Elbrus—high point of Russian visit

Vol. 24, No. 1

Spring 2009
Elbrus—high
point of Russian
visit
page 6
Red light,
Remembrance Day
and a new route
climbed
publication
# 40009034
page 10
Photos Ace Kvale
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Executive Committee
Cam Roe President
Peter Muir Secretary
Gord Currie Treasurer
Roger Laurilla Co-VP Activities
Nancy Hansen Co-VP Activities
David Foster VP Access & Environment
Carl Hannigan VP Facilities
Isabelle Daigneault VP Mountain Culture
David Zemrau VP Services
Glen Boles Honorary President
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What’s Inside...
Editorial
Mountaineering / Climbing
4 Short Rope
Members
16 Mount Arrowsmith Regional Park
a dream-come-true
20 Club—a group organized for a
common purpose.
Volunteer—to perform a service
of one’s own free will.
6 Elbrus—high point of Russian visit
8 Climbing The Rock
10 Red light, Remembrance Day and a
new route climbed
11 Leo Grillmair’s ice axe
18 Icefields camp delivers sunshine and
summits
21 Avalanche education revolution
22 Need help?
Facilities
Mountain Culture
4 Art of Assiniboine conveys
mountain’s allure
14 Bugs and bears teach about the
mountain environment
14 Poetry book captures mountain’s
draw
4 Summer job opportunity
National News / Awards / Notices
22 National Office news
22 Notices
What’s Outside...
Cover photo: Descending the Mount Elbrus glacier. Photo by Gordon Hopper.
Story on page 6.
Inset photo: Rob Owens rappels off a route on the ACC BMFF Ice Climbing
Camp. Photo by Sylvain Riopel. Story on page 10.
Corporate Supporters
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Corporate Sponsors
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Rocky Mountain Books
Yamnuska (Canmore, AB)
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette
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Spring 2009 3
Art of Assiniboine conveys mountain’s allure
by Lynn
T
Lynn prepares for the long run down on Mount
Kemmel, Icefall Lodge, B.C. Photo by José Martinez.
O
Martel
ur day began with an easy skin
up a moderate, well travelled
trail, then up to some glades for
pleasant ski turns on gentle terrain. The
weather was fine, and while the snow
was a little wind stiffened, all of us were
happy to just be out.
So, our Alpine Club of Canada Rocky
Mountain Section trip leader suggested
trying to ski over to the Sunshine Ski
area. Since it wasn’t the best conditions
for yoyo turns, how about exploring for a
bit of adventure?
Sure, we replied, let’s go.
Before long our entire group of nine
was breaking trail through moderately
thick subalpine forest. As a happy
bushwhacker, especially when I’m only
carrying a day pack, I was having fun.
I think most of us were having some
degree of fun, except for one member,
but I blew off his comments, reasoning
I wasn’t leading the trip, and this was
just fun, safe bushwhacking, and a good
workout. I knew exactly where I was, and
I was absolutely confident our trip leader
did too.
Then, on a tight treed downhill
section, where some of us removed our
skins and others didn’t, M lost one of her
skins. S climbed back into the woods to
search for it, but returned empty handed.
It was 4 p.m. in December, and, at a
junction, we had two options. One was
to ski down the summer trail or the creek
bed to join the easy, packed trail back to
the parking lot. After some discussion,
our trip leader decided on the other
option—to keep climbing toward the ski
area and descend via the groomed ski-out,
4 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

here is hardly a more romantic
spot in the Canadian Rockies
than Mount Assiniboine. The
area’s appeal however, extends beyond the
actual mountain—a dramatic 3618-metre
pyramid of chiselled rock and glistening
glacier—to the jewel-toned lakes ringing
its base like a necklace of precious jewels,
and the surrounding alpine meadows
filled with colourful wildflowers in
summer and blanketed in pillowy snow
in winter.
Add to that the Canadian Rockies’
oldest backcountry ski lodge, Assiniboine
Lodge, built in 1928, a history of arduous
and impressively determined attempts
to climb the remote and challenging
mountain, plus a colourful cast of
characters who helped popularize the
area, and it makes perfect sense that
Summer Job Opportunity
Short Rope
by Lynn
Martel
Spring 2009
The Alpine Club of Canada is looking for a team member to work and enjoy
a memorable summer season as a full time Custodian at the Kokanee Glacier
Cabin in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park (early June to late October).
Ideal candidate will be:
4 Honest and reliable
4 Customer service oriented
4 Mechanically minded and handy with tools
4 Experienced in backcountry travel
4 Physically fit and healthy
Applicants must also have standard first aid
and CPR experience or capabilities. The job is
scheduled on a week-on, week-off 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 15, 2009.
Please submit your resume to:
Channin Liedtke, Facilities Administration
Manager
facilities@AlpineClubofCanada.ca
Box 8040, Canmore, Alberta T1W 2T8 OR fax: (403) 678-3224
which would be simple, even in the dark.
He estimated the climb should take an
hour—all the daylight we had left.
I knew that was the wrong choice, and
so did several other group members. So
why did we agree to continue climbing,
even after M had lost a skin? Did I need
to prove I could keep up with the boys?
Did I figure since this was well within my
ability, and I wasn’t trip leader, I needn’t
worry about how others would manage?
The climb took three and a half hours,
more than two of it by headlamp—
bushwhacking, breaking trail through
tight forest on a sometimes very steep
slope with about half a metre of sugary
snow barely stuck to it. Avalanche hazard
wasn’t a worry, but a twisted knee or
dislocated shoulder was a real possibility.
A night out under the stars in minus
10 would have been uncomfortable
and interminably long, with frostbite
potential.
After much reflection, I’ve concluded
that we all head off into the mountains
with a finite amount of luck, some more
than others.
Over the years and the adventures,
there will come days when that luck will
be a very precious, possibly life-saving
commodity. We don’t need to squander
our luck on poor, foolish decisions.
May luck and good decision-making
be with you on your trips.
Assiniboine should draw a steady stream
of artists throughout the decades intent
on capturing its many moods and
mysteries.
With Mount Assiniboine: Images in
Art, Jane Lytton Gooch has assembled
dozens of pieces of artwork celebrating
the wonders of Assiniboine in black and
white photos and vibrantly coloured
paintings created between 1899 and 2007,
by an impressive array of spectacularly
talented artists including Carl Rungius,
Belmore Browne, Catharine Whyte,
Walter J. Phillips and J.C. Leighton, to
the more contemporary Donna Jo Massie,
Alice Saltiel-Marshall and Glen Boles.
Following her publication Artists of
the Rockies: Inspiration of Lake O’Hara
(published by the Alpine Club of Canada
in partnership with The Rockies Network,
Fernie, B.C.), Gooch has improved her
introductory section with the inclusion
of sub-heads to break up the story of the
area’s human history. In a similar fashion
to her O’Hara book, she has arranged
the paintings geographically, with
perspectives from the northwest and east.
As well, a collection of mini-biographies
of several local artists is especially
appreciated.
But then the main attraction of this
book is the artwork—watercolours and
oils and black and white pencil sketches,
classic and impressionist in styles, and
all conveying a wonder and celebration
of nature’s own art through the seasons,
preserved through the centuries.
Mount Assiniboine: Images in Art, by
Jane Lytton Gooch, published by Rocky
Mountain Books, is a valuable treasure
for any mountain lover’s bookshelf.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
BOOKS
THE 11,000ers OF
THE CANADIAN
ROCKIES
UPDATED
Bill Corbett
ISBN 978-1-897522-40-0 | $29.95
WHERE THE CLOUDS CAN GO
CONRAD KAIN
ORIGINAL FOREWORDS BY J. MONROE THORINGTON &
HANS GMOSER. NEW FOREWORD BY PAT MORROW
Of all the mountain guides who came to Canada in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Conrad Kain is
probably the most respected and well known. In this
internationally anticipated reissue of Where the Clouds
Can Go – first published in 1935, with subsequent
editions in 1954 and 1979 – Rocky Mountain Books
has accentuated the original text with an expanded
selection of over 50 archival images that celebrate
the accomplishments of Conrad Kain in the diverse
mountain landscapes of North America, Europe
and New Zealand. The new foreword by acclaimed
mountaineer and filmmaker Pat Morrow puts Kain’s
mountaineering adventures, numerous explorations
and devout appreciation of nature into a contemporary
context, ensuring that the exploits of this remarkable
individual will remain part of international mountain
culture for years to come.
ISBN 978-1-897522-45-5 | $26.95
SPORT CLIMBS IN
THE CANADIAN
ROCKIES
SIXTH EDITION – UPDATED
John Martin & Jon Jones
ISBN 978-1-897522-39-4 | $34.95
MOUNT
ASSINIBOINE
IMAGES IN ART
Jane Lytton Gooch
ISBN 978-1-894765-97-8 | $29.95
www.rmbooks.com
AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR BY CALLING 1.800.665.3302
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2009 5
Elbrus—high point of Russian visit
story and photos by
I
Gordon Hopper
t is widely believed that Mont
Blanc in the Alps, at 4810 metres, is
Europe’s highest mountain. However,
between the Black and Caspian Seas on
the Russian/Georgian border in Eastern
Europe, there is a range of mountains
named the Caucasus which contains
numerous peaks higher than this. The
tallest is a stratovolcano called Elbrus
which has an east summit of 5621 metres
and a west summit reaching 5642 metres.
It was number five on our—mine and
Elizabeth Tertil’s—quest to climb the
highest mountain on each of the seven
continents.
We obtained a Russian visa and
with the help of a Russian couple
we had met in Antarctica on Mount
Vinson in January 2008, we organised
accommodation in Moscow and airline
tickets to Mineralnye Vody. Last July 29,
we flew from Edinburgh, Scotland to
Moscow. On arrival, I was totally lost,
as few people spoke English, most signs
were in Russian only and the Russian
alphabet letters are very different from
English. Elizabeth, originating from
Poland, had learned Russian in junior
school, but that was a few years ago. I
was very glad to see our Russian friends
at the airport.
Next day we flew for two and a half
hours to Mineralnye Vody and took a
taxi for the three to four-hour drive to
Azau at the end of the Baskan Valley
where the cable cars ascend from the
6 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette
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Spring 2009
base of Mount Elbrus to The Barrels
at 3800 metres. We spent two nights in
Azau at 2200 metres to acclimatise and
wait out thunderstorms before ascending
to The Barrels. These are huge steel drums
big enough to house groups climbing
Elbrus. As we were independent, we set
up camp nearby amongst some rocks
adjacent to one of the glaciers.
The following day, we hiked a wellworn trail and snowcat track to a rocky
outcrop opposite the ruins of Pruit 11
at 4157 metres, just above Diesel Hut.
Some groups take the snowcat up to
about 4800 metres from The Barrels,
but we considered that cheating. The
following day we walked up the glacier
to the Pastuckhov Rocks and were able
to dig a platform in the snow for our
tent amongst the rocks at 4690 metres,
where it was good to reach peace and
quiet (apart from wind and blowing
snow), as there was a lot of construction
both at Diesel Hut and The Barrels for
future expansion of the mountain’s ski
facilities. As the next morning was misty
and snowing, we hiked 300 metres higher,
then returned to our tent.
August 5 dawned windy and snowing.
We had heard the snowcats drive past us
earlier in the dark but decided to sleep
in. Worried that the continuing light
snow would raise the avalanche hazard
by the following day, coupled with the
fact we only had two days left to reach
the summit, we set off in the mist and
blowing snow. It was a long slog up the
steep trail on the glacier to the Saddle.
We were accompanied by five Spaniards
from Barcelona who had set up camp
next to us, but one by one, they turned
back until the last two left us at the
Saddle. From there it was a steep traverse
and ascent on a side slope with all the
footprints of the numerous descending
parties obliterated by the blowing snow.
Many of them had turned back before the
summit because of wind and snow, but
we persevered. Compared to a blizzard
in the Scottish Cairngorm Mountains,
this was very manageable. Finally, the
slope eased off and 500 metres later we
arrived at the summit around 3:35 p.m.
There was a large Soviet flag flying,
presumably erected in honour of the first
Russian who summitted 150 years ago.
A large Russian party had climbed to
the top on the anniversary date during
the thunderstorms we’d waited out in
Azau. We spent about half an hour
taking the usual summit photos before
starting down the slopes. Twice we lost
the markers for a few minutes, but as
long as we stayed within 50 metres of the
trail, there was no crevasse risk. About an
hour after leaving the summit, the clouds
suddenly cleared and all was revealed.
We were the last ones down but we soon
caught up with some poorly equipped
Russians, one of whom was suffering
from a heart problem. We rehydrated
him, gave him some candies and soon
afterward two members of the rescue
team arrived to help. That evening after
Top: Camp at Pastuckhov Rocks at 4690 metres
Below: Gordon Hopper and friend celebrate on
Elbrus’ summit
Right: A climber descends Mount Elbrus
Far right: Mount Elbrus as seen from Mount
Cheget
returning to our tent at the Pastuckhov
Rocks, we were treated to a stunning view
of the Caucasus Mountains in the low
sunlight.
The next day, we descended to The
Barrels and down the cable car to Azau
while the daily hoards plodded their
way to the summit in clear but windy
weather. The following morning dawned
clear and we took a taxi to the village
of Cheget, about 7 kilometres down
the valley, from where we boarded two
chairlifts and hiked to the 3481-metre
summit of Mount Cheget, which offered
a classic view of Elbrus and the Baskan
Valley. A border zone permit is required
to climb any mountains on the south side
of the Baksan Valley, including Cheget,
as they are very close to Georgia. On our
way down on the chairlift we passed two
armed border guards who were ascending
to check for permits.
After lunch we had a rather Kamikaze
journey in a minivan in two hours
(usually three and a half ) back to
Mineralnye Vody. That evening we flew
back to Moscow where we spent a very
interesting two days visiting the Kremlin,
Red Square, numerous onion-domed
Russian Orthodox churches and other
architectural and cultural gems to be
found in that city.
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Alpine Club of Canada
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Gazette
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Spring 2009 7
Climbing The Rock
by John
A
Saunders
lthough it does not sound like
much of an achievement to
climb a 426-metre (1,398-foot)
rock, when you have climbed The Rock,
you could say that it takes on some
significance. Of course, I am referring to
The Rock of Gibraltar, the southernmost
point in Europe and a spectacular visual
landmark on the Spanish coast.
A British overseas territory, The Rock
shares its border with the Spanish town
of La Linea. The limestone mass runs five
kilometres north to south, with a width of
just over one kilometre. The Rock guards
the approaches to the Straits of Gibraltar,
which separate Spain from Morocco. The
straits are only 24 kilometres wide and
on a clear day you can see easily North
Africa’s Atlas Mountains.
I believe it’s safe to say 99 per cent of
tourists who reach the top of Gibraltar
do so in taxi cabs, minibuses or by cable
car, but anyone who is half fit and a bit
adventurous could most certainly climb it.
Although the north and east faces are
potentially awesome climbs, since I lack
technical ability, courage and stamina,
the civilized way to get up The Rock is
via the Mediterranean Steps route on its
south side, which is reputed to be one of
the best nature walks in southern Europe.
Although it appears visually that the top
of the striking north face of Gibraltar is
its highest point, the actual summit is the
end point of the Mediterranean Steps at
O’Hara’s Battery, a World War II heavy
gun emplacement.
I recommend leaving one’s car on the
Spanish side and walking into Gibraltar.
Those who drive across, especially in the
heavily touristic summer months, can
expect lengthy border queues as well as
a severe lack of parking in the congested
downtown area. Crossing the frontera
from Spain into “Gib”, as The Rock is
known locally, offers the rather unique
opportunity to cross a live airstrip, where
vehicle and pedestrian traffic is stopped
while planes take off and land. Although
border formalities are relatively relaxed, a
passport must be shown to the authorities
while crossing.
To locate The Rock, go to Casements
Square and follow Main Street to the end
where Trafalgar Cemetery is on the left.
Bear left at the end of Main Street and
start climbing Europa Road to your right.
Just past The Rock Hotel and Casino,
turn left up Engineer Road and follow
it to the guard’s hut for the Upper Rock
Conservation Area.
The start of the Mediterranean Steps
is left of the guard’s hut, behind a large
sign describing the hike as “Difficulty:
Hard—not recommended for people who
suffer from vertigo.” I find the trail, which
was completely refurbished in 2007, to be
well marked and safe to walk.
The path, which was first built
during the late 1800s and serviced a
photos by
Peter Robertson
series of World War II concrete gun
emplacements, zigzags its way up a cliff
face along a series of steps, many hewn
out of solid limestone. The views are
breathtaking, at times straight down
almost vertical cliffs into the deep blue
Mediterranean Sea.
Topping out at O’Hara’s Battery,
you’ll likely encounter Gibraltar’s worldfamous “Barbary apes”, which are actually
tail-less monkeys. Originally natives of
North Africa, their presence in Gibraltar
dates back to the early days of British
garrisons when they were imported as
pets, or perhaps as hunting game. Today,
the only wild monkeys found in Europe
are a huge tourist attraction. Although
my wife-like person and our daughter
find them “cute,” I find them sneaky,
skittish and somewhat scary with a bite
worse than a dog’s.
The Rock has a large colony of yellowlegged gulls. During the spring, these
gulls chase and attack migratory birdsof-prey, which they see as a threat to their
young. On a couple of occasions, when
I was slightly off trail, these birds found
me uncomfortably close to their nesting
areas. It is quite an unnerving experience
to be dive-bombed—you hear them
coming before you see them coming!
Stone or umbrella pine are common,
with their rather unique umbrella-shaped
canopies, as well as wild olive shrubs,
which form a dense, scrubby habitat that
covers most of the Upper Rock. There is a
lot of bird-life, including peregrine falcon
pairs populating the cliffs surrounding
The Rock. These birds-of-prey feed
largely on migratory birds, whose
abundance allows the peregrines to
survive in relatively high densities. In
addition, The Rock is the only place in
mainland Europe to observe Barbary
partridge.
A limestone “island” surrounded by a
sandstone hinterland, The Rock’s flora has
North African influences. More than 600
species of plants can be found growing
on Gibraltar’s five square kilometres,
an enormous diversity for such a small
area. Due to its isolated character and
proximity to Africa, several plants found
growing in Gibraltar can be found
nowhere else in Europe.
Total round-trip time for a walk,
moving steadily but not killing yourself,
from the Spanish border to the top and
back, is about four hours.
I should mention that the logical next
step for those of us who were dropped
on our heads as babies—which I feel
represents the majority of climbers—is to
traverse The Rock from south to north. I
made it past the cable car stopping-point,
which is about a klick and a bit, where
again, due to my chronic lack of technical
ability, courage, etcetera, I gave up happily
as I encountered a rather airy, vertical,
sheer drop down Gibraltar’s east face.
If you have the opportunity to visit
Gibraltar, don’t wimp-out and take the
cable car to the top. Promise me that
you’ll climb The Rock.
Alpine Club of Canada member John
Saunders was posted to La Linea, the
Spanish border town with Gibraltar, for two
and a half years where he worked on a big
engineering and construction project in the
oil and gas sector. He has climbed The Rock of
Gibraltar about a dozen times, including one
marathon session when he did it five times
in three consecutive weekends, as he got in
shape for a successful solo ascent of Mulhacén,
the highest mountain in Continental Spain
at 3,482 metres.
Nicolas Favresse on Cobra Crack.
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Summer 2009 in French Alps
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Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette
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Spring 2009 9
Red light, Remembrance Day and a new route climbed
by
Margaret Imai-Compton
D
Brad Harrison
oug Scatcherd briefly dangled
upside-down on the rope, ice
tools in hand, swaying gently
as Sean Isaac pointed a tiny red laser
beam from a silver, pen-like presentation
pointer more commonly found in
corporate boardrooms.
“Hey Doug—are ya’ doin’ a circus-y
thing there? See where the red light is?
That’s your next move,” Sean directed
as he beamed the red pointy light at a
teeny sliver of a crack on the route. Doug
instantly righted himself and gracefully
reached for the luminescent red dot on
the crack.
This was the last day of our Banff
Mountain Film Festival ice camp, and
some of us had opted for a day of dry
tooling at a venue near Canmore, about
half an hour from Banff in the Canadian
Rockies. I had been laughing as Sean
pointed the crazy red laser beam at
rock features, helpfully pointing out
moves to my fellow campers. The idea
of a presentation pointer navigating a
climbing route was really funny and
bizarre. Then it was my turn…
“Are you going to zap me with that
laser pen?” I asked Sean as I started on a
route with an M6 difficulty rating.
“Well, let’s see how you do. You can
tell me if you need it,” Sean said helpfully.
About five moves into the route, as I
literally hung on the point of one ice tool,
with my crampons desperately scratching
rock, I asked for help.
“Sean, where’s that pointer pen?
Where do I go next?” I croaked
desperately.
Then I saw the tiny, wobbly, wavering
red dot circling above and Sean’s helpful
instructions came up from below.
“Just do it, hook it, trust it, do it—
NOW!” And I kind of leaped and sprung
and stretched and reached and YES! Oh
my God! The tool held. I looked down at
Sean and the others below and shouted,
“I promise never to laugh at your pointer
pen again!”
It was a brilliant idea to wrap an
ice climbing camp around the Banff
Mountain Film Festival. The early
November timing meant we could warm
up and review skills early in the ice
season. We came from Alberta, northern
B.C., Ontario and Montana and were
fortunate to have Rob Owens and Sean
Isaac, who excel in ice, mixed and dry
tooling climbing, as guides. In fact, the
camp was so popular that a third guide,
Matt Mueller, was added, while Nancy
Hansen superbly managed the logistics
for the group of 14, as well as leading
routes herself every day.
One very poignant moment during
the week was the time we took on
November 11 at 11a.m. to stand in a
circle at the base of our route in a
remote and quiet canyon in the midst
of the Canadian Rockies wilderness to
observe Remembrance Day. I thought
how fortunate we were to be in a
2009 TNF-ACC Summer Leadership Course
photo by
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: August 8 – August 15, 2009
Location: GMC–Trident/Neptune
Application Deadline: May 1, 2009
Go to the Leadership area on the ACC website for more detailed information.
10 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2009
Patricia Murphy drytooling an M6 route on the
ACC BMFF Ice Climbing Camp. photo by Sean Isaac.
beautiful, serene place, doing what we are
passionate about, and showing gratitude
for the sacrifices of our fellow Canadians.
Our gesture of remembrance reflected
highly on the quality of the excellent
people with whom I shared the week.
So, if you are at all interested in the
Alpine Club of Canada’s second annual
BMFF Ice Climbing Camp, set for
November 2009, I suggest you get your
name in early. Spaces are going fast!
The ACC BMFF Ice Climbing Camp—
November 10 to 13, 2008.
Guides—Rob Owens, Sean Isaac, Matt
Mueller.
Camp Manager—Nancy Hansen.
Climbers—Pat Murphy, Sarah Gamble,
Chris Fenlon-MacDonald, Mark Rosin,
Doug Scatcherd, Jim Cossitt, Craig
Water, Margaret Imai-Compton, Doran
Hanert, Sylvain Riopel.
For information on new routes on
rock, ice, mixed and alpine terrain, make
sure to order your 2009 Canadian Alpine
Journal.
Leo Grillmair’s ice axe
by
David Goldsmith
U
ntil 1952, the south face of Mount
Yamnuska, in the front ranges of
Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, was
unclimbed. On a cool day in November
of that year, Leo Grillmair and Hans
Gmoser, along with climbing enthusiast
Isobel Spreat, changed that, and changed
the style of mountaineering forever.
And Grillmair Chimneys, in the centre
of Mount Yamnuska’s face, received its
name.
The trio drove out from Calgary with
four other friends, with hopes of climbing
Yamnuska. With Grillmair wearing
only street shoes and with just a rope for
climbing gear, they hiked through the
forest and scree to the base of the vertical
south wall of Yamnuska. Together they
viewed the unclimbed face. Grillmair
decided that it was doable. Setting off
from the base he climbed, picking his way
up to the chimney, not knowing what lay
ahead. Soon the other four descended
the way they had come, while Spreat and
Gmoser followed on Grillmair’s rope.
Just meters from the top lay their
biggest obstacle. The chimney seemed
to end at an overhang that appeared
impossible in those days. But wait.
What’s this? There, at the back of the
chimney was a hole, perhaps big enough
for a person, which bored back into
the mountain. Grillmair explored it
carefully and observed light coming from
above. The hole in the mountain curved
upwards and allowed Grillmair to crawl
through, then up and out, and there
he was, standing on top of Yamnuska’s
summit ridge, about four metres back
from the edge. Yamnuska’s south face
had been climbed for the first time!
Gmoser and Spreat topped out and
stood beside Grillmair, then the three
of them descended by the much easier
slope around the northeast side of the
mountain.
By today’s standards, and with today’s
equipment, Grillmair Chimneys is not
known as a highly challenging route up
the mountain. But a climb of a more
personal nature took place on that route
on August 16, 2008.
Grillmair, now 78, was a founding
partner in the early 1950s, with Gmoser,
of Canadian Mountain Holidays,
(CMH). The two childhood friends from
Austria had come to Canada in 1951 to
find work, and eventually pursued their
dream of becoming mountain guides.
Over the years, CMH became one of
the most well-known and respected heliskiing companies in the world.
On August 16, 2008, Grillmair
gave his trusty steel and wood ice axe
to his 33-year-old second cousin Jeff
Stadnyk from Saskatchewan. Jeff, his
brother Todd, and life-long friend,
Aaron Goldsmith, (this author’s son)
had climbed together in the Rocky
Mountains for the past 10 or so years. The
three young men decided that in order
to celebrate this gift, it would be fitting
if they climbed Grillmair Chimneys on
Mount Yamnuska in Grillmair’s honour.
August 16 was a particularly hot
summer day. The south face of Yamnuska
was baked in the hot sun, with not even
a hint of a breeze. Following the route
pioneered by Grillmair 56 years earlier,
the trio set off. They experienced no
difficulties on the climb. One of the little
bonuses they did experience high on the
face was a cooling breeze blowing directly
out of a 10-centimetre crack deep in
the mountain face. Goldsmith stopped
sooner than necessary on that pitch to
allow the Stadnyk brothers to join him,
and together they sat in air-conditioned
comfort for a few minutes.
Jeff took the lead on the last pitch and
topped out through the hole discovered
by Grillmair all those years earlier, and
the three of them celebrated on top. All
three realized that the climb in and of
itself was not especially significant that
day. However, the passing of the mantle
from Grillmair to the next generation
was of significance, and the climb up the
Grillmair Chimneys seemed the most
fitting way to celebrate it.
Goldsmith and Jeff and Todd Stadnyk
all expressed their good fortune to
have had the wisdom and friendship of
Grillmair during their first 10 years of
climbing, and commented on how they
looked forward to many such years to
come.
For Grillmair’s part, he continues to
go strong, hiking the mountain trails and
passes and travelling the world with his
wife Lynne. I, too, feel fortunate to call
him my friend.
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Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2009 11
Experience
M O U N TAIN
Embrace Winter
Explore Summer
Explore Su
Wapta Traverse
Mountain Weather Course
Egypt Lake and Moun
Dates: March 7 (eve) – 14 Price: $1595
Dates: May 23 - 24 Price: $350
Dates: August 1 (eve) –
The Wapta Traverse is a world-class ski-mountaineering
journey across the Wapta and Waputik Icefields, providing
you with the ultimate backcountry experience.
Taught by a professional meteorologist, the Mountain
Weather Course will help you learn to make weatherdependant decisions before and during your trip.
Join us for some classic Rocki
campsites, and moderate pea
and scrambles in the Egypt La
Fairy Meadow Extravaganza
First Summits – Summer Mountaineering
Sir Sandford Climbin
Dates: March 14 – 21 Price: $2095
Dates: July 1 (eve) – 5 Price: $995
Dates: August 7 (eve) –
This is your chance to spend a guided and catered week
of once-in-a-lifetime backcountry skiing at Fairy Meadow
in the Adamant Range of the Selkirk Mountains.
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.
The ACC is returning to the sp
area with crowd-pleasers Rog
leading the charge. Setting u
Cairn-Ben Ferris Hut, our focu
MEC Under 25 Climbing Camp
In the Footsteps of C
Dates: July 5 - 9 Price: $995
Dates: August 15 – 21 P
Join super-elite climbers Sonnie Trotter and Rob Owens
on this youth camp sponsored by MEC for climbers aged
17 – 24 for a chance to try it all!
100 years ago, Conrad Kain se
ascents in the Canadian Rock
anniversary we are offering th
to climb the classic Kain Rout
Louis, and Bugaboo Spire.
Little Yoho Valley Ski Camp
Dates: March 28 (eve) – April 4 Price: $1795
The Little Yoho Valley around Stanley Mitchell Hut is one
of the most beautiful areas in the Rockies. A helicopter
ride to the edge of the Park will cut the approach time in
half – a perfect opportunity to get to an amazing area not
often visited in winter.
Peakbagging on the Spearhead Traverse
Marmot Women’s Climbing Camp
Dates: July 5 - 10 Price: $1045
Dates: March 29 (eve) – April 3 Price: $1395
Join us for one of the most popular traverses on the
West Coast. For those who have already done the Wapta
Traverse – this is the next jewel in your crown!
Argentine Glacier Ski Camp
Designed and offered for women exclusively, this unique
climbing camp provides an opportunity for women to
work on summer mountaineering leading skills.
55+ Summer Trekking / Climbing Camp
Dates: July 11 - 18 Price: $1645
Dates: April 17 (eve) – April 25 Price: $1995
Spring of 2009 will see us returning to the Argentine
Glacier area in the heart of the northern Selkirks for a ski
mountaineering week filled with turns and summits.
Coming Soon...
This backcountry climbing camp in the area around the
historic Stanley Mitchell Hut in the Little Yoho Valley is
aimed at young-at-heart climbers who are looking for
moderate mountaineering with daily trekking options.
Wapta Traverse
Winter 2010 trips will be announced in Spring 2009 so
start planning early! Sign up for the ACC NewsNet to be
the first to hear about these camps.
Dates: July 18 (eve) – 25 Price: $1595
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.
Photo by Bori Shushan
Photo by Roger Laurilla
Tantalus Range Climb
Dates: August 23 - 29 P
Located in the Coast Mountai
remote and rugged Tantalus R
paradise with dramatic granit
expansive glaciers high above
Tonquin Valley
Dates: September 12 (e
This combination climbing an
unparalleled opportunities to
breath-takingly beautiful area
the Tonquin Valley.
ADV E N T U R E S
ummer
with us!
Go Global
Go Global
nt Ball
Peru Climbing Camp
Best of Nepal Trekking Camp
– 8 Price: $1795
Dates: May 4 – 23 Price: $4695
Dates: October 6 - 24 Price: $3500
ies scenery, pleasant
aks as we explore the climbs
ake and Mount Ball area.
Join us for almost three weeks of spectacular climbing,
trekking, and enjoying the culture of the Peruvian Andes.
The Llanganuco and Santa Cruz valleys arguably host the
most scenic mountain panoramas in the world.
Starting in the Nepalese Himalaya’s famous Khumbu
region we’ll trek through beautiful mountain valleys as
we make our way to Everest Basecamp via the Namche
Bazaar and the Tengboche Monastery, soaking up the
Sherpa culture along the way.
ng Camp
– 15 Price: $1995
pectacular Mt. Sir Sanford
ger Laurilla and Cam Roe
up our tents around the Great
us will be on Sir Sandford.
Conrad Kain
Price: $2195
et off a tidal wave of first
kies. To celebrate this
his unique step back in time
tes on Edith Cavell, Mount
Bolivia
Mexican Volcanoes
Dates: July 2 - 21 Price: $4900
Dates: November 3 - 15 Price: $3495
Bolivia is a country of great beauty, charming culture, and
wonderful mountaineering objectives. Using spectacular
areas such as Lake Titicaca, the Cordillera Real and Huaya
Potosi to acclimatize, we will work our way up to our
ultimate objective, climbing Illimani, which dominates
the view from La Paz.
Visible from the Gulf of Mexico 110km away, El Pico
D’Orizaba and Iztaccihuatl are two of the top ten highest
peaks in North America. These picturesque classic
volcanoes offer an excellent chance to gain high-altitude
climbing experience while we take in the exquisite
surroundings and rich culture.
2009 General Mountaineering Camp
bing Camp
Dates: June 27 – August 28 (6 one-week camps) Price: $1595 per week
Price: $1895
The 2009 General Mountaineering Camp will be held in the Trident/Neptune group of the Northern Selkirk Mountains,
one range west of the Rockies. 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
2009 GMC.
ins near Squamish BC, the
Range offers up a climber’s
te peaks rising from
e Lake Lovely Water.
eve) – 19 Price: $1695
nd hiking camp will provide
o explore the
a around
Photo by Christina Brodribb
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:
adventures@alpineclubofcanada.ca
Photo by Rob Whiteway
Photo by Jackie Clark
Bugs and bears teach about the mountain environment
by Lynn
O
Martel
n the heels of three previous
children’s books, including In the
Path of Great Bear and Magic in
the Mountains, the Alberta-based author/
illustrator team of Carol McTavish and
Linden Wentzloff will release their latest
book, Never Bug a Bear, this spring.
Like those best-selling books
(co-authored by Lori Nunn), Never Bug
a Bear embraces a message of celebrating
the mountain environment and respecting
and preserving animal habitat.
Written by McTavish in humorous
rhyme through the eyes of a lovable
“tourist” bug, the book is illustrated by
Wentzloff ’s captivating paintings that
preserve the integrity of the bear and its
natural habitat.
Along with bears, wolves, moose, deer,
birds, elk, beaver, ground squirrels and
even whales and sea otters, Wentzloff
and McTavish engage children and
adults alike with witty alliterations and
the microscopic antics of a bug that
emphasize the importance of treading
Chances are you’ll see them
Munching plants in knee-deep sloughs.
They love a squishy mud-soaked bath,
To dip their feet and chew.
lightly in wilderness places.
Having shared her love of educating
young people as a schoolteacher in her
home-town of Canmore, Alberta for
36 years, McTavish, an Alpine Club
of Canada Rocky Mountain Section
member, harboured a long-time dream
of writing books for children that
encouraged a love and respect for the
mountains, which would in turn nurture
a desire to protect and preserve the
precious mountain environment. She
published her first book, In the Path of
Great Bear, which was illustrated by
Wentzloff, in 2001. It featured Katie, a
brave little girl who encounters a bear
while riding her mountain bike.
Through readings and workshops,
McTavish—who, while being officially
retired, continues to substitute
teach almost daily— has shared her
publications with over 4000 students
across western Canada. Through these
presentations, McTavish has learned that
increasing knowledge of the mountain
environment and its native creatures
is integral in fostering understanding,
empathy and love in both children and
adults alike.
“Writing books for children that
reflect my love of the mountains and the
animals that live there has always been
a dream for me,” explained McTavish.
“I began telling stories to my own child
and to my young students at school in
the hope that they too would grow to
cherish our mountain environment. It
was serendipity to meet Linden, and
to see the stories come to life with her
magical paintbrush. Now, when I do book
Poetry book captures mountain’s draw
by
Ron Dart
B
oth Bruce Fairley and Chic Scott have called 1960-1975 the “Culbert Era” in
BC’s Coast Mountains mountaineering. Culbert’s book, A Climber’s Guide to
the Coastal Ranges of British Columbia (1965) set standards for mountaineering
books. Mountain lovers are most fortunate to now have many of Dick Culbert’s
mountaineering poems in a single collection. The Coast Mountains Trilogy: Mountain
Poems, 1957-1971, includes a fine Introduction by Glenn Woodsworth, evocative
mountain sketches by Arnold Shives and alluring mountain poems by Dick Culbert. Do
purchase, read and internalize—mountaineering will never be the same.
The Coast Mountains Trilogy: Mountain Poems, 1957-1971 is published by Vancouver’s
Tricouni Press.
14 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2009
Never Bug
A Bear
A BOOK ABOUT GIVI NG
WILD ANIMALS SPACE
AUTHOR CAROL MCTAVISH I LLUSTRATIONS LI N DEN WENTZLOFF DESIGN KATE CARNEY
readings in schools where some children
have never had an opportunity to hike or
even be near a mountain, it is an absolute
joy to see the wonder and amazement
on their faces when they see Linden’s
illustrations and I read about the beauty,
fun and surprises you can find in one
mountain day. It is my fervent hope that
as adults they will remember one small
part of that mountain magic and they will
become environmental advocates for our
mountain animals and their habitat.”
In addition to having made the
Alberta Book Awards finalists’ cut in the
Best Education Book of the Year category
with both In the Path of Great Bear and
Magic in the Mountains, the publishing
company of McTavish and Nunn
also won a Silver Award as Emerging
Publisher of the Year in 2003.
In the Path of Great Bear is now being
used by the Vancouver based North
Shore Bear Society to teach children
about bear safety, while a donated copy
of Where Wolves are Wild is given to
each school visited by the Golden, B.C.
based Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf
Center. All three books are used by park
naturalists and are included as part of
Banff National Park’s Edukits.
Copies of Never Bug a Bear are
available at www.writingforkids.ca
PSST!
Do you wanna be a famous
writer? Ok, how about just a writer?
Contact the Gazette editor at
gazette@alpineclubofcanada.ca
to have your article, story or event
published in the Gazette.
SMALL INVESTMENT.
BIG RETURNS.
IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG TO BLOW THROUGH $24…
A coffee here, a bagel there. Maybe a pint or two after work.
Consider this: 24 bucks nets you six issues of award winning
h
humour,
world class adventure and top notch gear reviews.
N to mention awesome images, amazing Canadians and a
Not
w
whole
lot of “Holy #@%$!” moments.
Bre your own coffee. Toast your own bagel.
Brew
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explore-mag.com
Mount Arrowsmith Regional Park a dream-come-true
by
Mount Arrowsmith. submitted photo.
Peter Rothermel
F
or nearly a century, there has
been public interest in making
Vancouver Island’s Mount
Arrowsmith a protected park, but
governments were slow to respond.
In 1996, outraged by a ski developer
who—in a public park—wanted to
restrict public access to the now defunct
ski area on the north slopes of Mount
Cokely, a subsidiary peak within the
Arrowsmith Massif, I became involved.
While not on Mount Arrowsmith
proper, the ski operation, Mount
Arrowsmith Regional Ski Park, is in
a regional park of about 600 hectares.
While working with the grass roots
Public Access Resolution Committee
(PARC), to keep unfettered public access
to the ski park, people often asked me,
“If the summit of Arrowsmith isn’t in
the park, what is its status?” followed by,
“Why isn’t it a park?”
I began to look for answers.
Block 1380, which encompasses the
peaks of mounts Arrowsmith and Cokely,
was Crown Forest Reserve. In researching
its past I learned of its rich and long
history. Growing to know the mountain
better, I climbed its many aspects and
routes in every season. I spent so much
time on its slopes that I came to refer to
it as “my mountain”, not so much as me
claiming ownership, but maybe more so
of the mountain having an ownership
over me.
Seeking help, I targeted a dozen
clubs and organizations for support. I
made many friends and joined a few
organizations, including the Alpine Club
of Canada. I eventually became a director
with the Federation of Mountain Clubs
of British Columbia (FMCBC). With
16 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2009
more than 35 letters of support, we first
went to the Regional District of Nanaimo
looking for help to obtain provincial park
status. I nervously gave presentations,
and their Board of Directors voted in
favour. The RDN took our request to the
Province, but were denied due to “lack of
funding.” The Province suggested we try
for Regional Park status and intimated
we would get support from them.
In those days, before computers
and e-mail use was common, we relied
on faxing, photocopying, long distance
phoning and snail mail. The costs were
high and with encouragement from
our Section chair, Claire Ebendinger, I
applied for an ACC grant and received
monetary help to defray costs.
After several years of letter writing
and much work by the RDN parks staff
Jeff Ainge and David Speed, we kept
hitting brick walls and not getting letters
returned from the Province. Our efforts
started to stagnate a bit.
Then in 2004, ACC member Don
Cameron and I teamed up, with a
committee of advisors from various Island
clubs, including Sandy Briggs, Martin
Hoffmann, Judy and Harold Carlson,
Harriet Rueggeberg, Cedric Zala and
Evan Loveless. With Don’s excellent
Power Point skills, we gave presentations
to the RDN Board of Directors and the
Alberni/Clayoquot Regional District
Board of Directors, and met with several
area MLAs.
With Don’s skills, we created a web
site (www.mountarrowsmith.org), and
designed and printed a colour brochure
with financial help from Mountain
Equipment Co-op and the FMCBC
and distributed it widely. I led trips up
Arrowsmith’s easier summer routes,
taking area MLA Scott Fraser, RDN
Chair Joe Stanhope, Qualicum Beach
Mayor Tuenis Westbroke and other
political persons, plus a bevy of reporters,
in order to get news coverage. As well,
I developed a four-part slide show with
Arrowsmith’s history, flora and fauna,
physical aspects and recreation values
represented to share with numerous clubs
and societies.
Slowly we seemed to creep toward
our goal of obtaining protected park
status. With two new RDN parks staff,
Tom Osborne and Wendy Marshal, and
the RDN Parks and Trails Committee,
we had a good group pulling for us.
Once again we sought for provincial
park status, to the point of having senior
staff from the Ministry of Environment
recommend just that, with the RDN
assuming management and the area clubs
being trail stewards. We went so far as to
do a LEAF evaluation (Land Evaluation
Acquisition Framework), one of the
last steps in gaining BC provincial park
status. Ministry staff recommended a
Judges Route. submitted photo.
provincial park, managed (paid for) by the
RDN and stewarded by Island clubs—the
Province would not have born any costs,
but could reap huge kudos. When it
reached the Minister of Environment, he
inexplicably rejected the proposal.
With RDN Chair Joe Stanhope and
Qualicum Mayor Tuenis Westbroke
helping convince the Minister of
Environment to support us regionally,
we finally got Minister Barry Penner and
Minister of Community Services, Ida
Chong, to act as sponsoring Ministries.
After arriving with a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Hupacasath First
Nations, we were awarded Nominal Rent
Tenure of a dollar for 30 years, from the
Province for the new Mount Arrowsmith
Regional Park. At the RDN Board of
Directors meeting, November 25, 2008,
the vote was unanimous and the park
declared. I donated to the chair a twoonie,
enough to cover the rent tenure for 60
years.
The new park is about 1,300 hectares,
and includes the summits of Mount
Arrowsmith, Mount Cokely and the
South Summit (unofficial name). It also
encompasses the high mountain lakes of
Fishtail, Hidden, Jewel and Lost (last two
i m a l a ya w i t h
& Tr e k
unofficial names). It will protect several
popular trails, including the Judges Route,
Saddle Route and the Upper Rosseau
Trail.
Mount Arrowsmith is the apex of
a United Nations Biosphere Reserve,
encompassing the Little Qualicum and
Englishman rivers’ watersheds. From the
peak of Arrowsmith, down to Cameron
Lake and following the Little Qualicum
River to the Straits of Georgia, much of
this area is either provincial or regional
park lands, with several gaps. An eventual
goal is for one continuous wildlife
and recreational corridor, of protected
parkland, from the summit of Mount
Arrowsmith to the mouth of the Little
Qualicum River—an alpine to tidewater
protected park.
The new Mount Arrowsmith park
culminates over a decade of work by the
ACC and the FMCBC. It wasn’t a “battle
won”, as headlined in one recent news
article, but was rather like most typical
mountain climbs, a very long uphill slog,
with a bit of scrambling here and there
and a great summit for the finish—a
dream-come-true.
E x p l o r e t h e I n d i a n H i m a l a ya w i t h
H i m a l a ya n Ru n & Tr e k
Welcome to GOLDEN ALPINE HOLIDAYS!
Backcountry Skiing & Alpine Hiking at its best!
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Four cozy lodges located in the
Esplanade Range of the Selkirks
Explore the terrain from one lodge
OR traverse between all four!
Lodge rental, Catered & GuidedCatered options available
Join us for endless powder turns &
stunning alpine hikes!
Inquire for more information on
ACMG/IFMGA guide & group rates
info@gah.ca 1.888.344.6424
www.goldenalpineholidays.com
Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2009 17
Icefields camp delivers sunshine and summits
story and photo by
“F
Gord Currie
ive o’clock?” I exclaimed.
Twelve of us were gathered
at the Rampart Creek Hostel on
a Friday evening in July, preparing to
spend a week climbing in the Columba
Icefields. After some rope handling
review outside, we assembled in the
dining hall for a pep talk from the guides.
Jeff Relph had just indicated that he
wanted the group to be up and on the
trail by 5 a.m.—the next morning.
“Five o’clock?” After all, this was
supposed to be a holiday. Relph fixed
me with a stare. “Did you sign up for a
different trip?”
Ouch.
So we were up by 5 a.m., although we
weren’t on the trail until a little later in
the morning. Our guides had chosen the
longer approach up the Saskatchewan
Glacier because the shorter approach up
the Athabasca Glacier is overhung by
seracs at one point.
We plodded up the valley with
slightly less than full packs. Our food,
tents and camp manager were going in
by helicopter, but there was a risk that
weather would prevent us from finding
the cache so we elected to carry most of
Icefields camp participants set up their meadow camp
the gear we would need for the week as
a precaution. At any rate, everything that
flew in would come out on our backs.
We made our first camp beside a
big trench that runs across the icefields,
which allowed us to get up and down
Mount Columbia in a 13-hour round-trip
the next day. After that, everything else
was gravy. We had ambitions to climb
one or more of the Twins at the other end
of the icefield but were forced to abandon
them simply due to the scale of the place.
Instead we plodded up Snow Dome
and Kitchener in a day, getting back
to camp in the early afternoon, and on
our way back to civilization we climbed
Castleguard Mountain, which is a little
smaller but very aesthetic.
In a week we climbed the highest
peak in Alberta at just over 12,000 feet,
two 11,000-footers and one 10,000-footer.
Not a bad effort.
Food
There was barely enough for a little
guy like me and probably not enough
for bigger people. Several nights we sat
around a pot of mashed potatoes trying
to think how to divide them 10 ways.
We would gladly have traded those fresh
oranges at a pound apiece for an extra bag
of rice, but hey, we didn’t get scurvy.
Big tents
There may not have been quite
enough food, but there was plenty of
room in the tents. Somebody at Alpine
Club of Canada headquarters kindly
decided to put only two people in the
three-man tents and three people in the
four-man tents. The extra wiggle room
was appreciated by all.
Weather
When you tell people you are going
to the Columbia Icefields you hear stories
about the weather—all bad. Everybody
knows somebody who has tried three,
four, six times to get up Columbia and
been foiled by weather. We had perfect
weather. In fact, our biggest challenge all
week was to prevent sunburn and we took
elaborate precautions. Anywhere else we
would have been taken for desperados.
There was one short squall mid-week
as we were moving our camp closer to
the Twins. In the 10 minutes it took to
set up the storm shelter, the storm had
passed, but we decided to camp there for
the night, and while it was a welcome
decision by a tired bunch of campers, it
cost us our shot at the Twins. Because
we were beginning to post-hole by early
afternoon, the Twins were deemed to be
too far to go in a day.
Firsts
Jeff Lebbert did the first recorded
backward ascent of an 11,000-footer. He
strolled up Kitchener on the tail end of
one rope while carrying on a conversation
with Dan Doll who was leading the next
rope.
Reflections
When my father died 21 years ago,
there was a line in the program at his
memorial service saying something about
sun reflecting off the snow. When I’m
out skiing on a sunny day the reflections
remind me of my dad, and the morning
we climbed Snow Dome and Kitchener,
as the sun rose in the east, there were a
million reflections off the snow, a million
reminders of my dad.
18 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette
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Spring 2009
Guides
Our guides for the week were Dave
Smith of Nelson, B.C. (the old guide)
and Jeff Relph of Golden, B.C. (the
young guide). Smith is quiet and sets a
slow, steady pace, stopping every hour to
rest and rehydrate. I’d go anywhere with
that guy. Relph could be surfer dude if he
lived in California. He kicked about 1000
steps up the face of Mount Columbia
and declined an offer to trade off. Dan
Doll was the camp manager which
meant he was up first every day to make
breakfast, was the last to bed every night
after cleaning up the dinner dishes, and
in between he carried more weight than
anybody else!
Participants
John Downing—London, Ontario based
lawyer and bar owner. He gets them
coming and going.
Byron Caldwell—Calgary based tax
guru and a serial reader.
Myriam Latendresse—A doctor who
moved from Quebec to B.C. to be closer
to the mountains.
Peg Flick—A programmer who moved
from the east coast of the U.S. to
Colorado to be closer to the mountains.
Claims she doesn’t own a gun.
Jeff Lebbert—University of Calgary
professor of accounting theory but is
more interesting than he sounds.
Greg Davidson—Recently retired
geophysicist who still has some
mountains to climb.
Gord Currie—Over-the-hill
photographer and scribe, also serves on
the Alpine Club of Canada’s National
Board.
This spring Jeff Relph will lead
the Spearhead traverse in the Coast
Mountains, and he’ll guide the Wapta
Traverse in July. Dave Smith will lead
a week of climbing and scrambling in
Banff ’s Egypt Lake area in July. Dan
Doll will go to Mexico as a rope leader, to
climb volcanoes in November. For details
on these and other great Club trips, visit
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca
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Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2009 19
The Gazette continues to recognize the contributions of some of the Alpine Club of Canada’s most dedicated volunteers. Since joining the Club
in 1977, Paul Geddes has served in a number of capacities at both the section and national level. Paul and his spouse Willa, who is also an ACC
volunteer, have recently retired and relocated from Toronto to Vancouver. Paul is currently the chair of the ACC Awards Committee and sits on
the Vancouver Section executive. Most recently, Paul and Willa helped the Vancouver Section, for the first time, host the Banff Mountain Film
Festival World Tour in December 2008. Paul received the Club’s Silver Rope for Leadership Award in 2003.
Club—a group organized for a common purpose.
Volunteer—to perform a service of one’s own free will.
by
Paul Geddes
W
hen I look back at my
introduction to climbing
at Rattlesnake Point and
Bon Echo in southern Ontario, it’s the
dedication of Alpine Club of Canada
members that stands out in my mind.
With dynamic role models to follow,
it wasn’t long before I was the Toronto
Section’s secretary. A number of positions
followed: newsletter editor, treasurer,
Section representative, Access Committee
chair, and Section chair in 1986/87 and
2002/03. Those were fun years which
presented many enjoyable opportunities.
Hosting Doug Scott (1975 Everest) at
my house in 1985, and taking him ice
climbing on the Niagara Escarpment east
of Toronto was one memorable event.
Later, finding him some fur salons in
downtown Toronto, where he explained
to the bewildered sales staff why he
needed wolverine fur for his parka hood
(couldn’t find any), was one of those
experiences you just don’t forget.
I recently had a discussion with
an ACC member who was interested
in helping out with the Vancouver
Section but was hesitant as to what his
contribution might be. “You know your
limitations, and that’s good,” I replied. “I
noticed your interest in mountaineering
and I am sure that the ACC can provide
you an opportunity to learn more.”
It was the ACC that gave me my
first chance to really push myself in the
mountains when then Club manager, Ron
Mathews, asked me to be an amateur
leader at the 1981 Fairy Meadow General
Mountaineering Camp (GMC). With
the help of head guide Don Vockeroth, I
enjoyed many memorable years assisting
at the GMC. Over the ensuing 20 years,
I co-led a series of Toronto Section
camps in the mountains of western
Canada, Nepal and the Yukon’s Saint
Elias Mountains. The opportunity to
be camp manager at a few Club ski
mountaineering camps, culminating with
the Yukon ACC Centennial Camp in
June 2006, has rounded out my outdoor
leadership experience with the ACC.
Why do I volunteer? There is always
a new experience over the next ridge.
Helping others achieve their goals has
always been an important component of
the climbing experience for me. Assisting
Wally Joyce at a Toronto
Section camp in July 2000—
he was 85 years of age at the
time—climb Asulkan Ridge
above the Sapphire Col bivi
shelter was one of those trips
where assisting others came
before my own goals.
One unique feature of
the ACC is its 18 regional
sections spanning the
country from Vancouver
Island to Montreal. Most
sections are open to sharing
their trip schedules with
all ACC members and
Winter 2008 Whitecap Alpine Coast
Mountains. photo by Willa Harasym
20 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Spring 2009
over the years I have been on trips with
many of the Club’s sections. Then, there
is the world-class ACC hut system
currently offering 28 exciting locations
for on-site accommodation. This complex
infrastructure, which greatly benefits our
membership, is only possible through
the efforts of the ACC’s loyal and skilled
volunteers. Over the years, the Club’s paid
staff have been so committed to the Club
that their efforts have often exceeded
their remuneration.
Volunteer trip organizers can
learn their mountain craft through
participation in the Club’s activities.
Section trips and training workshops are
as important today as the ones I attended
in my early years of involvement with the
ACC. Today, the standard of expertise
within the climbing community has only
gotten better, as I can attest to by having
participated in The North Face–ACC
winter 2001 and summer 2002 training
weeks. These week-long courses are
the Club’s current initiative in training
future leaders and a real incentive for trip
organizers to volunteer their time to learn
soft and hard skills—knowledge they can
pass on to other members through trips
and workshops.
So what’s next? The changing modes
of communication require innovative
strategies to reach out to existing and
potential new members. Solving access
issues will increase in importance, as
pressure on the wilderness we all cherish
is an ongoing concern in most parts of
the country. Skills training, in order to
ensure safe practices, is fundamental to
our stability as a club. Fundraising at
both the section and national levels is
an important contributor enabling the
financing of existing and future projects.
For more than 100 years, many faces
have made a lasting contribution to
Canada’s climbing scene through their
volunteer efforts with the ACC. Please
don’t miss out on your turn!
Avalanche education revolution
T
Martel
he sky is bluebird, the thigh-deep
powder untracked, the skier’s
line steep and breath-stopping,
the soundtrack hip and grooving. Better
than ski porn, The Fine Line: A 16mm
Avalanche Education DVD, is the first
action-packed snow riding film to take
avalanches as seriously as fresh turns and
monster air.
The two-segment DVD includes a
lively and compelling 56-minute film
featuring some of the ski and snowboard
industry’s top talent, interspersed
with humorous segments outlining an
abbreviated history of the world and the
creation of mountains and glaciers and
the evolution of snow sports that is part
Monty Python, part Fusilli Jerry, balanced
with spell-binding accounts of very real
avalanche accidents as told by fortunateto-be-alive survivors.
The film is rounded out with helpful
information on safe practices for
traveling in and ripping up big powder
slopes in avalanche terrain dispensed in
youth-friendly language by snow safety
professionals, and also includes valuable
beta for ice climbers courtesy of former
world champ Will Gadd.
In addition to the feature film, the
DVD also consists of four instructional
films of seven to 20 minutes duration,
which focus on understanding avalanche
bulletins, choosing terrain, predicting
avalanches and emergency self-rescue,
hosted by an all-star cast of Canadian
avalanche professionals. The information
contained in the four education films
amounts to about the same content
of the Canadian Avalanche Centre’s
recreational-level weekend avalanche
skills training (AST) course.
The Fine Line is produced by Calgarybased filmmakers the Rocky Mountain
Sherpas, keen backcountry riders who
were inspired after they lost four high
school classmates in a skier-triggered
avalanche in 1997, then six years later
witnessed the tragic, naturally started
Connaught Creek avalanche that claimed
seven Calgary teens. The project was
made possible by the support of several
sponsors, particularly title sponsor,
the Canadian Avalanche Foundation,
the fundraising arm for the Canadian
Avalanche Association. The Alpine Club
of Canada also contributed $5000.
Copies are available at
Mountain Equipment Co-op,
major ski retailers, and on-line at
www.rockymountainsherpas.com
“This is the first film where skiers and
avalanche professionals are on the same
page talking about the same thing,” says
Sherpas co-owner Malcolm Sangster,
27. “We call it a revolution in avalanche
education.”
Red > 184C
photo courtesy of Jackie Clark
by Lynn
Wilderness
Medical Consultants
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
NewsNet@alpineclubofcanada.ca
Alpine Club of Canada
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Gazette
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Spring 2009 21
National Office news
Sandy Walker climbing at Tuolumne Meadows,
Yosemite National Park. photo by Felix Camire.
by
Sandy Walker, Director, Club Services
E
ven the most grizzled
mountaineer needs a shower,
shave and some clean clothes
from time to time and the National
Office of the ACC is no exception! The
office has been getting a much-needed
facelift over the past couple of months
to make itself a little more presentable to
the outside world.
For those of you who haven’t had the
pleasure of dropping by the office in the
past, celebrity designers would have called
our previous look a storage facility with
retro (and authentic!) 1970s styling.
Nancy Hansen, back from yet another
climbing road trip that makes us all
green with envy, has spent weeks sorting
through countless boxes of what can only
be described as “stuff.” She has used her
long history with the Club to figure out
what needs to be archived, what needs
to be filed and what desperately needed
to be recycled—clearing away so much
room that the office seems three times its
previous size.
There were definitely some gems and
treasures hidden away from public view
that have now been dusted off and put in
their rightful place. On one memorable
day there was a very poignant 20-year-old
letter from the husband of a deceased
member that brought a sentimental tear
to the eye.
In addition to the much-needed
clean up, a few moved walls, desk
reconfigurations, new flooring, updated
lighting and a lot of paint made this
renovation complete. All in all, it’s been
a great trip down memory lane with the
end result being a fresh, modern and
efficient office area. There’s even extra
desk space for volunteers working on
special projects for the Club.
So the next time you’re in Canmore,
drop by and see what we look like now—
before we get covered in dust again.
Oh, and for those of you who were
worried… any blackmail items we came
across have been destroyed!
Need help?

Gazette
Upcoming Meetings
Executive Committee meeting:
l April 4 & 5, 2009 in Canmore
Board of Directors meeting:
l May 2 & 3, 2009 in Canmore
Annual General Meeting:
l May 2, 2009 in Canmore
Summer Custodians
We are currently seeking volunteer
custodians for many of our
backcountry huts (including Elk
Lakes, Wheeler, Bow Hut, and
others) this summer season. If you’re
a passionate alpine enthusiast and
would like to discuss custodianship
opportunities please contact Channin
Liedtke at the National Office
at (403) 678-3200 ext. 104 or at
cliedtke@AlpineClubofCanada.ca
Volunteer
custodians
receive
complimentary accommodation at
the hut during the custodianship.
2009 / 10 Ski Week Lotteries
Applications for the 2009/10 ski
season lotteries at Bill Putnam (Fairy
Meadow) Hut and Kokanee Glacier
Cabin will open in early April, 2009
using an online application process.
The online application is the only way
to enter the lottery and the link will be
available in early April, 2009 by visiting
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/
facility/info.html and then clicking on
either the Kokanee Glacier Cabin or
the Bill Putnam (Fairy Meadow) Hut.
ACC Custom Portering Services
Quick, think—if you were stuck on
the side of a mountain and a helicopter
was hovering over you with rescue
personnel wondering if you needed help
or not, how would you signal to them
that you were just taking a long lunch
and hanging out, or that you were in
desperate need of rescue?
In response to several situations that
occurred in the mountain ranges of
western Canada during the 2008 summer,
Parks Canada public safety specialists
have launched a campaign to inform
backcountry users of the appropriate
signals.
Don’t forget these important body
signals on your next mountain adventure!
22 Alpine Club of Canada
NOTICES

Spring 2009
Available for all huts, summer
and winter. If you are planning a
backcountry hut trip and would like to
have your food and equipment carried
in, contact Rob Whiteway, Mountain
Adventures Coordinator for details
at (403) 678-3200 ext. 112 or e-mail
adventures@alpineclubofcanada.ca
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