do read. Twitter,
Facebook, Wikipedia, Kindle, for better
or worse, all provide means by which
6 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
he title of this article is of course,
facetious, but it does convey an
important point: of all the things
to know about avalanches, terrain is by far
the most important.
Before considering snowpack, weather,
human and other factors, the ability to
read and use terrain can keep you safe.
That is especially important for recrea‑
tional skiers and climbers who typically
do not have the same access to informa‑
tion about snowpack and weather history,
time spent in the mountains or the pro‑
fessional network that professionals have.
Backcountry skiers, climbers and ama‑
teur leaders should make it a priority to
become good at reading and using terrain.
The choice of terrain should constantly be
on your mind when in avalanche country;
even if you think the danger doesn’t war‑
rant it. The most important thing to learn
is setting a safe track in avalanche terrain;
whenever possible choose high ground.
The primary terrain factors to consider
are slope angle, slope shape, aspect, vege‑
tation and terrain traps.
Dangerous slab avalanches occur pri‑
marily between 30 and 45 degrees; below
that angle it’s too shallow, and above
that snow doesn’t accumulate. Measure
the slope angle with an inclinometer, a
compass or your ski poles until you get
good at it. Guess the slope angle from a
distance and confirm when you are on
it. With your ski poles you can use the
tangent rule. Place one ski pole vertical
in the snow to the basket. Place the other
at a right angle, horizontal on the top
towards the snow. Slide the horizontal
pole down the vertical one, maintaining
a right angle, until it touches the snow.
If it touches the snow at the top of the
vertical pole, you have a 45-degree angle.
If it touches the snow half-way or lower
on the vertical pole, you have a fairly safe
slope angle. Three-quarters is bull’s-eye
angle for slab avalanches. You can mark
ski poles with tape to facilitate.
Slope aspect also plays a large role in
the development of dangerous features in
the snowpack, such as windslab, surface
hoar and sun crusts. Anywhere in the
sub-Arctic mountains of western Canada
there is a preference for slab avalanches
to run on northeast aspects. This is, of
course, a general rule, but most accidents
happen on northeast aspects because that
is where we want to ski, since that’s where
the snow is best. These are, however,
usually lee slopes.
Small changes in the aspect of a slope,
such as the two sides of a shallow gully,
often have vastly different snow. Remain
aware of the aspect you are on at all times.
people communicate – albeit often by
painfully butchered versions of proper
grammar (don’t get me started about
the proper time and place to insert an
apostrophe) – through the use of written
language.
So what does all this have to do with
climbing?
Mankind lives and womankind
climbs the way we do, at our increasingly
modern pat-ourselves-on-the-backlevels, solely in thanks to those who have
walked, talked, climbed and chewed gum
before us. This issue of the Gazette is
built upon a foundation of every issue
that has come before it.
No thing – no flat screen, no umpteen
gazillion dpi screen, no iPad slotted
into the magazine rack of someone’s
low-volume flush washroom will ever
replace the tactile, aromatic value of
a leather bound volume of words and
sentences and paragraphs and chapters
created from one or more sets of simple
human minds and hands (or even feet)
before we or our parents or even grand‑
parents ever lived.
Those items will grow in time to
become all the more precious, all the
more valuable, all the more meaningful,
alongside Sir Edmund’s ice axe, Messner’s
boots and Mallory’s camera. But they
won’t be worth more than the cell phone
you replaced with your Blackberry if we
don’t make a concerted and devoted effort
to preserve them.
To learn about how you can help
preserve the ACC Library, read on.
continued on page 7
continued from page 6
PSST!
Do you wanna be a famous writer?
Ok, how about just a writer?
Contact the Gazette editor at
[email protected] to
have your article, story or event
published in the Gazette.
Skiers ascend a safe uptrack toward Caribou Pass in the Sol Mountain area of B.C’s Monashees.
photo by Peter Amann.
or leader pick an uptrack using terrain
features, aspect and available natural
protection; watch and learn when given
the chance.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre’s
Avaluator is also a good tool as it displays
all the “obvious clues” one should think
about when travelling in the mountains.
Ernst Bergmann is Chair of the ACC
Safety Committee, and also Edmonton
Section Chair. He has been skiing in the
backcountry for longer than he cares to
admit.
Peter Amann is a Jasper-based ACMG
guide who has been a snow safety professional for 25 years.
27 meters straight ahead.
Any questions?
Now’s not the time to wish you’d read the manual.
Clear distance and direction. Fast processing.
No questions. No bull.
Ease-of-use and proven reliability make the Tracker DTS
the most widely used avalanche beacon in North America.
Photo: Doug Chabot/GNFAC
If that can’t be done by the direction of
sun and shadows, carry a readily access‑
ible compass. Being good at determining
slope aspects also helps greatly in sniffing
out the best skiing.
Avalanches running down a slope
flow much like water; in gullies and
around knobs and shoulders; still, large
avalanches can run surprisingly far
uphill and on occasion jump ridges.
Stay on shoulders and ribs for uptracks
and whenever possible, within large
trees. Concave slopes are generally safer
because the snowpack is more supported;
convex rolls tend to create tension within
the snow pack.
Large trees that are reasonably dense
generally indicate safer areas. Do try to
read the trees though: widely spaced trees
are no protection and sometimes the
signs of avalanches on the lower trunks
can be very telling of potential danger.
Large and very destructive avalanches in
times of high and extreme danger can
take out mature forest. Beware of steep
open slopes above the trees – the trees
just might represent something to pile
into when you get hit. Look for damaged
trees, such as signs of “flagging” to see
where avalanches have run in the past.
Finally, be aware of terrain traps.
Gullies, canyons, bowls and benches on
large slopes accumulate lots of snow and
result in deep burials. Similarly, a convex
or steep slope ending abruptly causes
avalanches to stop and snow to pile up.
Slopes that end in trees, boulders, cliffs,
creek beds or crevasses are dangerous
because of the potential for injury; at least
one quarter of avalanche victims die from
trauma.
Reading and using terrain takes
conscious practise. A good way to learn
is by watching an experienced ski guide
Tracker DTS: ease of use when it matters most.
For more information on avalanche beacons and education,
check out backcountryaccess.com/education
Alpine Club of Canada

Backcountry Access, Inc.
Boulder, Colorado USA
800.670.8735
Gazette

Spring 2010 7
Club member makes first Canadian ascent of 8000er
by Lynn
L
Martel
ast September, Helen Sovdat and
Val Pitkethly accomplished some‑
thing no other Canadians have
managed to do, when they stood on the
summit of Manaslu.
Poking 8163 metres into the thin
Himalayan air, Manaslu is the world’s
eighth tallest mountain. Previous
Canadian attempts were thwarted by
stormy weather and high avalanche
hazard.
Sovdat and Pitkethly, however, were
granted favourable conditions. While
vaguely aware they might be the first
Canadians, the idea had no impact on
their motivation.
“It’s not about the mountain, it’s who
I climb the mountain with,” Sovdat said.
As a professional trekking guide who
regularly leads trips in Peru and Nepal,
Pitkethly has guided clients on Nepal’s
20-day Manaslu circuit 10 times. After
repeatedly looking at the mountain, she
asked Sovdat if she’d be keen to climb it.
One of seven Canadian women to
hold international ACMG/IFMGA
mountain guide certification, Sovdat
has guided heli-skiers for Canadian
Mountain Holidays and climbing
adventures for the Alpine Club of
Canada for more than 20 years. She is
one of few women anywhere guiding
technical mountaineering adventures
internationally – to Peru, Patagonia,
Bolivia and even Mongolia.
“My best trips are when I can guide
in a new place and have a successful trip,”
Sovdat said. “I feel privileged and lucky to
find people wanting to go there with me.”
In 1996, Sovdat and Pitkethly planned
a dream trip – to climb 8201-metre Cho
Oyu, the world’s sixth highest mountain,
with two other experienced climbers,
ACC members Marg Saul and Karen
McNeill. [Editor’s note: McNeill died
in 2006 climbing a difficult route on
Alaska’s Mount Foraker.] Just as they
prepared to leave, Pitkethly experienced
a nasty leader fall on a rock climb. With
several broken bones, including three
thoracic vertebrae, Pitkethly’s serious
injuries required a lengthy rehabilitation.
Sovdat, Saul and McNeill made the trip,
with Sovdat and Saul becoming the first
Canadian women to summit Cho Oyu.
Coincidentally, the first Canadian men
succeeded that same season.
Three years ago, despite painful joints
Val Pitkethly stands in front of Manaslu. The climbing route weaves through the icefall – and dangerous
seracs – right of centre, through the col and left to the ridge to the summit, which is hidden behind the
pointy peak on the left. photo by Rob Casserley.
and fall-out from multiple knee surgeries,
Pitkethly climbed Cho Oyu. This year,
with both women marking their 50th
birthdays, they decided to climb another
8000er. Like Cho Oyu, Manaslu can be
ascended by a standard route that is not
considered technically difficult.
“If you do the standard routes on
these big peaks, they’re big snow climbs
with pitches of ice,” Sovdat said. “They’re
not technically hard; you don’t need to be
a superstar – just a good base of fitness.
But the objective hazards are greater –
avalanches and icefall – the things you
can’t control.”
The other big challenge, she added, is
the cost.
“The thing about climbing in Nepal is
it takes time and money, and some kind
of group,” Sovdat said. “If you can’t find
enough friends to go with you, you join a
commercial group.”
They hired Nepalese outfitter
Himalayan Guides, which looked after
permit fees, base camp meals, cooking,
porters, high altitude Sherpas and oxygen.
They made staying healthy a priority by
drinking lots of water and eating well,
and becoming accustomed to feeling
sluggish and unwell at altitude.
“It takes mental determination; it’s
hard to keep working your way up and
down the mountain when you don’t feel
good. I feel perfectly fine at altitude if I’m
not moving,” Sovdat laughed.
They journeyed from Kathmandu by
private jeep, switching to 4WD transport
truck after becoming stuck in a mud bog.
Starting Sept. 5, they trekked for seven
days in pouring rain, staying at guest
houses along the way. When they reached
base camp, populated by 100 people
comprising 11 groups from the U.K., U.S.,
China, Chile and Mexico, the weather
cleared.
Climbing with Mel Proudlock,
a British client of Pitkethly’s with
Himalayan experience, they worked their
way up the mountain following another
team’s schedule, carrying loads, sleep‑
ing at progressively higher camps and
returning to base camp to recover.
“The icefall hazard between camp one
and two was an active icefall,” Sovdat
said. “We had to run under unpredictable
serac fall. It came down twice while we
were there, and covered our track. Those
are the hazards of climbing big peaks.
In the Rockies we would choose to go
around places like that, but on those
peaks, those are the easiest routes.”
One of the highlights for Sovdat
was starting early one morning with
several other guides with ropes, pickets,
ice screws and carabiners to fix rope,
working all day to connect a safe route
through crevasses. For safety, and to avoid
the permanently debilitating effects of
altitude, they used oxygen above 7000
metres.
Then on Sept. 28 they walked for six
hours from camp 4 to the summit.
“I was surprised and relieved to end
up on the summit,” Sovdat recalled. “It
was a long hard walk, but we all felt
pretty good and spent over an hour hang‑
ing around near the top. I really was so
thankful that our trip was blessed with
good snow conditions and clear, calm
weather. The name Manaslu translates
to ‘Spirit Mountain’ and I really felt
as if we were blessed by the spirits.
We were almost giddy but exhausted
at the same time. We got a good 360degree view above a few puffy clouds of
unclimbed summits, the Tibetan plateau,
the Annapurna group, Dhaulagiri and
Shishapangma.”
On her way down, Sovdat hit the wall,
her legs feeling like lead.
“It was hard to move. The motivation
was gone but survival mode took over,”
she said. “I had to get to camp 2 where a
tent, stove and food were waiting for us.”
Through it all, Sovdat said she never
stopped feeling admiration for Pitkethly,
who, while guiding trekkers in Nepal,
volunteers with Cochrane-based Basic
Health International, stopping in remote
villages delivering supplies and providing
basic medical assistance.
“A couple of Tibetan villages rely on
her to bring medical supplies,” Sovdat
said. “It’s her way of giving back and
helping. A simple burn can become
infected just because the villagers don’t
have basic supplies – or knowledge.”
What’s even more remarkable is that
Pitkethly does so even as she suffers pain
daily as a result of her own accident.
“Val’s accident was a near death
experience and for a while it looked as
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though she would never climb again,”
Sovdat said. “It was a long slow recovery,
and it’s a lesson in determination and grit
that she has come back to lead a life as a
Photo:
Photo: Dean
Dean Howard
Howard
full time guide in the mountains.
“I admire her so much.”
Reprinted with permission from the
Rocky Mountain Outlook.
ACC member Helen Sovdat takes a break in the icefall on her way up Manaslu. photo by
Rob Casserley.
Gadd slays ice, raises money
by Lynn
I
Martel
“That’s the hardest
I’ve ever worked in my
life,” said Gadd, whose
previous accomplish‑
ments include the
first single-day ascent
of Mount Robson
(solo), flying his
paraglider over 48
days from California
to Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina, and skiing
the normally threeday Wapta Icefield
traverse in eight hours. Will Gadd shows the strains of his effort at the end of 24 continuous hours
of ice climbing in Ouray, Colorado in January. photo by James Beissel.
“It was a good
experiences of my life.”
one. There were a lot of tipping points,
Amazingly, throughout the mara‑
many, many ups and downs. My feet are
thon, Gadd said he didn’t recall taking
destroyed. I can barely walk. You don’t
any breaks for longer than 10 minutes,
normally stand on your front points
although he did admit the concept of
all day, let alone for 24 hours. My little
time became rather fluid. And when
fingers are swollen to twice their normal
it was all over, he was pleased to real‑
size. I’ve never had blisters from hanging
ize his final tally had far exceeded his
onto my ice tools. I’ve never ever heard
expectations.
of anyone getting blisters from that! But
“I thought 3000 or 4000 metres would
for sure, it was one of the most amazing
be my goal, but I crushed my goals,”
Gadd said. “I know I doubled anything I
ever thought I could do physically. Our
bodies are always a lot better than we
give them credit for, but you have to go
Food Preparatio
n Guide
deep and ask. It’s not easy to dig through
the mental fear and pain to reach that
level. But when you ask your body for
extraordinary things, often you can come
up with it.”
One memorably difficult point came
around 4 p.m. on Saturday, when he took
a break just as a memorial for revered
Canadian ice climber Guy Lacelle, who
died on Dec. 10, 2009, was taking place in
Ouray. [Read more about Lacelle in the
2010 Canadian Alpine Journal – Ed.].
Visit the ACC’s online store for:
“It was really hard to motivate myself
to get back up there after that, but I knew
✦ Select climbing, hiking and ski
Guy would be telling me to get back up
touring guidebooks
there,” Gadd said. “But I had about 50
✦ Large selection of topographic maps
people helping me out overall, and they
✦ ACC labelled apparel and accessories
made all the difference. The belayers were
✦ “Mapitfirst” software
great. Lots of positive energy. I’d start
feeling down and tired and then the next
belayer would come on and pump me
up again. I thought about quitting many
times, but then I’d think OK, you can do
at least another 10 metres. And the 10
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/store or phone 403 678-3200 ext. 1
metres kept adding up.”
t took 24 belayers paying out rope
for an hour each, more than a few
Red Bull energy drinks, a whole lot
of enthusiastic supporters, and one very
determined, motivated athlete.
Between noon on Saturday, Jan. 9 and
noon on Sunday ( Jan. 10), Alpine Club of
Canada member Will Gadd managed to
climb 194 laps of a 150-foot high vertical
ice wall.
The monumental physical effort – to
the best of anyone’s knowledge the only
time anyone has climbed vertical ice for
24 straight hours – raised not only a lot
of exuberant cheering from about 200
excited supports at the Ouray, Colorado
Ice Park, but also about $20,000 for the
non-profit dZi Foundation, which helps
provide remote Nepali communities with
basic health and education services.
Recovering from a long list of injur‑
ies and physical pains at his Canmore
home just two days afterward, Gadd,
42, said the experience was without a
doubt among the most amazing of his
adventure-filled life.
ALPINE CLUB
OF CANADA
PUBLICATION
BEV’S FEARL
ESS
FOR CAMPS
IN THE BACKCO
UNTRY
2009 EDITION
ACC members receive a
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10 Alpine Club of Canada
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Spring 2010
photos by Todd Davis, Bori Shushan and Kevin Giles.
The night was especially long, he added.
“The night was long. I climbed more
in the dark than the light,” he recalled.
“But there was from two to 100 people
all night long. That really made the
difference.”
When he topped out after his last
lap at noon Sunday, after climbing
somewhere in the neighbourhood of
29,000 feet on several different routes,
the canyon was ringed with about 200
supporters.
Unlike his other one-of-a-kind adven‑
tures, which include many world firsts,
Gadd said this undertaking was really a
complete unknown.
“With everything else, I usually had
some idea of what to expect,” Gadd said.
“This was a complete shot in the dark.
My biggest fear was that after 12 hours
my body would simply seize up. But I
trained really, really hard, that helped a
lot. My training routine wasn’t perfect,
but it worked. How do you train for
something that nobody has ever done
before? I’m still in disbelief.”
Through the course of averaging
one lap every eight minutes over 24
hours, Gadd consumed 18 litres of water
and countless calories, but was still
dehydrated. His head didn’t fare any
better.
“I was completely messed up, I was
useless,” Gadd said. “I’m still recovering. I
definitely don’t need to ever do anything
like that again. Somebody asked how
many laps I was going to do next year. I’ll
belay somebody else next year!
“But it was fantastic. I don’t think it
could get any better.”
To learn more, or to donate to dZi,
visit www.endlessascent.org
Reprinted with permission from the
Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Watch for the ACC
Blake Harrington and David Trippet, Piedra
Blancas Glacier, Argentine Patagonia.
MIKEY SCHAEFER
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ski week lotteries
and mark the dates on your calendar:
Fairy Meadow lottery
opens April 1, 2010
Kokanee Glacier Cabin
lottery opens April 19, 2010
Details will be provided in upcoming NewsNets and on our website: www.alpineclubofcanada.ca
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 11
Club Library needs support – from you!
by
Suzan Chamney
T
he Alpine Club of Canada’s
houses as a possible home.
Library occupies 600 cubic feet
Committee members
with some 3500 volumes. Books in
investigated this pos‑
the Library range from an historic 1600ssibility and determined
era leather bound volume to history texts
that in order to be usable
to contemporary guidebooks.
as a library, the house
After being housed at the Whyte
would require extensive
Museum of the Canadian Rockies in
renovations, including
A bird’s eye view captures all five racks of ACC books, publications and
Banff for the last four decades, this
upgrading of all electrical, pamphlets currently housed in the Whyte Museum archives. photo by Meghan Ward.
coming September the Library will be
plumbing and heating,
boxed up and sent into storage to await
and possibly, the recon‑
its next home. Due to space constraints,
figuration of the floor plan and room
the initiative. With sufficient support,
in 2008 the Whyte Museum requested
layout. The Foundation would provide a
the Club would need to make space for
that the ACC remove its Library from
long term right of use (lease) at a nominal
the Library in the Clubhouse, perhaps
their building. The Mountain Culture
value in exchange for the ACC funding
in the Guides Room or, if sufficient
Committee, led by our dedicated Vicethe upgrading of the house. Mountain
funds were available, in an addition or
President Isabelle Daigneault, has been
Culture Committee members toured the
annex to the building. This phase of
seeking a suitable loca‑
historic home and
the project would have to be led by the
tion ever since; however
determined
that
Facilities portfolio. During conversations
In an e-mail, Barb Bulat,
it has proven impossible
the cost to carry
regarding our dilemma, many people have
Banff Public Library head
to find a location with
out the necessary
suggested that financial donations to a
librarian, said, “I looked at
enough space to accept
renovations would
library would be an attractive option for
the FABULOUS Alpine
our Library on a loan
be prohibitive
philanthropists. As well, we believe there
basis, with the Club
given
that
the
Club
are numerous grants available to support
Club book collection at the
maintaining ownership.
does
not
own
the
the infrastructure required by a project of
Whyte, and it is 92 shelves
The Committee has
building.
this nature.
of books. Unfortunately we
contacted public librar‑
With all this
can’t accommodate it in our
ies, university libraries,
in mind, the
hat do you think? Should we
present location.”
museums and art cen‑
Committee is now
keep the collection? Where?
tres, but none have the
considering options,
Would you be willing to
space to accommodate the entire collec‑
in particular, housing the Library at
donate time or money to the project?
tion on loan. Those who would consider
the Canmore Clubhouse, and creat‑
Would you be willing to pay an extra $5
accepting the Library would only agree
ing a resource centre where members
on your annual membership fees to sup‑
to do so on the condition that we make
(and others) could access books for
port the operational costs of the Alpine
it an outright donation, allowing them
research. Also, a lending library could be
Club of Canada’s Club Library? Please
to manage and disperse the collection as
established for the part of the collection
visit www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/survey/
they see fit.
that is suitable. For this to work will
library/ to complete our questionnaire.
Graeme Nunn, executive director
require the support of the Board and the
Also available on the website is a listing
of the Peter and Catharine Whyte
membership. It is not a project that the
of our Library collection titles.
Foundation, has been extremely helpful,
Mountain Culture Committee could
Suzan Chamney is ACC Director of
suggesting one of the museum’s heritage
take on by itself, but it would spearhead
Mountain Culture.
W
The ACC collection includes editions of
Mountaineering and Explorations in the
Canadian Rockies, by Smythe 1951, Outram 1905,
Thorington 1925, Stutfield and Collie 1903, and
Coleman 1911. photo by Meghan Ward.
ACC Ottawa Section Member Rachel Slater reads
The Palliser Reports (1859), written by John
Palliser, leader of the famed Palliser Expedition. photo by Meghan Ward.
Thank You
to the Whyte Museum of
the Canadian Rockies and
the Peter and Catharine
Whyte Foundation for their
dedicated care and support of
our Library over the years.
12 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
ACC Library history
by
Suzan Chamney
T
he establishment of a Club Library was part of the
original Constitution of the Club set back in 1906 which
was published in the 1907 Canadian Alpine Journal:
Item #16. A library or libraries shall be
established where the publications of the
Club and books, maps, photographs and works
of art relating to mountain scenery shall be
gathered together and filed for the use of
its members.
In her first report, also recorded in the 1907 CAJ, Jean Parker,
the Club’s first librarian, stated that the Club’s Library consisted
of 17 donated volumes. Parker’s report continued:
In addition, the Club purchased the first
number of a series of monographs, called
“Alpina Americana,” to be published yearly by
the American Alpine Club. Mr. Tom Wilson of
Banff, himself a collector of Rocky Mountain
literature, has kindly volunteered to keep
watch for the acquisition of rare old books
dealing with early history relating to the
Canadian mountains.
It is perhaps worth noting that of the
seventeen volumes forming the nucleus of
the library, eight were written by our own
members, and the Appalachian volumes also
contain much matter contributed by members
of our Club. We hope that the library will
be augmented during the current year, by many
valuable additions, and that the Club will
enact some legislation by which these books
may be made accessible to members, such as
the establishment of a library building at a
suitable point in the mountains.
The following year, the librarian reported that the Club then
owned 42 books and 15 minor publications:
Too much stress cannot be laid on the
importance of the Club Library; and no reasonable opportunity should be lost, whereby
we can obtain works of value dealing with
mountains and mountaineering, on historical,
scientific or aesthetic lines.
Also, the 1908 CAJ reported that the Club resolved to build
a Club House in Banff, and 50 members promised to contribute
$10 each. The report continues:
A suitable site of three and a half acres
on the side of Sulphur Mountain has been generously leased [to] us by the Dominion government; and we expect soon to have there a
building worthy of the Club, which shall give
us a new visibility and a home to our growing
library. Such a Club House will be a headquarters at which to rally our members for
alpine work in the mountains, and from which
to organize camps at advantageous points; so
that members may make up parties and go from
one to the other at times suitable to them,
finding good accommodation at each.
The library and reading room were established in the ori‑
ginal Club House located on Sulphur Mountain in Banff and
remained there until 1963 when the Club Library was moved into
the Vancouver Public Library. According to Ted Hart, Whyte
Museum head archivist, this was, “likely due to uncertainties
about the future of the Club House and the threat of fire.”
In 1969 the agreement with the Vancouver Public Library
was renewed for an additional three-year period. However, the
Vancouver Library indicated that at the end of this agreement
the ACC collection must be removed or turned over to the
Vancouver Public Library. Not willing to give away its Library,
the Club sought other options. They found it with the Peter
Whyte Foundation (operator of the Archives of the Canadian
Rockies), which had recently completed a new fireproof and
climate-controlled library, archives and gallery building in Banff.
In 1970 an agreement was reached that specified the collection be
on loan, that it be available for reference purposes only, that it be
kept in its own closed stack area separate from the Peter Whyte
Foundation Archives’ library, but that it be cared for and utilized
in the same manner as the Archives’ library, and that the Club
appoint a librarian who, in consultation with the Archives’ librar‑
ian, would be responsible for acquiring materials for the Library
from the Club’s funds. The agreement was to be for a minimum
of five years beginning on March 1, 1971, with a renewal option
for a second period of five years, during which it could be ter‑
minated upon one party giving the other 30 months’ notice of
its intention to do so. There was to be no financial consideration
in this agreement. The ACC collection arrived at the Archives
on March 5, 1971 and operated mainly under the supervision of
Archives librarian Jean Finley and Club librarian Tony Daffern.
It quickly experienced an increase in use by both Club members
and the general public.
In 1981 the increasing costs of housing the collection resulted in
the negotiation of a new agreement whereby the Club would pay
the Peter Whyte Foundation for the facilities and services by levy‑
ing a $1 charge to each member of the Club, in addition to making
up to $500 available for conservation and repairs. This payment
remained in place for two years before being unilaterally reduced
to a flat fee of $1,000 per year, which was paid by the Club for one
year before being discontinued altogether. This resulted in a further
series of negotiations, with a new agreement in 1986 stating the
Club would be relieved of paying the annual fee, and in return
would donate outright its entire archives and artefact collection to
the (now) Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.
The ACC Library has continued to grow in size under the
auspices of Club librarians, research use of it has continued to
increase, and the Whyte has continued to provide the profes‑
sional services, research access and storage facilities envisaged.
Over the years the Club’s executive and management and the
Whyte Museum expressed themselves as pleased with the 1986
arrangement, and no efforts were made to renew the Library
agreement until about 2000 when pressures on the Whyte
Museum’s facilities, staff and other resources began to build.
In 2008 the Whyte Museum gave the Club notice that
the Archives’ library and storage areas were effectively full,
impacting their ability to accept future donations, and therefore
requested that the Club remove its Library from the museum by
September 2010.
Information and quotes in this article were facilitated by Ever
Upward: A Century of Canadian Alpine Journals.
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 13
A Mountain Culture Committee view on preserving the Library
by Isabelle
A
Daigneault
mong the elements that define
the Alpine Club of Canada,
and which set us apart from
other outdoor clubs, are our history and
culture. The ACC has long shared the
mountain experience with Canadians,
and the Club’s Library documents our
mindset and passion for mountains as it
evolves over time. Literature and photos
have traditionally been – and continue to
be – the means by which mountaineers
document their feats, epic adventures and
inner reflections on their appreciation for
alpine and mountain environments. The
Club’s Library has tremendous intrinsic
value for ACC members, the community
and researchers alike. As such, the Club
must preserve it.
While managing the ACC Library no
longer fits into the mandate of the Whyte
Museum of the Canadian Rockies, it
continues to be the duty of Club mem‑
bers to preserve this world-class collec‑
tion, one that has taken the efforts and
unbroken attention of many a mountain‑
eer over a century to build (not to men‑
tion the special care of ACC member, the
late Bev Bendell). The Mountain Culture
Committee expects that book and other
media donations of tremendous historical
significance are yet to come—if the ACC
maintains ownership of this important
holding. New media is at our door and
the committee anticipates that it, too, will
become an important part of Canadian
mountain culture along with our current
collection. Without the degree of control
that comes from ownership, the com‑
mittee cannot assure the future of the
content or size of the ACC Library.
Although funds will be required,
firstly to house, and then operate a
Club Library, the Mountain Culture
Committee sees this opportunity as a way
to showcase the ACC. It also recognizes
This summit note written by Conrad Kain in 1913 and
found on Mount Whymper is pasted into this 1935
edition of Where the Clouds Can Go. The inscription
below, written by F.C. Bell, who retrieved Kain’s note,
reads: “A climb of Mt. Whymper was made on Aug 7,
1957 by a small party of ACC members, one of whom
was Mr. Wm. Morrison of Calgary. The cairn at the
top contained some now deteriorating records, one
of which was Whymper’s own certificate of original
climb on June 26, 1901, together with the names of
his guides Mr. Klucker, Pollmager, Bosemay and C.
Kaufmann.” photo by Meghan Ward.
14 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
that the Library, even
in its current form, is
an indispensable part
of Canada’s climbing
and mountain com‑
munity. Keeping the
Library in proximity
to the Club’s Archives,
which remain in Banff
at the Whyte Museum
Alexander Mackenzie’s Voyage Through North America, 1st Edition (1801),
of the Canadian
includes a pull-out map. photo by Meghan Ward.
Rockies, also makes
own space, while remaining under the full
sense for research purposes. The Library
control of the Alpine Club of Canada.
and the Archives go hand-in-hand; the
Every member’s support will be
Archives are proof and documentation of
instrumental in making this happen.
various ascents and of mountain life, and
Were it not for the numerous vol‑
the Library is the interpretation of that
unteers involved in helping move this
proof !
initiative forward and their deep care over
The American Alpine Club manages
what happens to this valuable asset, we
its archives and library in one beautiful
would be nowhere. The ACC owes special
building, which is located in Golden,
thanks to Len Gottselig, Zac Robinson,
Colorado. As the AAC has clearly
Robert Omeljaniuk and Meghan Ward
outlined, “The library is the cornerstone
for their time and effort, and also to
of the outdoor community’s knowledge
Suzan Chamney, Lynn Martel and the
base.” Housing the ACC Library in a
many other contributors who have pro‑
facility that allows mountain enthusiasts,
vided sound advice.
university students and historians to
Isabelle Daigneault is ACC Vice
congregate and conduct research would
President, Mountain Culture.
be a terrific Canadian resource—don’t
you think?
There is no doubt that an interest‑
ing challenge lies ahead. It’s not like we
haven’t climbed mountains and reached
summits before! First things first: the
The oldest
Mountain Culture Committee, with the
book in the
help of several volunteers, is currently
ACC archives,
dated 1560,
appraising the collection to determine if
originates
any volumes (irrelevant or double titles)
from
should be sold or donated elsewhere. The
Switzerland
result will yield a better idea as to the
and was
written in
financial value of this asset. Parallel to
Latin. photo by
this, a subcommittee made up primar‑
Meghan Ward.
ily of Mountain Culture and Facilities
Committee members will pursue creating
the vision for housing the Library in its
The ACC Library includes three editions of
Conrad Kain’s Where the Clouds Can Go. From
bottom to top, the 1935 first edition, a 1954
reprint and a 1979 edition.
photo by Meghan Ward.
Of books and mountaineers
by
Zac Robinson
C
ritics recently called moun‑
taineering “the most literary of
all sports.” This may come as a
surprise to anyone who regards climb‑
ing as nothing more than the driven
antics of adrenalin addicts, kids with too
much free time and too little good sense.
Perhaps it would be equally astonishing
to the uninitiated to learn what Canadian
Alpine Journal (CAJ) editor Sean Isaac
nicely pointed out not so long ago—that
Canada’s second-longest continuous run‑
ning periodical (after Maclean’s magazine)
is actually the Alpine Club of Canada’s
very own CAJ, first printed in 1907 with
its green cover and size so conspicuously
akin to that of England’s revered Alpine
Journal. But mountaineering has always
demanded the printed word—and it still
does.
The relationship is as old as alpine
club culture. Interest in such scientific
matters as geology, glaciology, botany
and cartography motivated much of the
early exploration of the European Alps.
Enshrining these traditions, The Alpine
Club in London—the forerunner to
Classics by Walter D. Wilcox include Camping in
the Canadian Rockies (1897) and The Rockies of
Canada (1909). photo by Meghan Ward.
hundreds more like it—thus constituted
itself in 1857 in the image of a learned
society. Its well-heeled members read
peer-reviewed papers about their
deeds at club meetings, and these were
subsequently printed in its journal, not
inconsequentially sub-titled “a record
of mountain exploration and scientific
observation.” Publication established a
mountaineer’s claim to a particular ascent;
for just as priority was a matter of prime
concern and debate in science, so it was in
mountaineering.
Publication served another necessary
function. In the sciences, a shared ethos
was elaborated and maintained through
journals. The same can be said about
mountaineering, which, unlike most
sports, had neither a centralized body
to formulate the “rules of the game” nor
a system of refereeing to enforce them.
Mountaineering was characterized by a
series of complex, tacit rules (or “ethics”),
which were recognized, sustained and
debated in an emerging literary genre of
journals, guidebooks and monographs.
Of course, not all Victorian mountaineers
considered themselves scientists. Many
weren’t. But it is noteworthy that alpine
club culture began precisely when the
older tradition of mountain exploration
in the pursuit of science evolved into
mountaineering as sport. The subsequent
spread of club culture around the globe
and the development of mountaineering
practices thus gave rise to an immense
body of literature.
Accordingly, in 1906, the Alpine Club
of Canada constituted itself with, in the
very first instance, a claim of science: “the
promotion of scientific study and the
exploration of Canadian
alpine and glacier regions.”
And the Club’s inaugural
volume of its journal
Left: The ACC Library contains a
mix of young and old.
photo by Meghan Ward.
BEST. GUIDEBOOKS. EVER.
The wait is over. Gillean Daffern
returns with a new edition of her
legendary Kananaskis Country
Trail Guide, completely revised,
redesigned and expanded into
five epic volumes. Look for
Volumes 1 and 2 this spring. THINK OUTSIDE
heralded the call for both book donations
and a library: “A movement is now on
[sic] foot to obtain a suitable building at a
suitable spot, where these valuable books,
maps, and photographs may be placed to
the best advantage.”
Members heard the call. What began
in 1907 as “seventeen volumes, the major‑
ity [of the] valuable works relating to the
Canadian Rocky Mountains” is now one
of the largest collections of mountain
literature in North America. And its
collective value far exceeds that of any
book appraiser’s estimate. Its worth is
immeasurable; for at our fingertips is a
100-year-plus snapshot of the dreams and
accomplishments of those who’ve found
solace and reward—scientific, romantic or
athletic—in the high places of the world.
Mountain Culture Committee member
Zac Robinson is a Postdoctoral Fellow with
the University of Alberta’s Department of
History and Classics.
Thompson’s Narrative of the
Explorations in Western America,
1784-1812, compiled by J.B. Tyrrell,
was published in 1916.
photo by Meghan Ward.
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 15
Experience
M O U N TAIN
Embrace Winter
Explore Summer
Explore Su
First Summits Winter Mountaineering
First Summits Summer Mountaineering
Under 25 Climbing C
Dates: June 30 (eve) - July 4 Price: $995
Dates: July 5 - 9 Price $74
When you don’t have a lot of time, but want a
complete winter mountaineering experience,
we pack a lot into this 4-day weekend camp up on the
world-renowned and camera-worthy Wapta Icefield.
This hut-based camp on the world-renowned Wapta
Icefield will cater to members with minimal summer
mountaineering experience or offer those looking for a
refresher a chance to get back to the basics.
Join super-elite climbers Sonn
on this youth camp sponsore
17 – 24 for a chance to try it a
Balu to Bostock Ski Traverse
Wapta Traverse
Dates: March 11 (eve) - 15 Price: $995
Dates: July 17 (eve) - 24 Price: $1595
Dates: April 1 (eve) - 4 Price: $895
Rogers Pass is known for its epic powder and huge
terrain. We’ll start with a day trip from the hotel to taste
the best of Rogers Pass front country before starting
our overnight traverse from Balu Pass to Bostock Creek,
sampling less-frequented runs on steep unskied lines.
Butters Lake Ski Traverse
Join us for an incredible journey across
the Wapta and Waputik Icefields on a fantastic
mountaineering traverse that is geared for our members
who would like to learn about glacier travel and summer
mountaineering.
Columba Icefields 101
Dates: July 24 (eve) - 29 Price: $1395
Dates: April 9 (eve) - 17 Price: $2195
The ACC schedule wouldn’t be complete without a weeklong ski traverse. This winter we will be traversing the
final segment of the coveted Bugaboos to Rogers Pass
Traverse: Butters Lake to Rogers Pass. Over the course of
the week we will be travelling approximately 50km plus
some side trips to bag some summits and ski some turns.
Peakbagging on the Columbia Icefield
Dates: May 1 (eve) - 8 Price: $1795
The world renowned Columbia Icefield is home to eight
of the highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies and makes
a fantastic basecamp for ski ascents of Mounts Columbia,
North Twin, South Twin, Snow Dome, Kitchener, Stutfield,
and Andromeda.
The Columbia Icefield is home to some of the best
climbing in the Rocky Mountains. This camp is open to
anyone who is looking to get started in mountaineering,
refresh their skills, or people who just want to go climbing
in this spectacular area.
Classic Peaks in O’Hara
Dates: August 7 (eve) - 14 Price: $1795
This classic mountaineering trip targets the must-do giant
peaks and huts in the historic and stunningly beautiful
Lake O’Hara area, the area that first lured North American
and European climbers to Western Canada and opened
up the Rockies in the early days of mountaineering.
Mount Fryatt Climbing Camp
Dates: July 22 (eve) - 26 Price: $1295
Coming Soon...
Winter 2011 and Global 2011 trips will be announced in
Spring 2010 so start planning early! Sign up for the ACC
NewsNet to be the first to hear about these camps.
For those short on vacation time, this camp offers a long
weekend’s worth of excellent climbing and scrambles
on excellent quartzite in the area around Mount Fryatt.
There are also hiking possibilities with numerous lakes,
glaciers, and meadows to explore, even on bad-weather
days.
Photo by Sandy Walker Photo by Vytas Barsauskas
Starbird Range
Dates: August 8 - 14 Price
The Starbird Range is home to
beautiful climbing routes on s
pinnacles that are reminiscen
found in the Bugaboos just to
The Kaufman Peaks
Dates: July 11 (eve) - 16 P
Experience all of the spectacu
that makes the Icefields Parkw
destination. The majestic Kau
directly above the Saskatchew
once a favourite objective of
Little Yoho Climbing
Dates: August 26 (eve) - 3
The Little Yoho Valley is steep
history with spectacular vista
mountaineering routes on th
President, and other peaks in
55+ Trekking and Clim
Dates: August 15 - 20 Pric
Our young-at-heart climbers
camp to the legendary Fairy M
Selkirk Mountains The peaks
mainly granitic and there are
routes of various lengths and
difficulty to challenge all
types of climbers.
Photo by Peter Amann
ADV E N T U R E S
ummer
with us!
Explore Summer
Go Global
Camp
11,000ers of the Purcells
Mountaineering in Mongolia
45
Dates: August 15 (eve) - 20 Price: $1395
Dates: June 26 - July 13 Price: $5395
nie Trotter and Rob Owens
ed by MEC for climbers aged
all!
The Farnham Creek area is the “Columbia Icefield” of
the Interior Ranges of British Columbia – an area that
is worthy of crowds, but is rarely visited. The greatest
concentration of high peaks in the Interior Ranges will
tower above our camp, waiting to be climbed.
After meeting in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, we will
spend two days in Terejl National Park at a Mongolian yurt
camp before flying west across the country to Olgii, from
where we approach the Altai Mountains and the highest
peaks in Mongolia. On the road to Tavanbogd National
Park we will have a chance to visit some traditional Kazak
villages where eagle hunters live. Muslim ruins and
pictographs dot the backcountry roads. It is a one day trek
to basecamp in Tavanbogd (“Mountains of the Five Gods”)
where the peaks offer easy to moderate climbing on snow,
ice, and rock. We will set up a high camp to climb Khuiten
Peak, the highest in Mongolia and Friendship Peak which
is bordered by Russia, China, and Mongolia. After a week
of climbing we will make our way back to UB where we will
take part in the spectacular Naadam Festival – a national
sports and cultural event in which locals compete in
horseback racing, archery, and wrestling.
e: $1495
o a variety of esthetically
seldom-visited granite
nt of the legendary spires
o the SE.
Price: $1295
ular mountainous beauty
way such a popular
ufmann Peaks are located
wan River Crossing and were
the original Swiss guides.
Camp
31 Price: $1395
ped in mountaineering
as and quality
he likes of the President, Vice
n the area.
mbing Camp
Peakbagger’s Guide to Lake Louise
Dates: July 31 (eve) - August 7 Price: $1795
If you want to make a serious dent in your summit “tick
list”, join us in this mountaineer’s paradise in the corridor
between the southern end of the Icefields Parkway and
Lake Louise. The names of prestigious peaks roll off the
tongue in an enviable list of lofty summit objectives like
Mounts Temple, Aberdeen, Haddo and Hector.
2010 General Mountaineering Camp
Dates: July 3 - August 14 (6 one-week camps) Price: $1650
The 2010 General Mountaineering Camp will be held in the remote Battle Brook area of the southern Selkirk Mountains.
The GMC is designed for all our members in terms of difficulty. A wide range of objectives are available, depending
on participants’ ability, fitness and length of day desired. If you’ve attended a GMC in the past, you already know how
rewarding it is. If you have always wanted to join us, please take this opportunity to enjoy the
varied challenges, beautiful vistas and camaraderie of our 2010 GMC.
ce: $1895
will be taking this annual
Meadow Hut in the
in the area are
classic
d
Find Out More
For more information on each camp, please visit our
website at www.alpineclubofcanada.ca and follow the links
to Mountain Adventures. Or, call (403) 678-3200, ext 112 or email:
[email protected]
Photo by John Peachell
Photo by Vytas Barsauskas
Route finding
ACC adopts strategic plan
by
Peter Muir
F
or the past few years, momentum
has been building among members
of the Alpine Club of Canada’s
Board of Directors and senior manage‑
ment team toward the Club’s need to
address its direction and purpose. The
ACC’s Centennial in 2006 certainly
brought the past and future 100 years into
focus.
Members of the Board and manage‑
ment team began their strategic plan
journey at their May, 2009 meeting by
having a little fun with a “where do
you think we will be?” exercise, and by
engaging in a wide-ranging general
discussion of vision and planning.
That Sunday morning, the Board
charged a Strategic Planning Committee,
composed of David Toole (Planning
Officer), Rob Brusse (Vancouver Section),
Gord Currie (Treasurer), Stephane
Chamberland (Montreal Section), David
Foster (VP Access and Environment),
Sandra Bowkun (Toronto Section) and
Peter Lloyd (Calgary Section), with
developing a vision statement and stra‑
tegic plan. Generous as always, the Board
suggested we take all the time we liked so
long as the product was ready for debate
at the October, 2009 Board meeting.
Needless to say, it was quite a task for
the five months that offer the best season
for doing things other than attending
evening teleconferences and reviewing
elements for a draft strategic plan. The
committee quickly recognized it would
benefit from professional assistance.
The good guidance of my predecessors
allowed that the Club had the resources
to retain the exceptional services of
Janice Florence of Calgary’s Framework
Partners.
Although some committee members
could not participate as much as they
would have liked due to other respon‑
sibilities and the general vagaries of
life, great thanks are owed to all. They
accomplished much in a very short time.
In particular, I highlight the extraordin‑
ary efforts of David Toole and Lawrence
White. They spent many hours preparing
matters for the process, provided a great
sounding board for much of my angst and
18 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
Our VISION
Preserving, practicing and promoting Canadian
mountain culture and self-propelled alpine pursuits.
Our MISSION
The Alpine Club of Canada fosters alpine experiences,
knowledge and culture; promotes responsible access;
and supports excellence in alpine leadership and skills.
Our VALUES
We, as club members, are committed to the following values:
Fidelity to our mountain roots and club history.
Faithfulness to the intrinsic value of the alpine environment to the
human spirit; we believe this is best realized through alpine focused,
self-propelled recreational pursuits.
Commitment to training and safety in mountain pursuits.
Devotedness to personal fulfillment in the outdoors – to our own end
and in our own way.
Responsibility for increasing our knowledge and understanding of
mountain environments, and our impacts upon them, so as to inform
and guide our mountain practices and stewardship efforts.
permitted this President to run a bit rampant over their own ideas and inclinations, and
not always just to humour their idiosyncratic colleague from Winnipeg.
And, as if the Executive Committee members were not already too busy with their
own projects and portfolios, the strategic initiatives were the product of a very active and
long Executive meeting in September. I am sure that after the six-hour “strategic plan”
marathon, most of them were questioning my presidency.
Self-effacing humour aside, to my delight – but not surprise, given the quality of
the committee members and priority attitude Janice brought to the task – the difficult
summer work resulted in a strategic plan, including a vision, mission and statement of
values ready for review and discussion at the Board’s autumn 2009 meeting.
I encouraged the Board to concentrate on the six main goals for the Club to:
●● Be the club of choice for self-propelled alpine enthusiasts.
●● Be a strong advocate for alpine enthusiasts.
●● Strengthen the ACC’s effectiveness in satisfying its stakeholders’ needs.
●● Be a healthy and sustainable organization.
●● Be a leader in climbing and mountain skills and leadership development.
●● Continue to be Canada’s leader in providing backcountry recreational
accommodation.
For me, these goals underpin the ACC’s vision, mission and values. Of course, review
of the plan itself periodically is essential to maintain relevance, priority and success.
6166 ORC Alpine Club 1/3pg
9/9/09
1:21 PM
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Every second counts…
I am pleased to report that the Board
enthusiastically adopted the strategic
plan as drawn. I encourage you to read
the plan at www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/
whoweare/vision.html.
A note of caution – it is possible to
isolate particular elements of the strategic
plan and conclude that it has one over‑
riding purpose. One or two people have
mentioned to me that this is simply a
methodology of membership growth;
others that it is aimed at funders. I hope
you will not do that. I do not see it that
way. I think the more important benefit
of the plan is that it will compel the
ACC to better serve its existing members,
improve the manner and type of services
we provide to sections, and achieve the
Club’s underlying potential to advocate
and encourage those activities we pas‑
sionately believe in. In so doing, if it
makes the Club attractive to more mem‑
bers, well, that will be great. But no one
aspect should necessarily be the reason
we undertake this step. If a sole reason for
a plan fails, we so easily lose faith in the
plan and miss its potential to allow us to
grow better just for the benefit of doing
something better.
The strategic plan is not the end of the
process by any means. The Board’s accept‑
ance was just the beginning; now the big
task of implementation will begin.
As we go forward, we will measure
each step of our current and new initia‑
tives and operations against its helping
the ACC in reaching its vision. The
strategic plan will challenge the Club’s
progress down that road.
I am convinced that the plan will
make the Club stronger and more able to
react to its challenges. This is an exciting
step forward. I believe the Board has
acted bravely and positively in taking this
important step, and in so doing reminded
us of David Lloyd George, who once said,
“Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is
indicated; you can’t cross a chasm in two
small jumps.”
The Club will now pursue the path
set out in our Vision and Mission with
vigour. I hope that you, our members,
will help us on this road whenever and
however you can.
Mind yourself out there and have fun.
Peter Muir is ACC President.
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Core Values
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VISION
Desired future state
MISSION
Those conditions that when
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Performance
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Our distinctive identity in the sector
GOALS
Ideal states to be achieved at sometime in the future
Action Priorities and
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Basic measures
used to gauge
actual results
against the
key success
factors
Measurable activities and pre-determined end results to be achieved
within a given period of time
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 19
Since joining the Alpine Club of Canada in 1998, Neil Bosch has served at both the Edmonton Section and National levels. He is an active
amateur trip leader at the General Mountaineering Camps, past participant of the North Face Summer Leadership Program and recipient of
the Eric Brooks Leadership Award. Currently, Neil sits on the ACC Executive as Treasurer, and is Chair of the Edmonton Section Centennial
Committee, Chair of the National Finance Committee and one of the ACC representatives on the Canadian Alpine Center’s Board of Directors.
Neil and his wife Wendy have two toddlers, Aidan and Liam, who rank among the Club’s youngest members.
Giving time yields community
by
Neil Bosch
W
hy do I volunteer for the
Alpine Club of Canada?
Mainly because I seem to
be around at the end of the night when
someone needs a butt to warm a seat on
the next committee.
Seriously, as I write this I am taking a
recess from analysing my Christmas card
list. Not that I ever actually get to the
point of sending out Christmas cards. I
use the exercise more as a means of annu‑
ally culling my ever-expanding Outlook
contact list. My way of looking at it is, if
I would not send someone a Christmas
card, then I see little point in keeping
them as a contact whose information I
need.
In preparing for the yuletide task, it is
strikingly apparent to me that the Alpine
Club of Canada is largely responsible
for my Outlook excesses. A quick search
under “ACC” pulls up an astonishing list
of people. It seems the only people who
ever get removed from this sub-list are
the unfortunate souls who have passed
on.
My love of mountains was actually
sparked while attending university in
Scotland. Largely to meet people, I
randomly joined two clubs. I chose the
Industrial Society (which ended rather
badly when they were later discovered to
be a cover for the Nazi Youth) and the
Mountaineering Club. What a concept!
Get woken up at some insane hour in the
middle of the night and pile in a van with
10 other half-asleep souls. Get pushed
out to climb up some random mountain
in a complete fog. Head straight up until
your lungs burst and your head is ready
to pop off. Then, when you can endure
no more, the clouds part and you find
yourself standing on top of the world. To
celebrate the occasion you run on wobbly
T
legs down the mountain to the
nearest pub and pound down as
many pints as you possibly can
before piling back in the van for
the bladder popping ride home.
I loved it so much, that I prom‑
ised myself to do the same when
I got back to Canada. Of course,
as sister destiny would have it, I
actually had to take a brief detour
from my climbing escapades to
start a career and promise to be a
Neil Bosch contemplates his contacts list from Crampon Col,
contributing member of society.
with the Lyells in the background. photo by Keith Sanford.
Once established, I set my sights
on the magnificent mountains of Canada.
On a more personal level, it is the
The immediate problem was that our
smaller experiences that I cherish; the
mountains made most of the Munros
rush you get listening to the stories of
look like wee bumps. My good friend
first-time climbers regaling the day’s
and colleague, Pat Cooper, was the one
events; the violet sunrise that illuminates
who suggested that we actually get some
the valley as you crunch up a snowtraining. Never one to put my life on the
covered ridge with friends; sharing a
line for anything, I thought that was a
beer with mountaineering legends at the
great idea. We looked around at what
annual Guides Ball; landing in a helicop‑
was available for people trying to educate
ter in an awe-inspiring hanging valley to
themselves on mountain craft. Our quest
begin another set of adventures with 28
and my introduction to the Alpine Club
strangers at the General Mountaineering
of Canada ensued.
Camps. There is simply no other organ‑
It is somewhat funny now, to look
ization that can offer so much for so little.
back to see how a rather selfish pursuit of
With that said, I would think that
self-protectionism has morphed over the
someone could enjoy all of the above
years to envelope an incredibly large part
without volunteering. So what then, is the
of my life.
reason I volunteer? I have never actually
From a high level I suspect the
answered the question before. In reflec‑
reasons I volunteer for the Alpine Club
tion, I guess I would have to say that the
of Canada are many of the same reasons
true reason I volunteer for the ACC is
why I love the organization and what it
not in any of the above. In all honesty, it
represents to Canadians. The ACC is our
is simply the list of people under “ACC”
national representation of the preserva‑
in my contacts. These are the exceptional
tion, practice and promotion of mountain
people I would not have known other‑
culture and self-propelled alpine pursuits.
wise. All of these people share a common
The mountain environment is something
passion and many have become my clos‑
that is near and dear to my heart. So, it
est friends. And the list grows every year.
just makes common sense to be aligned
Put simply, I have given time and
with such an organization.
received community.
he Club congratulates long-time member and ACMG/IFMGA guide Sylvia
Forest, who received a service award at the Guides Ball in October for guiding
more than 150 days for the ACC over the last several years.
20 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
Recycle this Gazette
Leave it in your
physio’s office
Parks Canada launches parksmountainsafety.ca
arks Canada’s team of mountain
safety specialists recently launched
www.parksmountainsafety.ca, a
new website designed to help visitors to
the National Mountain Parks find all the
information they need to plan their own
safe, well-prepared adventures in those
parks all year round.
With individual pages devoted
to search and rescue capabilities and
resources, avalanche forecasting, trip
planning, mountain weather links and
emergency contact information, the site
is designed to encourage backcountry
users – particularly backcountry skiers,
rock, ice and alpine climbers and the ever
growing cohort of out-of-bounds skiers
– to seek out information that can help
them pursue safe and fun adventures in
the backcountry of the mountain national
parks – Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, Jasper,
Waterton Lakes, Glacier and Mount
Revelstoke.
With sections for users to contribute
with Near-Miss reporting and urgent
notices for such events as road closures
for avalanche control work, Parks hopes
the public will make visiting the site –
available in English and French – a part
of their regular backcountry planning
routine.
Illustrated with plenty of colour
photos of both Parks’ safety professionals
and members of the public engaged in
climbing and backcountry skiing activ‑
ities, the site shares detailed information
about Parks’ Avalanche Terrain Exposure
Scale (ATES), backcountry hazards such
as avalanches, glacier travel and rockfall,
and even wild animals and safe camping
and stream-drinking practices.
It also provides links to public
avalanche bulletins – those compiled
by Parks Canada’s safety specialists in
the mountain parks, and those outside
the parks compiled by the Canadian
Avalanche Association – weather
forecasts, custodial trip guidelines and
emergency contacts.
The Near-Miss reporting page
provides step-by-step instructions for
recreational skiers and climbers to share
information about any close calls they
might have experienced so that others
might have an opportunity to learn from
those situations, or beware of evolving
conditions. Users are also welcome to
submit their info anonymously.
The site has been designed to
help connect users to a wide range of
information sources and provide people
with links to a host of other related
Brad Harrison
P
Martel
photo by
by Lynn
organizations, including the Canadian
Avalanche Association, the Alpine
Club of Canada and the Association of
Canadian Mountain Guides.
Parks Canada public safety
specialists hope the new
www.parksmountainsafety.ca or in
French, www.parcssecuritemontagne.ca
URL should be easy for people to
remember, in both official languages.
“Our message is still one of selfsufficiency and self-reliance in the
backcountry,” said public safety specialist
Marc Ledwidge. “If this is the front
door people come through, we want to
make sure we can help them find all the
info they need. We want people to have
direct access to the staff who can help
them. And we hope to make it something
people go back to.”
Reprinted with permission from the
Rocky Mountain Outlook.
2010 TNF-ACC Summer Leadership Course
Hundreds of amateur leaders volunteer their time at
both the Section and National levels to ensure that other
ACC members have a safe and enjoyable time in the
mountains. The ACC is committed to the development and
training of these trip leaders and camp managers. Every
year, The North Face – Alpine Club of Canada Leadership
Course trains 10 amateur leaders from across the country
in the hard and soft skills necessary for leading those
trips.
Dates: July 31 – August 7, 2010
Location: GMC–Battle Brook
Application Deadline: May 1, 2010
Go to the Leadership area on the ACC website for more detailed information.
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 21
Ojos del Salado looms high above the brown hills of the Cazadero Valley.
Big volcanoes, fast pumas and really bad maps
story and photos by
I
Gordon Hopper
n early 2009, with only two weeks’
vacation, Elizabeth Tertil and I
thought we had sufficient time to
climb the Andes’ second, and hopefully,
third-highest peaks, Ojos del Salado
(6,891 metres) and Pissis (6,793 metres).
Both stratovolcanoes, Ojos del Salado
is the world’s highest volcano. These
heights, however, are only approximate,
as that area of the Andes has not been
accurately surveyed. There are no accurate
maps either.
Sitting on the northern Argentina/
Chile border, Ojos can be climbed from
either country, whereas Pissis is entirely
in Argentina. We arrived in Santiago
early Jan. 2, and with no flights until
evening to Copiapo, 800 kilometres
north, we headed into town and took
the bus for the 11-hour journey. The next
morning we hired a Toyota 4WD and
stocked up with enough food and water
to last two weeks, plus 60 extra litres of
gasoline, as the next gas station was more
than 500 kilometres.
Roadside shelters offer comfort to stranded motorists.
22 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
We followed dirt roads into the
Atacama desert, headed for Laguna Santa
Rosa (3,700 metres). The scenery was
like a moonscape with no vegetation, just
bare rocks and dust. The mineral coloured
rocks had a fantastic diversity of hues
and every now and again groundwater
would surface and produce a narrow strip
of oasis on the valley floor. Driving over
4121-metre Portezuelo Maricunga, we
had a magnificent view of Laguna Santa
Rosa – and a very black cloud behind
depositing snow along the Argentina/
Chile border.
Morning dawned crystal clear with
the Laguna and its flamingos in the
foreground, and 6749-metre Nevado Tres
Cruces covered in fresh snow behind.
After several hours we passed the Chilean
customs post 80 kilometres from the
Argentina border, then proceeded up to
Laguna Verde (4300 metres), where we
passed the Chilean approach to Ojos del
Salado. After a disturbed night because of
minor altitude ailments, we continued on
to Passo del San Francisco (4748 metres)
on the Argentina/Chile border. Driving
to the Argentine customs post at Las
Grutas, we continued for 160 kilometres
through incredible rock formations and
a red rock canyon to the small Argentine
town of Fiambala. There we rendezvoused
with Johnson Reynoso, a local mountain
climber who advised us on the approach
to both Ojos and the five-hour rough
track to Pissis’ very remote base camp.
In such a vast mountain area with no
roadside signposts, getting lost would
be easy. The only detailed map of Ojos
is by a German alpine club, though the
Argentine side is none too accurate.
The following day, we left the highway
and crossed a six-kilometre gravel bed to
the entrance of the Rio Cazadero canyon.
After one false track, which led to an
un-crossable stream, we finally found our
way, left the truck and set off into the
middle of nowhere.
Most people go into this area with
guides and mules but we soloed it, carrying
everything for a week’s expedition. The
first night we camped beside the creek,
sheltered by large clumps of grasses. It was
very peaceful apart from the babbling of
the stream and the occasional calls from
groups of vicunas. I imagined so many
vicunas would likely attract some predators
such as pumas. Next morning we followed
the river valleys where numerous side
canyons branched off. At one 90-degree
turn, with Elizabeth about a kilometre
ahead of me, I spotted a puma running
away at full speed. Elizabeth had not seen
it, but I wondered if it had been stalking
her and had decided to retreat when it
saw me rounding the bend. Unfortunately,
it moved too fast for me to capture it on
film. We camped again next to the stream
on sandy soil amongst clumps of grass,
but this time the stream was frozen in the
morning.
Third day was quite windy, but like all
the days, bright sunlight shone through
scattered clouds. We ascended to higher
ground in the hopes of seeing where we
were going, knowing we’d eventually have
to head up one of the numerous side val‑
leys. But, with only 50-metre contours on
our map, and so many features resembling
continued on page 23
Marj Hind named Honorary President
by
Peter Muir
H
onorary Presidency is a cere‑
monial position celebrating
the incumbent’s long-time
demonstration of the ideals and aims of
the Alpine Club of Canada. The Board of
Directors grants the four-year position.
From 2005 to October 2009, the
position was well filled by a true gentle‑
man of the mountains, Mr. Glen Boles.
At the 2009 Mountain Guides Ball in
October, it was my pleasure to announce
the Board had unanimously selected
Mrs. Marjory Hind to serve as Honorary
President for the period of October 2009
to October 2013.
Marj joined the Club in 1952. If you
know Marj, you know she is a tireless
supporter of the ACC who never misses
a Club function. If you have not had the
pleasure of meeting her, do take advan‑
tage of a rare treat by introducing yourself
to her in her new role. A Club leader in
her own right, Marj takes up a position
formerly held by her late husband Bob.
She is only the second woman to hold
the position. When I spoke to Marj
about accepting the post, I mentioned
she might be the first female Honorary
President; no, she quickly reminded
me, Phil Munday was the first. As Marj
agreed, that’s not bad company to keep.
So her first official action was to correct
the President’s poor memory concerning
Club history.
I am confident Marj will keep the
Board and me on good track generally
and historically. Marj will attend her
first Executive meeting in April 2010.
I look forward to her wise counsel and
congratulate her on her fine contributions
to the ACC throughout the years.
Peter Muir is ACC President.
continued from page 22
one another, we could not accurately
determine our location. We never did find
Aguas Caliente, an important landmark.
Neither did we find Agua del Vicuna,
which was marked on the map about two
kilometres from its actual location. We
camped in a windy, rocky canyon with
not a drop of water around.
Hoping the next day to walk over
Portezuelo Laguna Negra and on to El
Arena, we found an open pass that led
down another canyon parallel to the
east side of the mountain. Camping that
night in a rocky canyon, we found water
running under the ice. In the morning we
continued around the base of the moun‑
tain, but decided we did not have enough
food and fuel for a summit attempt.
Numerous ridges led up to higher areas
of the massive volcano, but we did not
know which would provide access to
The entrance to Cazadero Canyon offers a perfect parking spot for the 4WD.
Honorary President Marj Hind participates in the
ACC Centennial hike to Mount Vice-President, Yoho
National Park, July 2006. photo by Lloyd Gallagher.
the summit, as the higher reaches of the
mountain were not visible. It became
obvious that a local guide or GPS was
essential in that area. Hiking back to the
car, we retreated to Fiambala for a day’s
rest before returning to Chile to attempt
the mountain from there.
Once back in Chile, we were acclima‑
tized enough to drive straight to Refugio
Atacama at 5260 metres. The following
day we hiked up to Refugio Tejos (5837
metres). The weather continued to be
kind with sunshine, scattered clouds and
moderate winds. Around 4 a.m., we left
Refugio Tejos for the summit. It was a
steady slog in the dark with temperatures
around -10 C. The sunrise cast unforget‑
tably beautiful light on the coloured rocks
of the mountains of the Puna. After
seven hours, we reached the crater where
we scrambled amongst big boulders to a
col between the Argentine and Chilean
summits, which are virtually the same
height. After an exposed scramble,
with the aid of a fixed rope the top was
attained. The summit provided good
views of Tres Cruces (6749 metres), Pissis
(6793 metres), Cazadero (6658 metres)
and Incahuasi (6621 metres) along with
several other 6400-metre plus summits of
the Puna.
Out of time, Pissis would have to wait
for another trip.
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 23
L’accès aux sites d’escalade du Québec
– Le Club alpin cherche la collaboration
par
I
David Foster
l y a plus d’un siècle, les fondateurs du
Club alpin du Canada (CAC) avaient
une vision des choses qui demeure
vraie aujourd’hui. Ils avaient reconnu que
l’accès aux montagnes, avec une attitude
responsable, était essentiel à la pratique de
leur sport et qu’il fallait travailler collect‑
ivement pour le préserver.
À travers tout le pays, l’accès aux
parois d’escalade demeure une préo‑
ccupation majeure. Le CAC s’engage
à travailler avec les organismes, les
propriétaires fonciers et les individus
concernés afin de préserver l’accès aux
parois et aux régions montagneuses.
Nous voulons le faire d’une façon qui soit
juste et équitable pour tous, tout en étant
respectueuse de l’environnement. Tous les
acteurs du milieu de l’escalade partagent
cet intérêt commun et nous croyons que
la collaboration est essentielle à l’avenir
et au développement du sport. Nous
voulons un futur où tous les grimpeurs –
membres du CAC, membres des autres
clubs et grimpeurs indépendants – auront
un accès égal aux endroits où ils aiment
grimper.
Au Québec, le texte de loi du Code
civil pose un défi supplémentaire pour
l’accès aux parois d’escalade. Les proprié‑
taires fonciers y font face à des risques
plus élevés de poursuites en responsabi‑
lités civiles comparativement à ceux des
autres régions du Canada. Pour résoudre
ce problème propre au Québec, il faudra
un changement à la loi qui permettra aux
propriétaires fonciers d’accorder l’accès
aux grimpeurs sans avoir à supporter le
fardeau d’une telle responsabilité. Le
CAC croit que cet objectif est partagé par
tous les grimpeurs au Québec et il sou‑
haite collaborer avec tous pour l’atteindre.
D’ici à ce que la loi change, les pro‑
priétaires fonciers doivent être protégés
contre des poursuites en responsabilité
civile. Dans le but d’augmenter les
opportunités de grimpe pour nos mem‑
bres, le CAC offre une assurance aux
propriétaires qui permettent l’escalade à
nos membres sur leurs propriétés. Nous
voulons que les conditions de ces ententes
soient aussi simples et faciles que possible.
Le CAC ne recherche pas l’exclusivité
de l’accès aux sites d’escalade du Québec.
Nous espérons que plusieurs organismes
partageront l’accès, car nous voulons voir
plus de gens grimper, qu’ils soient mem‑
bres du CAC ou non. En collaborant avec
la communauté de grimpeurs du Québec
sur des solutions à long terme, tout en
développant des ententes d’accès avec les
propriétaires fonciers aujourd’hui, nous
espérons bâtir un meilleur avenir pour
tous.
Comme nous allons de l’avant dans
la négociation d’ententes avec les pro‑
priétaires fonciers, nous allons vous tenir
informés des progrès et nous répondrons
à toutes les questions qui pourront surgir
sur notre démarche.
David Foster est Vice-président Accès et
Environnement.
ACC seeks collaboration for climbing access in Québec
by
David Foster
M
ore than a century ago, the
founders of the Alpine Club
of Canada set out a vision that
remains true today. They recognized that
responsible access to mountain places for
climbers to practise their sport is essen‑
tial, and that climbers must work together
to maintain such access.
Across Canada, access to cliffs and
climbing areas remains a vital concern.
The ACC is committed to working with
other organizations and individual climb‑
ers to secure access to cliffs and mountain
areas on terms that are reasonable for
climbers and landowners, and that respect
the environment. ACC members share a
common interest in this, and believe that
working together is essential to success
and to the future of climbing. The ACC
wants a future where all climbers – ACC
members, members of other clubs and
independent climbers – have equal access
to the places they love to climb.
24 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
In Québec, the provisions of the
Civil Code create specific challenges for
climbing access. Québec landowners face
greater risks of liability than in other
regions. To fully resolve this problem will
require changes in law to allow land‑
owners to grant climbing access without
being burdened by such liability.
The ACC believes this is a goal shared
by all climbers in Québec. The Club
wants to work with others in the Québec
climbing community towards achieving
this goal.
Until laws in Québec are changed,
climbing access requires that landowners
are protected from liability. In order to
provide increased climbing opportunities
for its members, the ACC is offering
liability insurance protection for Québec
landowners who provide climbing access
to ACC members. The Club wants to
work with landowners to create such
access agreements. The Club would like
these agreements to be as simple and easy
for landowners as possible.
The ACC does not seek exclusive
access to climbing areas in Québec – the
Club hopes that many climbing organiza‑
tions will share access, and hopes to see
more people climbing, whether they are
ACC members or not. By collaborating
with others in the Québec climbing
community on better long-term solutions,
while working with landowners to create
increased access for its members today,
the ACC hopes to help build a better
future for all climbers in Québec.
As the ACC moves forward to estab‑
lish legal agreements with landowners
who support increased access for climbers
in Québec, it will keep the community
informed and respond to any questions
climbers may have.
David Foster is ACC Vice President of
Access and Environment.
TNF course provides instruction extraordinaire
by
Patricia Langevin
O
n Jan. 17, I flew into Boulder
Hut, near Kimberley B.C., along
with nine other participants,
three guides and one mountain chef. It
was my first time there, and quickly I
immersed myself in a remote mountain
environment for the week-long The
North Face Winter Leadership Course.
This program, offered by the Alpine
Club of Canada and sponsored by The
North Face, is a ski touring leadership
skills course that aims to provide skills
and knowledge to ACC amateur leaders
so they can lead safe and enjoyable ski
touring trips.
Our three guides extraordinaire,
Cyril Shokoples, Peter Amann and
Brad Harrison, had a full agenda for the
upcoming week. Since 2002, this trio has
worked together, providing instruction
for more than 100 ACC amateur leaders.
Each morning after breakfast, the group
gathered to discuss the weather forecast
and snow conditions and to plan for the
day ahead. Each day often consisted of
morning and/or evening sessions spent
discussing various ski touring topics such
as snowpack, avalanche danger rating,
weather observation, route planning,
GPS, repair kits and more. Between
sessions, we explored the beautiful area
around Boulder Hut and practiced skills
such as snow stability tests, effective and
safe travel in avalanche terrain, route
finding and avalanche rescue scenarios.
Each participant was given the opportun‑
ity to lead the group on many occasions
and received valuable feedback from our
experienced guides.
Even though few of the participants
knew each other before the course, a
really good atmosphere developed among
us and the group became “cohesive”
(unlike the snowpack at the time). Often,
after a good dinner and sometimes an
evening session, we would gather to play
cards or tell stories and laughter would
resonate outside the hut.
The North Face course is the best
outdoor course I have ever attended! The
Participants show their appreciation in smiles for the 2010 The North Face Winter Leadership Course.
Back row, from left, Bram Linssen, Brad Harrison, Neil Bosch, Brad Schmucker, Brad Duska, Peter Amann.
Middle row, Ben Heemskerk, Sheri Foster, Kelly Mager, Claire Levesque, Cyril Shokoples, Patricia Langevin.
Front, Ron Caves and William Rickson. photo by Ron Caves.
quality of the instructors, the beautiful
setting, our amazing mountain chef,
Kelly Mager, our hosts Mark, Sarah and
Darren, and the camaraderie among
the participants, all helped to make this
course a success. Thank you ACC, The
North Face, Brad, Cyril and Peter and
everyone else involved. See you out there!
Recycle this Gazette
Pass it onto a friend
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 25
Colombia – misunderstood, undiscovered and spectacular
by
Niels Hollum
F
or more than a decade, I have
made several extended visits to
Colombia, exploring its vast and
varied landscapes – from valleys to gla‑
ciers, coastlines (Pacific and Atlantic) to
the Amazon. These visits have also given
me the chance to experience Colombia’s
rich and vibrant culture and to develop
wonderful friendships, as well as grad‑
ually begin to unravel its complex politics
and reputation.
My interest began as an indirect result
of an extraordinary first, albeit brief,
encounter with Colombia years ago, when
two friends and I decided to traverse
the mysterious Darien Gap. The “Gap”
is the final 200 kilometres of road-less
rainforest joining Central America to
South America – Panama to Colombia.
The area consists of a network of rivers
and indigenous settlements, jungle,
mountains and swamp. We did manage
to complete the traverse, finally crossing
into Colombia exhausted, anxious and
exhilarated. This journey eventually led
to the making of a CBC documentary
film (Braving the Darien Gap), the
theme being to relive that experience.
The thorough research required prior to
undertaking the film, and the knowledge
and experience gained though its making,
triggered a desire to return. I, at least,
wasn’t naïve anymore, but that didn’t pre‑
clude a high level of anxiety and respect!
At the time, the magnificent country
was besieged by fear and violence. The
complex web involved politics, money
and power. Interwoven into this were the
“actors” – the paramilitary, the military,
the two guerilla groups (FARC and
ELN), the drug cartels, wealthy land‑
owners and corporate interests (i.e. oil).
The main victims caught in the
crossfire were the rural working poor
and indigenous people, often resulting
in bloodshed and massive displacements
of people. This in turn has led to a large
population of landless, unemployed
internal refugees with its resultant
problems. As well, journalists and NGOs
were targeted, resulting in a scarcity of
unbiased information, not to mention
aid. Frequent kidnappings and hijackings
further complicated the lives of citizens,
drastically curtailing their mobility. To
sort out how (when, where or why) the
ordinary traveller might be affected by the
situation took several visits to understand.
Today, the situation has vastly
improved. Using the same common
sense precautions one would normally
take, today’s traveller in Colombia can
expect a warm welcome and trouble-free
experience. The rewards far outweigh any
reservations.
My first mountaineering experience in
Colombia involved a visit to Parque Los
Nevados, one of more than 40 national
parks, comprising 8.5 per cent of the total
area, and one of three with permanent
snow. Situated in the beautiful coffee
growing region of Central Colombia,
and an eight-hour (spectacular!) bus trip
southeast of Bogota, the park is very
popular with the locals. The guides for the
park are mainly based out of the nearby
city of Manizales, situated at an elevation
of 2,100 metres.
Visitors aboard Land Cruisers climb
through a stunning volcanic landscape,
eventually reaching the base of the gla‑
ciers at approximately 4,500 metres. The
surrounding summits are very accessible
and rise to 5,000 to 5,325 metres (Nevado
del Ruiz). There are a couple of refuges
in the park. At the time of my first visit,
most of the park was off-limits due to
guerilla activity (FARC). Seeking safe
haven in remote areas is often an unfortu‑
nate consequence of increasing pressure
on them. Two years later, I returned with
mountaineering equipment donated by
Alpine Club of Canada members to help
the local guides and with the intention
of traversing the park. The situation had
recently improved, and a guide agreed
that we make the one-week traverse. It
was a first-class trek, skirting glaciers, vol‑
canic domes and alpine lakes and finally
descending via remote alpine farms to the
steamy valley bottom.
Throughout this time, I had always
been vaguely aware that somewhere in
the distant northeastern part of the coun‑
try was another area of glaciers and alpine
lakes called Cocuy. Two years ago, I
contacted the local head guide of the area,
Victor Correa, and set off from Bogota
on the 15-hour bus journey to the village
of Guican. At 2,970 metres, Guican is
the last village on the road leading to
Parque National Cocuy. After a full day
and night of acclimatization, I set off
with William, one of Victor’s guides, on
a week-long trek through the park. We
had an incredible week, straining with
our loaded packs over 4,500-metre cols
and descending steep snow with William
struggling for grip in his delaminating
worn out boots.
The landscape was dramatic, in fact,
Sierra Nevada Del Cocuy is considered
to be one of the most beautiful mountain
ranges of South America. Its highest
peaks are Rita Cuba Blanca, 5,330 metres,
and Rita Cuba Negra, 5,200 metres. The
area offers excellent trekking, mountain‑
eering and technical climbing possibil‑
ities. Victor Correa, recognized as one
of Colombia’s top alpinists, is very wellequipped and organized to host visitors,
including meeting and accompanying
them from Bogota. The area is just now
being discovered by foreigners, as the
security situation in the area has recently
completely improved.
I returned again in December, 2008,
lugging as much gear as I could carry
to donate to the guides, including new
Lowa hiking boots for William. Sierra
Designs, Helly Hansen and Sport Dinaco
(Canadian distributor for Lowa) gener‑
ously helped out with ponchos, jackets,
boots and socks. We enjoyed summiting
Rita Cuba Blanca, peering from above at
the magnificent landscape below. I look
forward to returning and hope that my
spreading the good word will result in
more visitors to this noble, misunderstood
and largely undiscovered country.
To learn more, contact
[email protected],
or to contact Victor Correa visit
www.guaicani.com
Marmot Backpacks:
Happily worn by some of the finest
mountain guides on the planet. Lightweight,
easy to carry, comfortable mountain packs
for your next adventure. The perfect place
to store your Marmot softshell jacket
when the sun breaks through the fog.
Check out the Eiger series packs
on marmot.com.
Athlete: John Falkiner
Location: The Dolomites, Italy
Photo: Ace Kvale
P E O P L E / P R O D U C T / P L A N E T™
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 27
Club recognizes new Honorary Members
The Alpine Club of Canada congratulates its three newest Honorary Members, named in 2009 – David Jones, Don Serl and
Roger Wallis.
A
n ACC member since 1970, David P. Jones is arguably the leading mountaineer
of B.C.’s Selkirk Range, with at least 130 new routes of all difficulty levels to
his credit. His five-day ascent of the 800-metre Ohno Wall on the west face of
Moby Dick, with John Markel and L. Robbins Wallace in 1972, the Selkirks’ first grade
VI climb, has never been repeated.
Jones is a prolific guidebook writer to whom many a Selkirks’ climber is indebted
for his meticulously researched volumes. Jones and Dick Culbert stand as Canada’s
only guidebook authors to have documented all the climbs in an entire range in a com‑
prehensive guidebook under their sole editorship. Jones’ four climbs of Mount Logan,
including two new routes, earned him the title “the master of St. Elias mountaineering”
by Chic Scott. Jones was Canada’s leading high-altitude mountaineer of the 1970s, with
team high points attained on Manaslu and Makalu – a Canadian altitude record until 1982, when Laurie Skreslet summitted Everest.
Jones has made countless valuable contributions to the Canadian Alpine Journal, and has complied what is likely the most impres‑
sive photographic collection of Selkirk peaks in existence. He has been an indefatigable trail builder and steward throughout the
Interior Ranges. Jones also contributed to the project that discovered High Altitude Retinal Hemorrhaging. Now past 60, David Jones
continues to climb at a high standard on rock and in the alpine, never ceasing to encourage other climbers to explore Canada’s out-ofthe-way corners.
—Bruce Fairley
F
or more than 20 years, Don Serl has been his generation’s pre-eminent alpinist
of Canada’s most extensive range, B.C.’s Coast Mountains. Serl has established
numerous new routes at a very high standard. His ascent of Tiedemann’s north
face, with Herchmer and Wittmayer, was the first to breach the Waddington Range’s
huge wall extending from Combatant to the Serra Peaks from the Tiedemann Glacier
side. His climb of Mount Hickson, with Wittmayer and Jones, (still unrepeated), was
the most continuously difficult climb in the Coast Mountains at that time. Serl is cred‑
ited with discovering the steep ice route potential of the Nuit Range, and was the prin‑
cipal promoter of the Chehalis Range. He also established new routes in the St. Elias
Mountains, including the North Face of Augusta and the West Ridge of McArthur, plus
some steep Squamish face climbs.
Serl’s Waddington guidebook was the first mountaineering guidebook for the Northern Coast Mountains since Culbert’s 1962 pub‑
lication, helping to establish the Waddington Range as a wilderness mountaineering venue equal to Chamonix and Yosemite. His West
Coast Ice is the first and only ice climbing guide to southeastern British Columbia. Serl served as pivotal chair of the ACC’s Vancouver
Section, and also as its climbing committee chair, sometimes scheduling club trips with the entire party attempting a new route! He sat
on the Publications Committee and has contributed much to and advocated for the Canadian Alpine Journal. Serl has mentored many
younger climbers, sharing his knowledge and passion generously.
—Bruce Fairley
A
n ACC member for the past 40 years, Roger Wallis contributes to the alpine
community through his volunteer commitment, comprehensive writings and
climbing. Through the 1950s and ’60s, Wallis made numerous first British
ascents in the Alps, on Scottish ice climbs, and multiple first ascents across Spitsbergen
Island and South and East Greenland. Since immigrating to Canada in 1968, Wallis
has made 35 first ascents and put up 87 new routes throughout the Rockies, Purcells,
Selkirks, Monashees, Premiers, Cariboos and St. Elias ranges.
Inspired by these trips, for more than 50 years Wallis has published articles, including
definitive climbing histories of parts of the Canadian Rockies and the St. Elias Range,
his work often clarifying the climbing record. Among his reports are the 1992 Canadian
Alpine Journal feature Opportunities in the St. Elias Mountains; 50- to 80-page guide‑
books to the Rockies’ Snow Pass, Premier’s Kiwa Basin and the ACC’s St. Elias Centennial Climbing Camp; CAJ analyses of the
Halvorson and Wells Gray ranges in B.C.’s Cariboo Mountains; plus numerous pieces in the American Alpine Journal, Polar Record
and other mountaineering club journals. Wallis has tirelessly coordinated and organized on the ACC’s behalf. With his ability to
scope out interesting areas, he has led groups to alpine regions where few had previously visited. He has significantly contributed to 13
Toronto Section Mountaineering Camps, including seven in Yukon’s St. Elias Range, keeping the spirit of the mountains alive from
his home in Toronto. —Nigel Wallis
28 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
Member shares a custodian’s pleasure
by Val
O
Clark
n the sunny August morning I
stayed back alone to clean the
Alpine Club of Canada’s Stanley
Mitchell Hut, I made a two discoveries. The first discovery is that one is
never alone in a backcountry hut. The
chipmunks living behind the large stone
fireplace scamper everywhere with no
fear. Columns of sunshine on the wood
floor provide a comfortable spot for these
bold residents to dine on leftovers and
show off their stripes. Amused, I take
a moment of quiet after the climbers,
scramblers and hikers disperse for the
day’s adventure.
Kitchen sounds draw me from the
window bench to investigate. Like a
Beatrix Potter illustration, a small brown
bundle with a long tail exits over the
counter edge under the kitchen window. I
am definitely not alone.
I set to work sterilizing surfaces,
sweeping, wet mopping, washing tea
towels and hanging them outdoors in the
sun. I empty ashes from the wood stove,
carry in firewood, tidy the casual library
of past Canadian Alpine Journals, aban‑
doned maps and the few books lining the
mantel.
Close to noon I notice a group
come off the Takkakaw Falls trail onto
the meadow. They seem headed to the
kitchen door so I cross the hut and throw
open the door with a welcoming, “Hi!”
Startled, the group pauses.
“Hi,” says a tall man with a friendly
grin.
I see they are a family - a dad, a mom
and two young adults. They are day hikers
Hikers prepare for a day of exploring out the front door of Stanley Mitchell Hut in the Rockies’ Little Yoho
Valley. photo by Val Clark.
headed up the woodland trail behind the
hut.
“Where are you going?” I ask
curiously.
“There’s a hanging valley up there,”
the man responds.
“It’s not on the trail maps,” I say.
They all smile except the mom, who is
eating an apple.
“It’s kind of a secret place. The climb‑
ers use it to come down from des Poilus
Glacier. And they climb The Pinnacle.”
His son edges in to say, “There’s a
ledge up there you can walk along and
you can get right to the glacier. After a
short scramble and a rock incline that’s
a bit of a challenge – you’re up! You can
access the Whaleback from there.”
“It’s about 15 minutes from here,” adds
the dad and the mom concurs. “A few
switchbacks and you’re there.”
With pleasant smiles and waves they
head out. No doubt I intend to follow the
four up that slope!
Club member Gail Crowe-Swords hikes though the alpine valley above Stanley Mitchell Hut en route to
climbing Mount McArthur. photo by Lynn Martel.
Hut work complete for the day, I
set out on a needle-covered trail. As
switchbacks climb around boulders and
over fallen trees, I soon regret not having
my Sigg bottle on this 15-minute hike. It’s
hot.
The keen whistle of a marmot soars
over the trees. A woodpecker hammers a
persistent message. Hoping for a Pileated
sighting, I patiently search but he is
below me and too well hidden.
Since this is an unacknowledged trail
it is not maintained. Totally in character,
then, improvised switchbacks mount
on a 50-degree incline. Overt signs
of using fallen trees and various ingenious
workarounds on descent lie to the left
and right of the trail. Even when bone
dry - as it is today - the trail is steep and
“slidey.” Never hesitant to tackle a chal‑
lenge I struggle upward.
The reward begins when a sumptuous
undergrowth of moss and flowers emer‑
ges, kept moist by clear rivulets coming
off the glacier.
I just know a myriad of living things
thrives here as I pick my way across a
damp grassy area, over a few crossing logs
and then into an open forest.
Everything I see is markedly
clear – trees, blue sky, pink heather and
buttercups. All is nearly still but for a soft
breeze. The birds flutter and seem to sing
for themselves.
The sweet sound of another stream
to my left invites me to experience this
exquisite place on its own terms.
Humbled, I enter this hanging valley
alone, my senses fully open to my second
discovery.
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010 29
National Office news
by
Suzan Chamney
T
hings are never dull at the Alpine
Club of Canada’s National Office,
which is located in the Canmore
Clubhouse. Our 20 or so full- and parttime staff members are always working
on improving things for our members,
such as making your stay at a hut more
comfortable, your adventures more
exciting—and safe—and keeping the
behind-the-scenes administration run‑
ning smoothly.
In recent months the Information
Technology department oversaw the
installation of a fibre optic cable to the
Clubhouse, providing larger bandwidth
and a more stable connection, which is so
important these days when the majority
of business is conducted using technol‑
ogy and the Internet. A side benefit to
the extra bandwidth is the ability to
offer a wireless Internet connection to
Clubhouse guests. This has definitely
been a popular amenity.
In the fall, the Facilities department
installed four solar tube panels on the
roof to supplement the hot water heating
system. The panels provide warm water
to the boiler system, thereby reducing
the amount of gas consumed to heat the
hot water required for washrooms. This
will result in helping the environment
by saving energy and the bottom line
by saving operating costs. We’ve just
completed the installation so it’s too
early to tell the extent of the impact they
will have, however we do expect it to be
significant in the long run.
The Activities department is excited
about offering a mountaineering camp
in Mongolia guided by Helen Sovdat.
The trip’s highlights include experiencing
life at a Mongolian style yurt camp and
five days climbing peaks in Tavanbogd
ACC NewsNet
Stay up-to-date on the latest
climbing, access and environment news via the ACC’s weekly
e‑Bulletin.
Subscribe to the ACC NewsNet by
sending an e-mail to: [email protected]
30 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2010
(“Mountains of the Five Gods”). Visit
the Adventures section of our website for
more details.
In addition to the huge task of
looking at options for housing the
ACC Library, the Mountain Culture
department is working on producing the
Canadian Alpine Journal at a lower cost,
with the savings being passed on to its
readers. Look for more on this topic in
the next issue of the Gazette.
Now that the Club has established its
Vision, Mission, Values and Goals, we
will all have a yardstick against which to
measure our projects, thereby ensuring
Upcoming Meetings
Executive Committee meeting:
April 10 & 11, 2010 in Canmore
Board of Directors meeting:
●● May 15 & 16, 2010 in Canmore
Annual General Meeting:
●● May 15, 2010 in Canmore
●●
that we are moving in the direction set
out by the membership and working
together towards the Club’s timeless
vision of “preserving, practicing and
promoting Canadian mountain culture
and self-propelled alpine pursuits.”
Suzan Chamney is ACC Director of
Mountain Culture.
ACC members invited to Bhutan
I
n celebration of its 10th anniversary on May 17, 2010, the Choki Traditional Art
School in Thimpu, Bhutan, is extending an invitation to Alpine Club of Canada
members to visit the region and the school. To mark the celebration, the school
is organizing numerous side trips including high mountain treks to showcase the
region’s culture and natural beauty.
For more information, contact Dave Bidwell, ACC member since 1948, at
[email protected]
Summer Job Opportunities
The Alpine Club of Canada is looking for team members to work and enjoy a
memorable summer season as full time Custodians at the Kokanee Glacier Cabin
in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park (early June to late October) and at the Conrad
Kain Hut in Bugaboo Provincial Park (mid
June to mid September).
Ideal candidates will be:
Honest and reliable
Customer service oriented
Mechanically minded and handy with tools
Experienced in backcountry travel
Physically fit and healthy
Applicants must also have standard first
aid and CPR experience or capabilities.
The jobs are scheduled on a week-on, weekoff basis. During the week-off, subsidized
staff accommodation is available at the
Clubhouse property in Canmore. Custodians
receive competitive pay, a car allowance, and
a performance-based bonus at the end of
the season. The deadline for applications is
April 4, 2010.
Please submit your resume to:
Rick Gardiner, Director, Facilities
[email protected]
Box 8040, Canmore, Alberta T1W 2T8 OR fax: (403) 678-3224
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“Now I CaN CheCk The
CoNDITIoNS Before I SkIN UP.”
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