Le projet 100 ans de leadership et d`aventures en montagne

Vol. 21, No. 2
●
Summer 2006
Le projet 100 ans
de leadership et
d’aventures en
montagne
page 5
Actor recreates
mother of Canadian
mountaineering
page 14
The Alpine Club of Canada
What’s Inside...
Editorial
Facilities
4 Short Rope
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Phone: (403) 678-3200
Fax: (403) 678-3224
[email protected]
www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca
Cam Roe, President
Peter Muir, Secretary
Gord Currie, Treasurer
Roger Laurilla VP Activities
Isabelle Daigneault, VP Access & Environment
Carl Hannigan, VP Facilities
Bob Sandford, VP Mountain Culture
David Zemrau, VP Services
Mike Mortimer, Director, External Relations
David Toole, Director, Planning
& Development
Glen Boles, Honorary President
Bruce Keith, Executive Director
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Mountaineering / Climbing
6 Bear spray – beware!
16 North Face course brought snow,
taught lessons
17 Eastern climbers discover ‘flow’
Mountain Culture
5 Le projet 100 ans de leadership et
d’aventures en montagne
5 Summit flag photo contest
9 When men/women and mountains
meet
10 Mountain heights above sea level
12 Alpine Club of Canada launches
Centennial in birthplace
– Winnipeg
13 July Centennial events
14 Actor recreates mother of Canadian
mountaineering
20 Rockies legend recorded in Japanese
school texts
Front cover:
15
23
23
24
Membership Committee struck
National Office news
ACC Life Membership Policy
Centennial Fund Campaign
Awards / Notices / Classified Ads
4
16
20
22
22
2006 grant funded projects
Karl Nagy Scholarship recipient
Heritage Club milestones
National Volunteer Awards
David Toole receives A.O. Wheeler
Award
22 Classified Ads / Notices
Inset:
Outaouais Section members Réjean Frigon and Gildas Tremblay summit
Réserve El Potrero Chico, Mexico; photo – self timer.
Laurie Schwartz portrays Elizabeth Parker during the celebrations in
Winnipeg; photo by Darcy Finley.
Associate Members
The Alpine Club of Canada thanks the following for their support, and encourages
you to consider them and the advertisers in this newsletter the next time you purchase
goods or services of the type they offer.
Corporate Sponsors
MOUNTAIN
EQUIPMENT
CO-OP
Corporate Members
Printed on recycled paper
National News
What’s Outside...
Corporate Supporters
Advantage Travelworld (Canmore, AB)
Arc’teryx
Black Diamond Equipment
Dunham
Forty Below
G3 Genuine Guide Gear
GearUp Sport (Canmore, AB)
Helly Hansen
6 The “Habby” Hut
8 Parks Canada investigating graffiti
damage to Elizabeth Parker Hut
18 Retiring manager built huts and
memories
23 Volunteer needed
IBEX Outdoor Clothing
Integral Designs
Mammut
Ortovox Canada
Outdoor Research
Patagonia
Petzl
Yamnuska (Canmore, AB)
The Alpine Club of Canada is proud
to be associated with the following
organizations that share our goals and
objectives:
Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks
and Wildlife Foundation
Association of Canadian Mountain
Guides (ACMG)
Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA)
Ecole Nationale d’Escalade du Québec
Federation of Mountain Clubs of British
Columbia (FMCBC)
Fédération québécoise de la montagne et
de l’escalade
Mountain Culture at the Banff Centre
Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
(Banff, AB)
Alpine Club of Canada
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Gazette
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SUMMER 2006
3
2006 grant funded projects
T
he Alpine Club of Canada is pleased to award over $6000 in grants this year
to a number of worthy mountain related projects.
Jen Higgins Memorial Fund
Lynn doing research at Conrad Kain Hut
Short Rope
BY LYNN
MARTEL
T
hey say that history repeats itself.
In March, history did just that
– or rather, history wrote a new
chapter on a story that is now a century
old, as dozens of Alpine Club of Canada
members traveled from across the country
to Canada’s geographic centre – and the
Club’s birthplace – Winnipeg.
Although most traveled by airplane,
and not by rail as the Club’s founders
did, Winnipeg served well as the perfect
location for the momentous gathering.
Greeted at the airport, billeted in
members’ homes and generally very well
taken care of, some of those ACCers
learned on a guided tour (thoughtfully
arranged by Club volunteers), how
Winnipeg has served as a meeting place
for thousands of years – archaeological
evidence shows that native peoples have
been gathering at the Forks Market for
6000 years.
Winnipeg is where the Assiniboine
and Red Rivers meet. Winnipeg is
where both the Canadian National and
Canadian Pacific Railroads established
thriving hubs a century ago, in an era
when that city was considered the
summit of civilization in the Canadian
West.
Winnipeg is, now as it was then, a
meeting place of Canada’s core cultures
– First Nations, English, French and
Métis, and fittingly, home of the ACC’s
first French language section, SaintBoniface.
As with the 1906 meetings, the 2006
Spring Board Meeting and Centennial
Gala at the Fort Garry Hotel were made
possible by the dedication and efforts of
Club members volunteering their time
and energy.
Volunteering. Teamwork.
Two core values that have guided the
ACC for the past century. Dedication,
teamwork and vision on behalf of our
4
Alpine Club of Canada
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SUMMER 2006
Student Outdoor Club members
Krystil Koethler and Ellen Morgan
were awarded $1500 for their One
Outstanding Out-trip project – a threeweek self-propelled expedition, doorto-door from their Vancouver homes.
They will paddle for seven days from
Kitsilano Beach to Narrows Inlet, hike
up a logging road to ascend Tzoonie
Mountain and Mount Jimmy Jimmy,
cross the glacier to the col between
Ossa and Pelion Mountains, then hike
out Ashlu Creek and cycle back to
Vancouver.
Karl Nagy Award
Bonnie Hamilton of Canmore,
Alberta was selected as the Karl Nagy
Scholarship recipient for 2006. An
avid backcountry skier, rock climber,
mountaineer and dedicated Rocky
Mountain Section volunteer trip leader,
Bonnie was selected for her proven
leadership skills, her future aspirations as
an ACC amateur leader and her genuine
joy of being in the mountains. She will
attend a week of this year’s Premier
Range General Mountaineering Camp
(a $1295 value), working alongside full
mountain guides and amateur leaders.
founders are what made the Club a reality
in 1906, and indeed, allowed the Club to
survive and thrive to reach its centenary.
Dedicated teamwork and vision made
the Club’s first mountaineering camp
happen in 1906, as it has with every camp
since.
It took the teamwork and vision of a
great many people to compile the ACC’s
magnificent history in the last issue of the
Gazette – not unlike the teamwork and
perseverance required by mountaineers in
the quest of a summit.
All I need to know about life I learned
from mountaineering.
After a century, the ACC is as it
was at the start – as great as the sum
of all its parts, much greater than the
contributions of any individual, each of
whom brings to the Club his or her own
best talents.
Environment Fund
The Global Observation Research
Initiative in Alpine Environments
(GLORIA) project was awarded $500
to help establish two sites to study
plant composition and structure along
different gradients, historical climate
data and predictions on how climate
change will affect alpine areas of south
western British Columbia.
The Climbers’ Access Society of
Alberta was awarded $817 to help fund
a study into the impact on bull trout by
recreationalists in Alberta’s Ghost River
Valley.
The Alpine Club of Canada’s Trails
Committee was awarded $1500 to repair
and minimize future damage to the
Abbot Pass and Fairy Meadow trails.
Jim Colpitts Memorial Scholarship
Nadine Chalmers, a Student Outdoor
Club member from Montréal, will use
the $500 award to take a Wilderness First
Responder course to help her pursue her
goal of becoming an outdoor adventure
leader.
The annual deadline for grant
applications is January 31. For further
information and application forms visit
www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca/funds
The Club turning 100 is a little like a
person turning 40 – time to take stock of
what you’ve accomplished so far, time to
give serious thought to where you’d like
to go next and what you hope to leave for
those who will follow long after you’re
gone.
And like life at 40 – or 100 – there
are always challenges. Fluctuating
membership. Diminishing glaciers.
Uncertain access. Soaring insurance rates.
The ACC has a proud tradition of
stewardship of Canada’s mountains, and
dedicated and passionate volunteers eager
and capable of stepping up and making a
difference.
“We stand on the shoulders of giants
when we think of the history of this
club,” said one guest at the Centennial
Gala dinner.
Let’s make history repeat itself.
Le projet 100 ans de leadership et d’aventures en montagne
BY
DENIS VILLENEUVE
P
our souligner le centième
anniversaire du Club Alpin
du Canada en 2006, la section
Outaouais organise un grand blitz de
photos sur lesquelles nous verrons les
membres de partout au pays au sommet
d’une montagne avec la banderole du
centenaire. Tout ça dans le but final de
créer une grande mosaïque, avec laquelle
nous ferons une affiche qui servira à
faire la promotion du Club. L’objectif
est surtout de motiver nos membres à
diversifier leurs sorties et à atteindre
de nouveaux sommets. Que ce sommet
soit atteint à pied, en vélo, en raquette
ou à ski... cela n’a pas d’importance. Peu
importe la taille de la montagne, ce qui
compte le plus, c’est d’arborer un beau
sourire tout en brandissant la banderole !!!
Vous pouvez télécharger et
imprimer la banderole en format PDF
(www.go.cac-outaouais.org et clicker
sur le bouton ‘100 ans de leadership
et d’aventures en montagne’ dans le
supérieur droit). La banderole est
disponible en deux formats soient:
8.5" x 11"et 11" x 36". Veuillez
soumettre vos photos à l’adresse suivante:
[email protected] avec
un court texte indiquant le nom de la
montagne, la voie ou le sentier utilisé
et les personnes que l’on retrouve sur la
photo.
Outaouais Section members, Mélanie Lalande and
Frédéric Lavoie, on top of Aconcagua (6992 m) in
Argentina
PHOTO BY PATRICK VOYER
Summit flag photo contest
T
o help Alpine Club of Canada
members from across the country
celebrate the Club’s Centennial,
the Outaouais Section has initiated
a challenge for members from every
corner of the country to capture a photo
of themselves on the summit of any
mountain holding the official Centennial
Banner. The height, technical difficulty
or location of the peak aren’t nearly as
important as the smile on your face
showing how much you are enjoying the
experience of being there. You can reach
that summit by foot, by bike, by skis or
snowshoes. The winning photos will be
compiled into a poster and/or calendar to
be distributed to sports stores.
All sections have been supplied
with Centennial Banners so that
everyone can participate. Contact
your Section representative for your
banner or download a PDF version for
printing at: www.go.cac-outaouais.org
(click on the ‘100 ans de leadership
et d’aventures en montagne’ button
located in the upper right corner).
Send your Centennial summit photo to
[email protected]
Be sure to include the photographer’s full
name and a brief description identifying
the people and mountain in the photo,
as well as the route taken to reach the
summit. For more information e-mail:
[email protected]
Alpine Club of Canada
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Gazette
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SUMMER 2006
5
The “Habby” Hut
BY
SUE OAKEY-BAKER
T
he sun’s brightness woke me at
5:15 a.m. and I stiffly moved my
hands and feet in my sleeping
bag. Crouching down to get out of the
tent, my back ached and my hip was
screaming. For three days, Joe, Peter and
I had worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to get
the walls up and bolted into place.
From the living room windows,
Mounts Serratus and Sedgewick, and
Sechelt Inlet are beautifully framed. From
both of the bedrooms (the hut will sleep
14), you gaze at Mount Alpha, Black
Tusk, Daisy Lake and the Squamish
Valley. I pivoted 360 degrees and the
strength of the Tantalus Range left
me numb. I thought of the last time I
was here…with Jim. I remember good
weather, short-roping on Alpha and
laughing.
The duality of
nature is sharp
here. Beautiful
mountains open
your heart and
provide food for
the soul and at
the same time
PHOTO BY BLAIR MITTEN
offer a reminder Kev Haberl and Sue Oakey-Baker
of the frailty of
in April 1999. He was 41.
life; joy and pain side by side. It is a good
Jim began climbing at 16, traveling
place for Jim’s hut.
to every continent and completing seven
Raised in Vancouver, Jim Haberl was
North American first ascents, plus classic
a professional mountain guide, freelance
routes from Alaska to Africa.
photojournalist, national best-selling
In 1993, Jim and Dan Culver made
author, motivational speaker and a loving
the first Canadian ascent of K2, via the
husband, son, brother and friend. He died
Abruzzi Spur. Dan was killed on the
in an avalanche while climbing in Alaska
continued on the next page
Bear spray – beware!
BY LORRAINE
GURNEY
M
any hikers carry bear spray
when hiking in the wilderness.
I know I do. But how many
have actually read all of the precautions
and first aid instructions before setting
out? I know I didn’t.
I can tell you for a fact that it is very
difficult to read the label when you are in
a slight panic with repellant fluid on your
hands and on your boyfriend’s mouth and
the liquid is starting to burn. On the two
cans of bear repellant that we have, the
instructions are written in a size two font.
This size of print is impossible to read
without a high-powered magnifying glass
at the very least.
Now this whole accident, which from
this point on I will refer to as the “AD”
(accidental discharge), occurred after a
leisurely hike down from Kiwentinok
Pass in Yoho National Park in September
2005. The Stanley Mitchell Hut was in
plain view. The prospect of doffing my
hiking boots and settling down to a nice
cup of hot chocolate was all that was
on my mind. My bootlace was undone.
For fear of tripping on the loose lace, I
stooped over to do it up and I heard a
“shhhhhh”.
I did not realize that this sound was
6
Alpine Club of Canada
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SUMMER 2006
the AD occurring. Only when I looked
at my pants did I notice a funny liquid
on my right hip. Of course, I got some
on my hand. I realized what it was and
wanted immediately to get it off of me.
The stream was too far away, so I asked
my partner to use the water from his
Platypus® to rinse off my hands. The
pinch method on the mouthpiece was
not working as it was nearly empty,
so he had to suck and spit from the
mouthpiece. He also helped me rinse
it off my hands with his hands. Now
it was on his hands and eventually the
mouthpiece of the Platypus®. Eventually
it ended up on his lips. We raced to the
stream and my partner got it off of his
lips. I, in my wisdom, rubbed the fluid off
my hands with some stones (not a good
idea, I discovered later). Eventually I had
to wash my hiking pants, fleece jacket,
gloves and shirt.
The next day it rained as we hiked
from the hut, and at Laughing Falls I
was not laughing when I touched my
wet gloves (which I thought were clean)
to my nose. Bear spray doesn’t come out
easily and the moisture from the rain
transferred it to my nose and we started
all over again.
Trust me. Before going on your next
hike, read the directions, precautions and
first aid for the bear spray that you are
carrying. It also would be a good idea to
keep it on you where it is least likely to
cause an AD, yet easily accessible in case
you need it.
Here are the (tiny) instructions for
first aid on my can of bear spray: In
case of external contact, remain calm
and flush thoroughly with water. Do
not rub. If contact with eyes, remove
contact lenses and flush eyes with water.
If swallowed do not induce vomiting,
call Poison Control. If inhaled move to
fresh air. Symptoms will disappear in an
hour. If symptoms persist seek medical
attention, bringing the product label with
you.
Later that evening back at the hut
there were actually quite a few AD stories
shared among the assembled group.
One included someone who was
cycling when the can discharged.
Another occurred in the cab of
her truck. Be careful with the
stuff. It is nasty.
And read the label before you
need to.
Happy trails!
PDAJAS1 $QE@A>AH=U@ARE?A@KAOEP=HH ‰>H=?G@E=IKJ@AMQELIAJP
descent. Both were awarded Canada’s
Meritorious Service Medal from the
Governor General for their outstanding
achievement. Grieving the loss of his
friend, Jim gave an emotional slideshow
to a packed house, and afterward was
encouraged to write a book about this
extraordinary experience. He formed
Tantalus Publishing and published his
first book, K2 Dreams and Reality. It
was a national bestseller. Three years
later he wrote another bestseller, Risking
Adventure, about following the passion in
your heart. Promoting his books, Jim gave
over 100 slideshows across Canada, and
became a successful motivational speaker
– the highlight being sharing the stage
with Rick Hansen and Ken Dryden. Jim’s
photography and writing have appeared
in books, magazines and newspapers
across North America, including the
Canadian Alpine Journal, earning the
CAJ’s Award for Best Article in 1994 for
Dan, K2.
Jim became an internationally
certified guide with the Association of
Canadian Mountain Guides in 1992, an
ACMG examiner in 1994 and Canadian
Avalanche Association instructor in 1995.
By 1996, he was Director of the West
Coast Section of the ACMG, working
enthusiastically to support guides through
such fundraisers as the Mountaineers’
Soirée. Through his company, North
Star Adventures, Jim guided people
throughout Western Canada and abroad,
quietly sharing his joy of the mountains.
In 1998, Jim and I led eight people from
the Alzheimer’s Society to the top of
Africa’s highest peak, Kilimanjaro. This
climb became an annual fundraiser that
has raised over $1 million.
Jim and I met in 1982, were married
in 1997 and built a home in Whistler
that year. Jim was loved and supported
by his parents Margaret and Bill, sister
Susan and brothers Herb, Kevin, Patrick
and Mike.
After Jim died, his family and friends
brainstormed ways of creating a lasting
memorial. One idea was to build an
alpine hut in the Serratus-Dione Col in
the Tantalus Range. In spring 2001, the
Alpine Club of Canada’s Liz Scremin
contacted me to say they were thinking of
replacing the Tantalus’ Red Tit Hut.
In August 2001, the Jim Haberl Hut
Committee, a partnership between Jim’s
family, friends and the ACC Vancouver
Section, was created. The ACC provided
much needed motivation, skills and
volunteer labour. Liz, Colin Boyd and
Peter Taylor spent endless volunteer
hours on the project along with Jim’s
friends and family. Dave Lasser arranged
helicopter lifts with Helifor.
For two years, the committee worked
on the design and fundraised over
$80,000. Capt. Dale Thingvold of the
192nd Airfield Engineers at Seaforth
Armouries and his crew agreed to preassemble the hut, disassemble it and fly
it to the col. In spring 2005, the hut was
lifted on-site. In July, the walls went up
*/(6*%&±4)"/%4
and as of August, the roof was on.
Throughout the four-year process, so
many hearts that were touched by Jim
have put part of themselves into this hut.
Jim was a highly accomplished,
successful man by society’s standards. Yet
the Jim who touched so many people was
loved and admired not so much for what
he did but more for how he did it. His
legacy is how he opened his heart wide
to the pain and the joy of life, serving as a
safe place for many.
To learn more or contribute, visit
www.jimhaberlfund.org
Alpine Club of Canada
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Gazette
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SUMMER 2006
7
Parks Canada investigating graffiti damage to
Elizabeth Parker Hut
BY LYNN
MARTEL
P
arks Canada is assisting the Alpine
Club of Canada by investigating
some unsightly and profane graffiti
carved into the 85-year-old logs of
Elizabeth Parker Hut, and says it won’t
hesitate to prosecute those responsible.
Discovered in December 2005 by
ACC members gathered for a volunteer
appreciation weekend at the hut, the
crude carvings scar the logs of the upper
bunk level.
Elizabeth Parker Hut is a recognized
Federal Heritage Cultural Resource,
placing it under the jurisdiction of Parks
Canada.
As such, said John Niddrie of Park
Warden Protection Operations for Lake
Louise, Kootenay and Yoho, anyone who
defaces or damages the property is in
violation of National Park regulations,
which state, “No person shall wilfully
damage or destroy any historic artefacts
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SUMMER 2006
or structures in the Park.”
“Everybody hates seeing that kind of
damage on these buildings. Parks and the
ACC consider this serious enough to take
violators to court,” Niddrie said.
Parks investigators are following up on
leads they hope might take them to one
or more of the perpetrators, said Niddrie,
adding he believed it was likely the work
of youths in the company of their parents.
The carvings include several different sets
of initials, full names, dates and some
profanities.
“It’s probably young kids who left
their mark, then others saw some carvings
in the logs and decided to leave their own
mark too,” Niddrie said.
Niddrie said Parks would put up
posters asking people to respect the
value and help maintain the building as a
Canadian heritage resource.
“Once the posters are up identifying
those concerns, if it continues we
wouldn’t hesitate to prosecute anyone,”
Niddrie said.
If a young offender turned out
to be the guilty party, Niddrie said
circumstances would have to dictate how
the violation would be handled.
Constructed in 1920 by the Canadian
Pacific Railroad, the log cabin was turned
over to the ACC in 1931, whose staff and
volunteer members have maintained and
made small improvements to the building
since.
Named for ACC co-founder
Elizabeth Parker, the act of scarring or
defacing the building is akin to damaging
a person’s grave or monument, said ACC
Director of Facilities, Lawrence White.
“It’s disappointing that people
don’t recognize the cultural value of a
building like the Elizabeth Parker Hut,”
White said. “It’s often the first exposure
people have to Parks and the ACC. It’s
inexpensive and relatively easy to reach,
so it’s a reasonably viable option for an
overnight accommodation.”
As well, White added that unlike
most Canadian heritage buildings of its
vintage, which have become museums,
Elizabeth Parker Hut is still being used
for its original purpose.
“The fact you can do so is really
special,” White said. “I’d hate for Parks
to have to limit access because it’s being
vandalized.”
Club staff and volunteers plan to
scrape the markings off the logs, and then
re-stain them. Once the slate is clean,
both White and Niddrie said they hoped
through education the destructive activity
would be stopped.
“Hopefully we can get it all cleaned
up and start afresh,” Niddrie said.
Anyone with any information about
the graffiti is asked to please contact the
National Office at (403) 678-3200.
Reprinted with permission from the
Rocky Mountain Outlook.
A volunteer’s commitment to the Alpine Club of Canada
The Gazette continues to recognize the contributions of some of the Alpine Club of Canada’s most dedicated and long-serving Executive
Committee volunteers. David Zemrau has served as Vice President Services since 2001 and has received the Distinguished Service Award.
David lives in the Edmonton area and is active both at the Section and National levels.
When men/women and mountains meet
BY
DAVID ZEMRAU
W
hen I was asked to list some
of my experiences both in
the mountains and with
the Alpine Club of Canada, I was at
first reluctant to put words to paper.
However, given the Club is celebrating
its 100th anniversary, by reflecting on our
accomplishments and looking forward to
the future I figured I would step up to the
plate.
My first experience in the mountains
came when I was about six years old.
I recall my mother explaining how
worried she was when a bear was sniffing
around our tent in Jasper National Park.
Car camping in the mountains soon
led to fishing, then hiking followed by
backpacking.
While in high school I visited my first
ACC hut high in the Fryatt Valley. After
scrambling with some friends it was
suggested that a rope would be a good
idea. It was at this point that I figured
something was needed to move on to the
next level. Believe it or not I didn’t toy
with the idea of joining the Alpine Club
until I moved from Calgary to Toronto.
After five years away from the mountains
I was determined to return both to
Alberta and to the peaks of the Canadian
Rockies.
During the winter of my return, a
friend and I skied into Parks Canada’s
Egypt Lake shelter. While at the shelter
I noticed a group of ACC members
enjoying themselves. After Uri Novak
helped extinguish the mini fire started by
my stove just before the hut was caught
in flames, I decided those mountaineers
were both friendly and capable. Shortly
afterwards I joined the Club.
My first volunteer activity with the
Club happened in the fall of 1992. I
signed up for the Edmonton Section’s
annual Thanksgiving weekend work party
at the Wates-Gibson Hut in Jasper.
Being my first ACC trip, I didn’t
realize breakfast wasn’t included until the
morning of departure. A kind Ken Larlee
took pity on me and shared his herring
and crackers with me. Over the weekend
I learned that good food, single malt
scotch and great company followed hard
work, an experience that would repeat
itself many times over. As I continued to
receive the benefits, including knowledge,
experience and great companionship
from the Section, I felt the need to
return something to the Club. Within
a year of becoming a member I lead my
first Section trip. Not happy with just
leading trips, I also held positions on the
Section Executive as Training Chair, Ski
Committee Chair and finally Section
Chair.
At some point I started to get
involved at the National level. I acted
as a Camp Manager for some National
Camps including the Japanese Alpine
Club/ACC Mount Alberta project in
2000. I also had the honour of being
an amateur leader at several General
David Zemrau (right) with Japanese Alpine Club
members on the summit of Mount Wilcox
Mountaineering Camps over the
years. Now, as Vice President Services,
I champion the areas of leadership
development, safety, competition sports,
Alberta Sections and our involvement
with the UIAA, the world body for
mountaineering, on behalf of the
membership.
In looking back at my time both in
the mountains and with the Alpine Club
of Canada, I would say the people who I
have had the privilege of spending time
with are in fact a more significant part of
the total experience than the mountains
themselves.
As Mike Mortimer, former President
and ACC Centennial Chairman has said,
“When men (women) and mountains
meet great things happen”. I certainly
have seen this happen over my short time
with the Club, and our legacy of 100
years of leadership and adventure also
bears testimony to this.
MEC is a proud partner of
The Alpine Club of Canada
freeze-dried food | first aid kits | flashlights | mec.ca
Alpine Club of Canada
●
Gazette
●
SUMMER 2006
9
Mountain heights above sea level
BY
CALVIN KLATT
How do we know where the sea level is where the sea isn’t?
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Geological Survey of Canada, in
1992 an expedition was organized to accurately measure the height of Mount Logan
(5959 ± 2 metres above sea level) using the then relatively new Global Positioning
System (GPS). Understanding GPS is difficult enough, but have you ever wondered
what it means to say “height above sea level”, and have you ever wondered how someone
works out where sea level is?
The GPS measurements used on Logan gave height above an ‘ellipsoid’.The general
shape of the earth is nearly spherical except for a slight bulge at the equator – an
ellipsoid. If the earth were smooth and of constant density then sea level would be at
this ellipsoid. Fortunately for climbers, earth is a bumpy planet, with variations in mass
density. These variations create differences between the ellipsoid and the level of the sea.
Areas with higher density (greater gravitational attraction) have higher sea level
(relative to the ellipsoid). We can calculate the sea level height all over the earth, or at
least we can calculate where the sea would be if the land weren’t there, by measuring gravity.
Surveyors in the Field
Traditional methods for heights above sea level
Traditionally sea level heights were determined by going to a tide gauge at the coast
(true sea level) and measuring heights relative to this point. The tool of choice was a
spirit level, which allowed surveyors to establish reference points (benchmarks) across
the country. Unfortunately surveyors had to link measurements from the tide gauge(s)
to measurements everywhere in the country. Surveyors literally had to walk the length
of the country propagating sea-level height information in small steps via spirit levelling.
It is important to note that the levelling tools used by surveyors didn’t simply give
heights above a flat surface. The instruments responded to the local gravity and therefore
the reference heights they gave were a function of the varying density of the earth.
Mountain heights, such as those given on topographic maps, were traditionally
determined by measuring them relative to benchmarks along the highway (usually
by photogrammetry). A variety of other methods were used, but they all referred to a
benchmark and thereby sea level at a tide gauge.
In Canada the official sea-level/surveying height system is called CGVD28,
(Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum 1928), established in 1928 and referenced to
six tide gauges: two on the Pacific coast, two on the Atlantic coast, one on the Saint
Lawrence River and one in New York
City. The topographic maps we use today,
from Natural Resources Canada, give
heights in this system.
Shape of the earth
Imagine a scale model of the earth that is one
meter in radius. The bulge at the equator would
make it appear to be wider than it is tall by about
3 mm, barely noticeable. All other features on
the earth would be much smaller. Mount Everest
would be a bump slightly bigger than 1mm high.
Mount Logan’s height: pointing to the future
Mount Logan’s height was determined in the CGVD28 height system.
Unfortunately, benchmarks are few and far between near the Logan massif and heights
in CGVD28 are formally defined only at benchmarks, which is very inconvenient in the
age of GPS. The height given is a result of extrapolating the CGVD28 heights of the
nearest benchmarks. This extrapolation was done with a “geoid” model.
The future height system: the geoid
In Canada we have nearly 700,000 measurements of gravity, of mixed quality,
covering almost all of the country. This data, combined with topographical data from
maps and the space shuttle, plus information on the density of the earth’s surface, allows
us to calculate a geoid model. The geoid is that surface where the sea would be at rest.
Measuring a height above the geoid tells us the height above sea level. Like all such
scientific models, it is only as good as the input data and in this case the mathematical
modeling is very complex. Nevertheless, a geoid-based height system will be much
better than the 1928 system, which has a lot of distortions. More importantly, it will be
defined at all points in the country, allowing heights above sea-level to be easily obtained
from GPS.
10 Alpine Club of Canada
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Gazette
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SUMMER 2006
Two new books about Lake Louise and the Canadian Rockies
Geoid height relative to ellipsoid in metres
Are we changing the heights of
Canada’s mountains?
Mountain heights shown on future
maps will change when the height system
is modernized and the CGVD28 system
is replaced. This is because we will have
a better understanding of where sea
level is, not because the mountains are
changing. Height changes will be small
– a few metres at most. Of course, if you
pride yourself on having memorized
the heights of your favourite mountains
you’ll have to start all over. But because of
the costs involved, this change will take
many years, so you have plenty of time to
adjust!
The future geoid height system is
being developed using new data from
the GRACE satellite to complement
the national gravity data. The geoid
system implementation will start in
2009. For more information check out
www.geod.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e
/hm_e/summary_e.html
Dr. Calvin Klatt is the Chief of Gravity
and Geodetic Networks, Geodetic Survey
Division at Natural Resources Canada.
Calvin is Chair of the ACC Ottawa Section
and a former Toronto Section Chair.
The Canadian Rockies – Pioneers, Legends, and True Tales - by Roger
Patillo tells of the larger-than-life pioneer trappers, mountaineers, guides,
outfitters, and early visitors to the Rockies. Many of these played a major part
in some of the true tales and the enduring legends of the Banff, Lake Louise,
and Rogers Pass areas. The author knew and spent many hours with some of
the original “old-timers” and they in turn told him of the adventures that they
had. They also related many tales of the early visitors, packers, guides, and
mountaineers who came to the area when the trails were young and so were
they. The reader will enjoy many stories about the remarkable life of Tom
Wilson, and the many exploits of Wild Bill Peyto, Walter Wilcox, Sam
Allen, Jimmy Simpson, A.O. Wheeler, Sir Edward Whymper, the Feuz
Brothers, Georgia Englehard, Katie Gardiner, Phyllis Munday, Conrad
Kain, Elizabeth Parker, Walter Perren, Byron Harmon, Nick Morant, Lawrence Grassi, Norm
Luxton and many others.
Some of the stories that have never been told until now include: How Banff Indian Days Really
Began, Banff’s First Santa Claus Parade, The Story of the First Mountaineering Death in the
Canadian Rockies, Sir Edward Whymper -The Prince of Mountaineers, The Death of Helen
Hatch, The History of the Swiss Guides in Canada, Who Really Was the First to Climb Mt.
Robson? The Death of the Mexicans on the Icy Slopes of Mt. Victoria, The History of the Alpine
Club of Canada, The Tragic Deaths of Seven Boys on Mt. Temple, Bears and Humans Don’t Mix,
and many more. The book is 525 pages and includes over 260 pictures – most of which have never
before been published. If you love the Canadian Rockies, this is a book is a must - you’ll enjoy every
minute you spend reading it. 386 pages plus 272 pictures; quality trade paperback (softcover)
Lake Louise at its Best: An affectionate look at life at Lake Louise by one
who knew it well - Revised and Expanded 2005 Edition - by Roger Patillo
For many years, the CPR offered free return passage each summer for the
employees of its magnificent hotels. The “Dominion” and the “Canadian”,
Canada’s famous trains traveled west to the Banff Springs Hotel and to
Chateau Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. In 1957, captivated by stories
of lofty mountain peaks and clear blue lakes, eighteen-year old Roger Patillo
from Belle River, Ontario signed up and set out to experience the West for
himself. One summer turned into seven and changed his life. The stories of
his adventures while at the world famous Chateau are both humorous and poignant. He draws from many friendships, among which are the Feuz brothers,
the legendary Swiss guides, John Lynn the much loved pianist who presented
nightly concerts in the lobby, Beef Woodworth (the Park Warden back then), Lawrence Grassi, the
“Keeper of O’Hara” and many others.
The book recounts the author’s time skiing, flyfishing, mountaineering and canoeing down the Bow
River. While these stories are entertaining enough, it’s in the sharing of the sometimes hilarious pranks
and misadventures of the staff that will keep you smiling throughout. The steak roasts, the dances, the
parties at Gables (the Bellhop’s residence) and his special friends all come alive again as Patillo recalls
in tale after tale, a more gentle time when perhaps life at Lake Louise really was the best. (514 pages
and 196 pictures Perfect bound).
Both books are available for $39.95 each plus shipping. Order from Amberlea Press –
P.O. Box 1682 Aldergrove, B.C. V4W 2P6 or e-mail [email protected]
(Buy both for a total of $60.00 plus shipping)
Also available from Trafford Press at www.Trafford.com.
All good bookstores will order it in for you but you can save by buying it direct from the author.
WWW.CLOUDTOGROUND.COM
alpinehuts.ca
Alpine Club of Canada launches Centennial in birthp
BY LYNN
MARTEL
W
innipeg Manitoba is home
to many Canadian cultural
and historical icons – the
intersection of Portage and Main; the
Exchange District National Historic Site;
Saint-Boniface Cathedral and Cemetery,
site of Louis Riel’s tomb; the Burton
Cummings Theatre.
And although a Manitoba climber’s
most valuable piece of gear is likely to
be a sense of humour, Winnipeg is also
where the Alpine Club of Canada was
founded in 1906.
To officially launch the ACC’s
Centennial, members from across the
country traveled to Winnipeg for the
weekend of March 24 thru 26, coming
from as far as Montréal, Toronto,
Edmonton, Prince George, Vancouver
Island and Canmore for the Club’s annual
Spring Board Meeting and a special
Centennial Gala at the historic Fort
Garry Hotel.
Spearheaded by Manitoba Section
members Peter Muir and Chair Simon
Statkewich – who helped design the
Club’s recently rebuilt Fay Hut – and
Saint-Boniface Section Chair André
Mahé, whose teams of volunteers
organized everything from airport pick
ups to guided tours, the weekend was
scheduled to coincide with the ACC’s
inaugural meeting March 27-28, 1906.
Among those participating in the
event were Ron and Evelyn Matthews,
long-time ACC members and former
Club managers, Jim Tarrant, who joined
Spring Board Meeting in Winnipeg
the Club in 1939, Glen Boles, current
Honorary President and member since
1960, David Fisher, early 1970’s Club
President, and long time members Ted
and Judy Mills, Bruce and Margaret
Fraser, and Marj Hind.
Speaking at the black tie dinner,
Banff ’s Bill Fisher, Parks Canada
Director General for Western and
Northern Canada, complimented the
ACC’s commitment to the preservation
and appreciation of the mountain
landscape, including some of the earliest
glacial studies conducted anywhere.
“There is no other organization in
the world that has done what the ACC
has done to preserve the backcountry
experience,” Fisher said.
In a city where the best views are
from a 22nd-floor office tower – courtesy
of Thompson Dorfman Sweatman LLP
Barristers and Solicitors, who kindly
donated their boardroom for the Club
Board Meeting – Winnipeg may seem an
unlikely birthplace for Canada’s national
climbing organization.
“The question we inevitably get asked,
is ‘don’t you need mountains to climb?’”
joked Muir, current ACC Secretary. “We
go to the Rockies because we’re from
Winnipeg and we can’t stand to be away
from snow for that long.”
While Winnipeg in 1906 was
considered the centre of Canadian
civilization and the gateway to the West
via the still young railroad, it was also
the home of Elizabeth Parker, the first
PHOTO BY LYNN
MARTEL
female columnist of a daily Canadian
newspaper, the Manitoba (now Winnipeg)
Free Press. A woman of sharp intellect
but poor health, Parker had spent time
partaking in the healing waters of Banff ’s
Sulphur Mountain hot springs, where she
fell in love with the Rocky Mountains.
When her editor passed her a letter
from respected surveyor Arthur Oliver
Wheeler suggesting Canadians form a
branch of the fledgling American Alpine
Club, she took up her pen in disgust.
Certainly, she wrote, Canada has “at
least a dozen persons who are made of
the stuff, and care about our mountain
heritage, to redeem Canadian apathy and
indifference.”
Sufficiently spurred, Parker and
Wheeler co-founded the Alpine Club
of Canada. Not only the first national
mountaineering organization to accept
women, Parker was elected as its first
Secretary.
With Winnipeg serving as not just
a railroad hub, but also a hub for Metis,
Aboriginal and French Canadian cultures,
in 1994 the ACC fittingly welcomed le
Section Saint-Boniface du Club Alpin du
Canada, the first French speaking section
of its 19 sections.
“We’re not restricted, but the SaintBoniface executive must be French
speaking,” Mahé explained. “Our group
are all French Canadians, we conduct all
our business in French.”
A retired geography and history
teacher and native French Manitoban,
André Mahé receives a poster of the ice tower renamed in
place – Winnipeg
Mahé was introduced to the Rockies
on family vacations. After seeing some
climbers on one trip, he and his brother
signed up for a beginner course. In the
early 1970s, with support from the
National Film Board, they made a Super
8 film climbing Mounts Athabasca and
Victoria with guides Buck Corrigan and
Pierre Lemire. They also climbed in the
Bugaboos with Hans Gmoser and Rudi
Kranabitter, and eventually began leading
their own climbs.
While teaching at a Saint-Boniface
French high school, Mahé took students
to climbing cliffs at Whiteshell Provincial
Park. With his superintendent’s support,
he built an indoor wall in the school’s
gymnasium and climbing became part of
the Phys Ed program.
Over the decades, Mahé has helped
introduce hundreds of Manitobans to
climbing through the indoor wall and
summer trips to the Rockies. In 1998, he
built a 20-metre ice tower in downtown
Winnipeg, which was renamed Tour
André Mahé at the Winnipeg Gala.
So why does an avid climber and
mountain lover stay in the Manitoba
flatland?
“I love the prairies,” Mahé said. “It’s
a different type of beauty. The mountains
have a superficial type of beauty; it hits
you between the eyes. You can’t help
but see it. The prairies require a certain
amount of maturity to see the beauty. It’s
a more subtle beauty.”
his honour
Thank You
Manitoba and Saint-Boniface Sections
T
he entire Club would like to extend a great big
Thank You to the Manitoba and Saint-Boniface
Sections for organizing a splendid weekend for
all those who attended the Spring Board Meeting,
Centennial Gala and other events in Winnipeg and
Saint-Boniface.
Well done!
July Centennial events
July 8, 2006 ~ Dedication Ceremony at Yoho Lake, Yoho National Park. In 1906, the
ACC’s Yoho Camp was organized to enable Alpine Club of Canada members to
meet in Canada’s mountain regions, and to offer a venue where graduating members
could qualify for active membership by climbing a mountain of at least 10,000 feet
(3048 metres). Club members have built a rock cairn to commemorate the first
mountaineering camp and everyone is invited to join the Centennial celebrations on
July 8, beginning at 2 p.m.
July 15, 2006 ~ Centennial Annual General Meeting, Glacier National Park, BC This
year the Club’s AGM will take place at Glacier Park Lodge in Glacier National
Park. Everyone is invited to join in an afternoon of ACC history. The meeting starts
at 1 p.m. and will be followed by a slideshow and Laurie Schwartz’s engaging onewoman play, Elizabeth Parker and the Creation of the Alpine Club of Canada.
July 19, 2006 ~ ACC Postage Stamp release, Canmore AB. Canada Post and the ACC
are inviting one and all to witness the launch of the ACC Centennial Postage Stamp.
The collectible stamp will be unveiled at the Canmore Civic Centre between 5 and 7
p.m. There will be a Day of Issue cancellation for serious collectors.
For more info, visit: www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/Centennial
Compiled by Tanya Ritchie
David Toole, Cindy Cooper, Sandy Hannigan and Nel Keith enjoy the Gala celebrations
PHOTO BY VI
SANDFORD
Actor recreates mother of Canadian mountaineering
BY LYNN
MARTEL
A
mong the highlights of the
Alpine Club of Canada’s
Winnipeg Centennial
Celebrations that took place March 24
thru 26, was no doubt a one-woman
performance by Banff actor, Laurie
Schwartz.
Researched, written and performed
by Schwartz, Elizabeth Parker and the
Creation of the Alpine Club of Canada,
captures the spirit, the vision and the
passion of the Club’s co-founder.
A professional actor with a degree in
Fine Arts from the University of Alberta
and many seasons performing in a variety
of theatrical venues, Schwartz, 33, was
immediately interested when her boss
with Parks Canada’s Mountain World
Heritage Interpretive Theatre (WHIT)
invited her to create the Elizabeth Parker
production in conjunction with the Club’s
Centennial, to be performed throughout
the summer season.
Intrigued, Schwartz pored over old
newspaper articles and dug into museum
archives.
“Right off the bat, I found out she
wasn’t really a climber,” Schwartz said.
“Suddenly there was this big mystery.
Why was this woman who didn’t climb so
hell bent on creating an alpine club?”
“And she probably wouldn’t approve
of that language,” Schwartz added.
During the process of writing and
developing her stage performance,
Schwartz learned Parker was an
important early figure in Canadian
newspapers. Born in 1856 and educated
in public schools, she taught for one year
before marrying John Henry Parker at
Laurie Schwartz portrays Elizabeth Parker during the celebrations in Winnipeg
18. While raising three children, she
kept up her literary interests. When she
berated the editor at the Manitoba (now
Winnipeg) Free Press for not covering the
literary recital of a woman she thought
to be very talented, he responded by
suggesting she write her own report.
For more than 30 years, Parker penned
weekly and later daily “causeries” on
books and authors – becoming Canada’s
only literary critic to write a daily column.
“She spoke her mind, she stood by
her opinions,” Schwartz said, adding,
“Interestingly, it’s hard to find anything
written about her husband.”
Suffering from recurring poor health,
in 1904 Parker moved to Banff to reap
Mountain Photography Workshop
with award winning photographer Richard Berry
Discover new skills to improve your mountain and
landscape photography. This weekend workshop,
during the peak of fall colours, concentrates on
improving composition and technical skills through
lectures, field trips and by reviewing photographs
taken during the course. Breakfasts & lunches included.
September 22 (eve) to 24, 2006 at the Alpine Club of
Canada Clubhouse, Canmore. Only 8 places available.
Cost $325
For more information visit:
www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca/publications/workshop
14 Alpine Club of Canada
●
Gazette
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SUMMER 2006
PHOTO BY
DARCY FINLEY
the benefits of its sulphur springs. Back
in Winnipeg a year later, she became one
of the first people in the country to write
about mountain life. When her editor
passed her a letter written by respected
surveyor and mountaineer, A.O. Wheeler,
whose book The Selkirk Range she had
recently reviewed, Parker read with
interest. After campaigning fruitlessly
for some time to form a Canadian alpine
club, Wheeler was seeking opinions on
Canada becoming a branch of the newly
formed American Alpine Club.
Enraged, Parker challenged
Canadians to overcome their apathy and
express their national pride by creating
their own alpine club. After ongoing
correspondence, Parker, who wrote using
pseudonyms that concealed her gender,
revealed her female sex to Wheeler. At
a time when no other alpine club in the
world welcomed women members, when
the Alpine Club of Canada formed in
1906 it not only welcomed women as full
members, co-founder Parker was elected
its first Secretary.
Creating a solo show presented
challenges, Schwartz said, for which
she appreciated her past experiences,
including Edmonton’s popular Fringe
Festival, where she had been stage
manager, director, mask, puppet and
prop maker. For vital feedback however,
Schwartz turned to dramaturge and
director Heather Inglis, with whom she
worked on previous WHIT productions.
“It’s really important to have outside
input,” Schwartz said. “Others might see
things you totally missed.
Among many valuable questions,
Inglis asked Schwartz why
mountaineering was so important to
Canada as a nation.
“She (Parker) was a visionary,”
Schwartz said. “The answer Parker gives
is that we (Canadians) have to be able to
establish an independent organization
for the exploration and promotion of our
sovereign lands.”
A hiker, scrambler and sport climber,
Schwartz said researching the play taught
her not only about Parker and Canada’s
mountain heritage, but also about
Canada’s alpine club.
“I discovered the Club never has been
and never will be an elite organization,”
she said. “There are other aspects to it, it’s
not just about racing up peaks, but about
artistic and cultural and scientific pursuits
too.”
At Winnipeg’s Fort Garry Hotel,
Schwartz debuted her play, bringing
Parker to life with elegance, humour and
spunk before 160 diners who rose in a
spontaneous ovation after – with a tear in
her eye – she delivered her closing line.
“Your mother is very proud.”
Reprinted with permission from the
Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Rain. It gives life.
It brings new growth. It cleanses the soul.
But if you’re not prepared for the rain, it can test your tolerance.
The PreCip Jacket by Marmot. The Rain Stops Here™.
Beth Rodden between climbs in Lofoten, Norway | Photo Ace Kvale | marmot.com
Membership
Committee struck
B O R N P R O F E S S I O N A L LY
A
t the Spring Board Meeting
that took place in Winnipeg in
March, the Club formed a new
committee that will examine and analyze
all issues relating to Club membership.
For example, statistics show that overall
membership has declined somewhat
in the past few years – a situation the
Committee hopes to remedy.
The new Membership Committee,
comprised of Peter Muir, Rob Brusse,
Murray Levine and Bruce Keith, will be
chaired by David Toole, and will report
its findings, with recommended actions,
to the Executive Committee and Board
of Directors.
Alpine Club of Canada
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Gazette
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SUMMER 2006
15
North Face Course brought snow, taught lessons
STORY AND PHOTO BY
MARK KOLASINSKI
T
he big story at this year’s ACC
North Face Course at Golden
Alpine Holidays was SNOW.
One hundred and thirty centimetres fell
over the course of the week. The winter of
2006 started off slowly, so all of us were
just delighted to see tons of the fluffy
white stuff soon after we arrived at GAH.
Vista Lodge turned out to be a
very fine venue for this course. The
area around the lodge offered a variety
of terrain that was well suited for our
learning experience in any kind of
weather or snow conditions. Right near
the lodge we skied gentle meadows and
glades. Not too far away, we had some
great steep tree shots to ski. A short tour
up from Vista Lodge brought us into an
endless selection of high alpine terrain.
The lodge itself was warm,
comfortable and really charming.
Everyone was pleased with the spacious
design, the sauna and the casual
atmosphere. Our host, Brad Harrison,
was a workhorse. His main interest
during the week seemed to be taking
over everyone’s camp chores. Laura, our
cook, was able to ski hard each day and
she still managed to whip up some of
the greatest backcountry feasts we had
ever seen. We even had a couple of fine
troubadours, Cyril Shokoples and Wayne
Giles, for evening entertainment. Then
there was Peter Amann’s endless supply
of unbelievably dry humor. We skied all
day and listened to lectures into the night,
but there was still time to enjoy the great
lodge and make new friends.
We also got time to wallow in some
of the best powder skiing of the entire
winter. Carefree runs in hip-deep powder;
what could possibly be better? This didn’t
last too long. Our coaches reminded us:
leadership requires sacrifice. We were
not there on a subsidized powder skiing
vacation; we were there to hone our skills.
Skiing trees in great powder snow is
fine, but that’s not how you learn to lead
groups on winter adventures. We were
off to the wind-blown alpine to practice
whiteout navigation and crevasse rescue
drills.
Our guides and mentors Peter, Cyril
and Brad, led us through some interesting
challenges. To help develop our abilities
to lead winter trips we learned about
snow science, route finding, electronic
communications, helicopter travel, trip
planning, using a map, compass and GPS,
companion rescue practice and much
more. We were amazed at the quality and
quantity of lessons presented to us. There
was really a lot of thought and effort put
into planning these sessions. The result
was a week that was
totally packed with
learning.
Margriet Berkhout and
companions practice short
roping on Vista Peak
Glacier Circle Cabin Restoration
T
he Friends of Mount Revelstoke and Glacier, with Parks Canada are
restoring/ rehabilitating the Glacier Circle Cabin in Glacier National Park
during the 2006 summer. Volunteers, particularly those with experience
in masonry, carpentry or log building, are needed to work for one-week periods
between July 8 and 29 under the direction of the log contractor, Dan Strand (Fay Hut
contractor). Meals and campsite will be supplied. Saturday to Saturday commitment
required. For more info please contact Maureen Weddell at 250-837-2010 or e-mail
[email protected]
16 Alpine Club of Canada
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Gazette
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SUMMER 2006
Halfway through the week, enough
snow had fallen. Then maybe a bit too
much. We witnessed spectacular avalanche
activity as the snow stability rating went
from being pretty good to downright
unpleasant. It was an interesting
challenge to find safe routes to travel and
play in when conditions were not ideal.
All of a sudden the snow profiles and
terrain assessment discussions, we were
devoting so much time and effort to,
became much less theoretical.
Mountains can be forbidding and
bleak places, especially in big storms.
Humans do poorly in this environment
without our craftiness and contrivances.
Gortex® and fleece, GPS, radios, and
all our other gadgets, along with skill at
using these things, keep us warm, safe
and happy in a hostile land. Even more
important than our craft is the challenge
of getting a group of people to work
together in this environment, which is
what Cyril, Peter and Brad accomplished
when they brought us together to develop
these skills.
We were a group of people with
diverse backgrounds and interests
– a microcosm of the ACC. Some
were serious mountaineers and some
weekend warriors, with everyone else
falling somewhere in between. We had
schoolteachers, engineers, biologists,
students, realtors, a photographer, some
computer geeks and even a masseuse.
The only real cement holding this group
together was that we all have a love for
these great mountains, and a common
interest to share our knowledge and skills
with others.
On this 100-year anniversary of
the ACC it is important to remind
ourselves of the vital role that volunteer
leaders play in this organization. For
100 years the ACC has done a great job
introducing people from all walks of life
to mountaineering adventures. Thank you
Peter, Cyril and Brad for helping us to
carry on with this tradition.
Participants were Alan Fortune,
Katerina Mervart, Margriet Berkhout,
Marc Harden, Mark Kolasinski, Chris
Argue, Ray Norman, Wayne Giles,
Elisabeth Dupuis and Gary Shorthouse.
Mark Kolasinski is a member of the
Jasper-Hinton Section.
Eastern climbers discover ‘flow’
BY WILL
L
RICHARDSON-LITTLE
ooking at the wet, moss covered
slab I doubted that anyone of us
would end the day with a smile
on our face. This was going to be our big
climbing day and we were staring at a
dirty, wet, choss heap. We had no flow.
Our group from Toronto, Ottawa
and the Montréal area assembled in ValDavid, Quebec for the first Alpine Club
of Canada Eastern Leadership Course
Sept. 2 to 5, 2005. As a group, we all
had one thing in common: we live too
far away from the Rockies. But luckily,
our two guides, Cyril Shokoples and
Jeremy MacKenzie had flown in from the
West to impart upon us their mountain
wisdom.
Our leadership course is likely a bit
different from the standard version out
West. We’re crag climbers over here, and
we still get excited that Bon Echo has
routes that have more than one pitch.
The majority of the technical skills
taught by Cyril and Jeremy focused
around trad climbing in groups and on
multi-pitch routes. We reviewed anchor
building, learned new rappel techniques
and practiced the ‘monster’ munter while
drying off after a mid-afternoon storm.
We also worked on new ways to improve
our belay and rappel station management.
But more than just new rope systems, we
tried to learn something from each other
and about how each of our Club sections
work.
While we worked on these ‘hard’
skills, Cyril spoke of the feeling that
comes with everything about a climb
going smoothly: the belays, the gear, the
climb, the descent. He called it ‘flow’. I
call it ‘not having an epic’, but that was
part of the lesson of the course: how to
find that flow.
That damp Saturday morning soon
turned in our favour. The sun came out
and dried the rock. By mid-afternoon we
were scattered in teams of two along one
of the many cliffs of Montagne Argent.
The mossy slabs were forgotten and
many of us were pushing our limits with
PHOTO BY
NORBERT CYR
partners we’d met only three days before.
Was this the flow Cyril had been talking
about? Definitely, and it’s what we will
all take back to our sections, keen to lead
next year’s trips.
We were all grateful that Cyril and
Jeremy were able to travel all the way
across the country to lead the course. As
well, we’d like to thank participant/camp
manager Calvin Klatt for sorting out the
logistics. Thanks as well to ACC National
for expanding the leadership program to
the East.
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Alpine Club of Canada
●
Gazette
●
SUMMER 2006
17
Retiring manager built huts and memories
BY
DAN VERRALL
A
s I count down my remaining
days as an Alpine Club of
Canada employee, I wish to
acknowledge the many people who have
made my connection with the ACC so
memorable. My long-term association
with the Club extends much further back
than 1984, when I began my current job.
When I was about 12, my father
was Calgary Section Chair. We had the
pleasure of hosting guest speaker Dr.
Thomas Hornbein, who the previous
year had made the first ascent of the
West Ridge of Mount Everest with
Willi Unsoeld. I was awestruck by his
presentation. His presence also brought
myth and reality together for me,
inspiring me to see the activity that took
my father away from us most weekends
from a much different perspective. I
began meeting Dad’s mountain family,
including Jim Tarrant, Bob and Marj
Hind, Richard and Louise Guy, Bruce
and Marg Fraser, and many others I
am fortunate to see every year at the
Mountain Guides’ Ball.
After high school I attended
university in Winnipeg for three years.
Summers were spent back in the
mountains where, with friends, I had
many incredible adventures exploring
amazing places and developing the selfconfidence of living in the mountain
world. In 1974, I migrated to Banff.
Soon afterwards I made my first working
connection with the ACC. The National
From left: Brian, Bryul and Jerry Colgan shortly
after the Neil Colgan Hut was completed
PHOTO BY DAN VERRALL
18 Alpine Club of Canada
●
Gazette
●
SUMMER 2006
Office sat in a small converted
apartment on the top floor of
Banff ’s White Block. There,
dedicated Club ambassadors
Ev Moorhouse and Judy
Linkletter ran the fledgling
operation. I soon filled in as
stamp licker, gestetner crank
turner and office renovator
(I almost lost the job after
I painted the wooden toilet
seat bright red). For a short
while I also worked at the new
Canmore Clubhouse, helping
then custodian Ed Adams and
later Denis de Montigny who
Dan Verrall commuting to work
PHOTO BY MATT BOEKEL
ran the Clubhouse for over a
decade. Denis was loved by
some and almost feared by
au Canada” as former ACC employee
others. I luckily was on his good side and
Claude Lauzon called it. Being part of all
enjoyed my time there.
these amazing transitions over the years
Living in Banff for 10 years, immersed
has been incredibly rewarding.
in climbing, skiing, kayaking and
I met my wife Val in the early 80s,
travelling, I also managed to become a
and our daughter Jasmine was born in
journeyman electrician. I participated in
1984. Our young family was searching
Banff (now Rocky Mountain) Section
for a home and after visiting the Yukon
socials, climbing trips and ski touring
we returned to Banff where I was jobless
camps. I worked as cook and helper at a
for a time. While hiking with our good
few ACC ski camps. At one camp I met
friends Patsy and Jim Murphy, I was
current Club President Cam Roe and his
offered the job of replacing Denis as
father Dick. Cam was 16 and, like me,
Clubhouse Manager. Jim, as Clubhouse
had a full head of hair back then.
Committee Chair, was assigned to
Through the 1980s, spurred by Peter
financially turn around the failing
Fuhrmann, the Club started building
operation, and gave me the opportunity
huts. I was one of many volunteers
to help out. Val, Jasmine and I moved
who helped construct the Neil Colgan
into the tiny Clubhouse suite. Silene was
Memorial Hut under the direction of
born in 1986 and this unique place was
Eric Lomas and Bernie Schiesser. The
home for nine years.
Colgan family had donated funds in
With the support of Jim, Eric,
memory of Neil who was killed while
Bernie, Peter and George Stefanick, we
on duty as a backcountry warden.
improved and expanded the Clubhouse
Neil was a very close friend of
facilities. Use increased and we succeeded
mine so this place still has a special
financially. However, the best part for
significance for me.
me was that many of our guests became
With Eric, Bernie and Peter,
good friends. Our home was in this
I also helped build the Peter and
wonderfully remote environment, Grotto
Catharine Whyte, the Freshfields
Mountain being our backyard. We all
(or Lloyd MacKay), and Scott
have great memories of this time.
Duncan Huts.
In 1990, my job expanded to looking
Many years later, one of my most
after maintenance of all facilities, and
rewarding hut building experiences
we soon moved to our own house in
came via the resurrection of the
Canmore. Our Clubhouse apartment
original Fay Hut. Within a week,
became the National Office – with my
the hut evolved from a derelict, pack
office now being in the girls’ old bedroom.
rat infested and rotting structure to
The next 15 years were full and
a comfortable and warm “cabane
challenging, my involvement being
with an ever expanding Clubhouse and
a growing and improving hut system,
thanks to the constant efforts of Mike
Mortimer, Carl Hannigan, Mal Talbot,
John Harrop, Bruce Hardardt and
many others. I could fill pages with the
names of those who’ve made my time
with the ACC so memorable. I have
been fortunate to feel a sense of great
accomplishment working in a cheerful,
positive and supportive environment
among terrific co-workers. The staff I
have had the great pleasure to work with
over the years have been the best, and I
will miss my constant contact with them
most of all!
I am now looking forward to simply
becoming an involved Club member
again, and to meeting many of you on the
trails, in the huts or perhaps at my new
endeavour, Talus Lodge, which will be the
next chapter of this story.
Adios amigos!
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Alpine Club of Canada
●
Gazette
●
SUMMER 2006
19
Rockies legend recorded in Japanese school texts
BY LYNN
MARTEL
I
t’s a bon-a-fide Canadian Rockies
legend – in Japanese.
In 1925 a team of six Japanese
climbers came to the Rockies with their
sights set on 3619-metre Mount Alberta
– the last unclimbed major Canadian
Rockies peak. With the help of Swiss
guides Hans Fuhrer and Hans Kohler
and adventurer Jean Weber, and led by
famed Japanese climber Yuko Maki, they
succeeded in being the first to stand on
that mountain’s long, narrow, abundantly
corniced and highly exposed summit
ridge.
On their descent, the climbers
plunged an ice axe into broken rock
below the summit as evidence of their
accomplishment. Over the ensuing
decades the story evolved, claiming the
ice axe had been a gift from the Japanese
Emperor and was crafted of solid silver.
Now, junior high school students
throughout Japan will learn the legend of
Mount Alberta and the silver ice axe as
part of their history curriculum. Two full
pages in a new textbook tell the story that
has developed over the decades since the
first ascent.
The textbook, said Bob Sandford,
Alpine Club of Canada VP Mountain
Culture, is the result of the Japanese
Alpine Club’s high standing in Japanese
society.
“Many of the
members of the
Japanese Alpine
Club work at very
senior levels of
government and
other sectors,”
Sandford said.
In the decades
following the
first ascent, the
relationship between
the ACC and the
JAC has flourished,
and the legend of
Mount Alberta
has become a part
of both countries’
history.
When two American climbers made
the mountain’s second ascent in 1948,
they found the axe and attempting to
wrench it from the rocks they snapped
the very ordinary wood and steel axe
in half. Back home, they presented the
shaft to the American Alpine Club in
New York. Half a century later, Jasper
Park Warden Greg Horne negotiated its
return to Jasper, where both pieces are
now joined in a permanent exhibit at the
Jasper-Yellowhead Museum.
The head of the axe was retrieved
from the mountain in 1965, when 19
Miles D. O’Reilly, Toronto, ON
Alan Reynolds, North Vancouver, BC
Trevor Sewell, Winnipeg, MB
Earle Whipple, Barcelona
HERITAGE CLUB
Phil Dowling, Mill Bay, BC
Eleanor Halton, Calgary, AB
David Fisher, Sidney, BC
Phyllis Light, Surrey, BC
✦
50 years
✦
HERITAGE CLUB
HERITAGE CLUB
✦
E
very year, the Alpine Club of Canada celebrates those members who
have been with the Club for 25, 35 and 50 years. The Club recognizes
these members with a special lapel pin, with the 25 and 35-year
members receiving an attractive certificate suitable for framing and the 50year members receiving a handsome wall plaque.
Thirty-six members reached the 25-year milestone in 2006, 19 members
reached the 35-year milestone and eight members reached their 50-year
milestone. Congratulations to everyone, and especially to all of those named
below – you are in very esteemed company!
✦
HERITAGE CLUB
Heritage Club milestones
HERITAGE CLUB
HERITAGE CLUB
✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦
✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦ HERITAGE CLUB ✦
20 Alpine Club of Canada
●
Gazette
●
SUMMER 2006
climbers from the Nagano High School
Old Boys Alpine Club in Japan made
the mountain’s fifth ascent, and took the
lower half home with them.
In 1997, the two halves were restored
in Tokyo before the Prime Minister
and Crown Prince of Japan and 800
Japanese mountaineers. The pieces fit
perfectly. In 1999, the two halves were
reunited again at a ceremony marking the
centennial of the Nagano High School
Mountaineering Club.
To restore the axe at its permanent
resting place in Jasper, the ACC hosted a
delegation of over 75 JAC members who
came to the Rockies in 2000, including
two of the 1965 expedition participants.
They spent a week hiking and climbing
in the Rockies and the Selkirks, while
a team of three Canadian and three
Japanese climbers who hoped to make a
commemorative climb of Mount Alberta
were stymied by poor conditions.
“The story has been very highly
profiled in Japan,” Sandford said.
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.
“The legend becomes story, the story
becomes literature and the literature
becomes history. What it really shows
is shared mountain heritage endures
intergenerationally between nations, and
is a foundation of goodwill long after
events like Mount Alberta and the 75th
anniversary celebrations.”
Sandford was presented an advanced
copy of the textbook by several JAC
members, in the Rockies for their
annual spring ski trip. Thirteen Japanese
mountaineers, including Kenichi Hara,
1965 expedition member and participant
of the 75th anniversary events, explored
the Wapta Icefields and Rogers Pass in
BC’s Glacier National Park for 10 days in
March with local guides Derek Holtved,
Doug Latimer, Felix Camire and Satch
Masuda.
“We truly enjoyed the Wapta traverse
and Rogers Pass skiing,” said Jinji
Horikoshi, the group’s tour manager at a
farewell barbecue at the ACC Canmore
Clubhouse.
“We will tell our friends in Japan
about Alpine Club’s good organization
of ski trips and backcountry huts. I’m
convinced this tour will further the
relationship of the Alpine Club of
Canada and the Japanese Alpine Club,
initiated by Yuko Maki in 1925 and
further grown by the 2000 Mount
Alberta celebrations.”
Reprinted with permission from the
Rocky Mountain Outlook.
Join us for a Mountain Adventure
You Won’t Forget!
photo by Len Wade
There are still a few spaces left
on some of the ACC’s summer
mountaineering camps.
There are camps for all levels of
experience – whether you are strapping
on your crampons for the first time, or have
been adventuring in the mountains for many years.
Call Jon Rollins at (403) 678-3200 ext. 112 or visit:
www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca/activities
photo by Peter Amann
Mounts Tsar & Clemenceau Climbing Camp
Date: July 21 (eve) - 29
Cost: $1995+GST
Bow Valley Rock Review
Date: June 29 (eve) - July 3 Cost: $995+GST
Peak Weekend - Athabasca & Andromeda
Date: August 3 (eve) - 7
Cost: $895+GST
First Summits - Summer Mountaineering
Date: June 29 (eve) - July 3
Cost: $850+GST
Marmot Women’s Centennial Mountaineering Camp
Date: July 9 - 14
Cost: $995+GST
Fryatt Valley Climbing Camp
Date: August 5 (eve) - 12
Cost: $1795+GST
Jumbo Glacier Climbing Camp
Date: August 11 (eve) - 19
Cost: $1695+GST
Rockies Panorama
Date: July 15 (eve) - 22
Cost: $1450+GST
Yoho Valley Centennial Camp
Date: July 16 - 22
Cost: $1350+GST
Dogtooth Traverse Camp
Date: August 19 - 26
Cost: $1395+GST
55+ Trekking and Climbing Camp
Date: August 20 (eve) - 27
Cost: $1495+GST
National Volunteer Awards
CLASSIFIED ADS
C
ACC CUSTOM PORTERING SERVICES
ongratulations to the following dedicated volunteers who were
recognized for their outstanding contributions to the National and/or
Section levels of the Alpine Club of Canada in 2005. Biographies of
the award recipients’ accomplishments can be found on the ACC’s website at
www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca/awards/recent.html
Distinguished Service Award
Nikki Hipkin, Saskatchewan Section
Deny Gravel, Saint-Boniface Section
Bruce Hardardt, Calgary and Rocky
Mountain Sections
Honorary Member
Mike Mortimer, Calgary Section
Eric Lomas, Rocky Mountain Section
Don Forest Service Award
Anne Anderson, Edmonton Section
David Foster, Ottawa Section
Martyne Laliberté, St-Boniface Section
Eric Lepage, Montréal Section
Heike Pauli, Unaffiliated
Mike Rogers, Montréal Section
Wayne Vibert, Edmonton Section
Don Wighton, Montréal Section
Many thanks to the members of the Awards Committee for their commitment
to this endeavour: Paul Geddes (Chair), Dave McCormick, Gerta Smythe, Mike
Thompson, Tom Haslam-Jones and Rod Plasman.
David Toole receives A.O.
Wheeler Award
BY
MURRAY LEVINE
I
have known Dave for as long as
we both have been members of the
Alpine Club of Canada – over 20
years.
I have been on many, many outings
with him and have always been impressed
with his vast knowledge of the outdoors.
I'm always comfortable being with him
because he is a confident person. I learned
a great deal from him about leadership as
his confidence has rubbed off on me.
Dave has always been interested in
my well-being. I recall a winter hike with
Murray Levine and David Toole
Dave and another super-fit mountaineer.
We were doing a traverse of 22 or so kilometres with about 1600 metres of ascent.
While I was in good enough shape to be able to run a marathon, the other two were
in even better shape. I was slowing them down and after an hour or so I volunteered
to turn back. Dave asked me if I could keep up my present pace for the whole day and
I replied, “Yes”. We finished together – in the dark!
Dave has excellent judgment, and I believe that his excellent judgement as a
mountaineer and as an Executive of the ACC has benefited those who he has gone on
outings with and without a doubt has benefited the ACC as an organization as well.
When someone is always there to help, we tend to take them for granted.
Dave has been there, helping the ACC in numerous ways for over two decades. As
Secretary, then Chair of the Montréal Section, as VP Services, Secretary, Treasurer, as
President of the National organization and as a trip leader, his outstanding record of
accomplishment speaks for itself. This is why I was proud to nominate Dave for the
A.O. Wheeler Award and was thrilled to be in attendance when he was presented the
award in Winnipeg at the Centennial Gala.
P.S. Dave is the tall guy!
Murray Levine is the Montréal Section Chair.
22 Alpine Club of Canada
●
Gazette
●
SUMMER 2006
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 the Mountain Adventures
Coordinator, Jon Rollins, for details
at (403) 678-3200 ext. 112 or e-mail
[email protected]
NOTICES
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Alpine Club of Canada’s AGM
will take place at Glacier Park Lodge
in Rogers Pass BC, Saturday July 15,
starting at 1 p.m.
ELK LAKES CABIN
SUMMER CUSTODIANS
We are currently seeking volunteer
custodians for the Elk Lakes Cabin
from the first week of July through
the first week of September. If you’re
interested in visiting beautiful nearby
Kananaskis Country in the Canadian
Rockies and would like to help out
with custodial duties in exchange
for accommodation, please contact
Carole Perkins at the National Office
at (403) 678-3200 ext. 104 or at
[email protected]
VOLUNTEER ARCHIVIST NEEDED
We are seeking a dedicated volunteer
in the Bow Valley area to work with
the Mountain Culture Committee to
maintain Club records of enduring
value at the Whyte Museum of the
Canadian Rockies. If interested, please
contact Bob Sandford, VP Mountain
Culture at [email protected]
EBULLETIN
Sign up for the ACC NewsNet and
receive current event updates via e-mail.
Subscribe by sending an e-mail to
[email protected]
CLASSIFIED AD RATES:
$20 plus $1 per word + GST
E-mail your ad to:
[email protected]
or mail to the address on page 3.
National Office news
BY
BRUCE KEITH
T
o say that change has been the order of the day in the National Office over the
past six months would be putting it mildly! We have said good-bye to several
valued staff members, and have in turn welcomed many new ones.
The departures include Audrey
Wheeler, Nancy Hansen, Paula Zettel,
Josée Larochelle, Sam Holinski-Mozak,
Lori Stevenson, Sarah Jeffrey, Lisa
Costain, Gayle Buckle, and Ryan Mazur.
I thank each of them for their service to
the Club and wish them well in their new
endeavours. And, as announced elsewhere
in this Gazette, Dan Verrall, our longtime Facilities Maintenance Manager,
will step down at the end of June after
22 years of valuable service to the Club.
Good luck Dan and thanks for reminding
us what the phrase “dedicated employee”
really means!
Our new staff members include Sandy
Walker (Director, Club Services – a new
full-time position replacing the previous
part-time positions held by Audrey and
Nancy), and John Derick (Facilities
Maintenance Manager, taking over from
Dan). We are fortunate they were both
ACC Section Chairs immediately before
joining us (Sandy from Calgary and John
from Rocky Mountain) – so they possess
a wealth of knowledge about the Club.
Other new staff members are Nathalie
Turgeon (Office Manager/Membership
Coordinator), Cayley Breeze
(Administrative Assistant), Mark Louie
and Elinor Fish (Clubhouse Front Desk),
and Darren Enderwick and Micheline
Charette in Facilities Maintenance. In
addition, Mel Young has become our
Front Desk Supervisor.
While these significant changes over a relatively short period have definitely
presented challenges, the entire staff is a strong team working hard to meet the needs of
our members and of our clients. I am confident they will exceed your expectations!
If you are interested in how the National Office staff is organized and how each
position relates to the Club’s key volunteers and governance structure, visit:
www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca/nationaloffice and click on the Organization Chart PDF.
Bruce Keith is ACC Executive Director.
Volunteer needed
The Huts Committee is looking
for a skilled volunteer with experience
in bronze casting to assist
in creating plaques
such as this five inch
crest, for the Club’s
backcountry huts. If
you may be able to help,
please contact Malcolm
Talbot, Huts Committee Chair, at
[email protected]
alpinehuts.ca
ACC Life Membership Policy
BY
BRUCE KEITH
H
as an Alpine Club of Canada
member ever told you, “I’m an
ACC life member”? Did you
wonder how they became a life member?
In the good old days, the Club used
to sell Life Memberships, but that was
discontinued when it was realized the
program was not economically viable
– a Life Membership sold to a hardy
20-something mountaineer could go
on almost forever! Nowadays members
earn their Life Membership by meeting
eligibility criteria and then applying to
the National Office.
To become a Life Member, you must
have been a member for at least the past
25 continuous years (no breaks in your
membership during the period) AND
you must be at least 65 years old. Also,
Life Memberships are granted on an
individual basis, and do not transfer to
spouses or family members.
Life Members enjoy a complimentary
membership, no-charge subscription to
the Canadian Alpine Journal and the
lowest ACC hut fees available. As well,
they receive a Life Membership lapel pin,
attractively designed by Eric Lomas of
Exshaw, Alberta. Eric is a Life Member
and is still a very active volunteer at
both the National and Rocky Mountain
Section levels.
If you think you qualify for Life
Membership, send an e-mail, fax or note
to the National Office (c/o the Executive
Director, address on page 3), stating your
interest in the designation, your current
age, when you first joined the Club and
whether or not you have been a member
on a continuous basis for at least the past
25 years.
Membership has its rewards!
Alpine Club of Canada
●
Gazette
●
SUMMER 2006
23
Centennial Fund Campaign 2004 – 2006
I
n the fall of 2005, we reported to you that the Facilities Committee was ready to focus its attention
towards the replacement of the ageing Toronto Section Cabin on the Clubhouse property in
Canmore. Through generous contributions from the Boswell family in memory of former Club
manager, Pat Boswell, and with further assistance from the Toronto Section of the Club, the Alberta
Community Initiatives Program and dozens of member donations, we can now report that the Pat
Boswell (Toronto Section) Cabin will be ready for its first visitors this July. Situated just beyond the
Bell Cabin on the Club’s Canmore property, this beautiful new facility offers a third and completely
unique option for accommodation at your Clubhouse. This self-contained cabin caters specifically
to families and small groups boasting a removable partitioning wall that separates two identical
units. Each side of the cabin can sleep four people in two private rooms on the upper floor. Open
the doorways in between, and you may have the whole cabin for as many as eight people! If you’re
visiting Canmore this summer, be sure to ask about the new Pat Boswell (Toronto Section) Cabin.
For more info, go to: www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca/facility/boswell.html.
The Centennial Gazette with its historic content and archival photos was well received and
widely applauded as a success. It was more than twice the size of the regular Gazettes and took
the contributions of many more volunteers as well as extra resources to produce. This Centennial
Mountain Culture project received significant financial assistance from the Alberta Historical
Resources Foundation and its Heritage Preservation Partnership Program.
Much of the Club’s fundraising attention is now focused on a true “legacy” project: the
digitization of all issues of the Canadian Alpine Journal (CAJ) since it was first published in 1907.
The painstaking work on this project is now in progress and the results will be packaged on a
searchable DVD, available later this year. Have a climb in mind and want to read all the CAJ articles
ever written on the subject? Click! Want to see all the CAJ articles ever written by or about a
particular person? Click! This DVD will be in great demand.
I
f you are in a position to help with a donation – large or small – to this history-making project
or to the many other worthwhile ACC Centennial initiatives, please use the form below. Help the
Club hit its $1 million goal!
Canadian donors:
American donors:
The Alpine Club of Canada is a Registered Charitable
Organization and will send you a donation tax receipt. Your
donation will allow the Club to undertake projects that it
could not fund from internal sources.
The ACC Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) corporation,
whose purposes mirror those of the Alpine Club of Canada.
Donations will be put to work in the manner stipulated by
the donor, and a U.S. tax receipt will be issued.
Please mail the completed form to:
Please mail the completed form to:
Alpine Club of Canada
P.O. Box 8040
Canmore, AB Canada T1W 2T8
I will help
YES!
Over halfway to our Centennial goal!
ACC Foundation
6174 E Borley Rd
Coeur d Alene, ID 83814 USA
❏ I would like to contribute to the Centennial Fund ❏ Please use my donation where it is most needed.
❏ Please use my donation to support the Canadian Alpine Journal DVD.
❏ I would rather donate to another Alpine Club of Canada fund:
Donation Amount:
❏ Mountain Culture
❏ Environment
❏ Library
❏ Clubhouse / Huts
❏ Leadership Development
Name:
Membership #
I prefer to donate by:
❏ I wish to remain anonymous
❏ Cheque enclosed
Mailing / Street Address:
City:
$______
❏ MasterCard
❏ VISA
. Credit Card #
Province:
Home Phone:
Business Phone:
Expiry Date: .
/
Postal Code:
E-mail Address:
charitable registration no. 
 rr
Signature:
Thank you for your support of these worthwhile projects.