Nahanni révèle une beauté inexplorée Nahanni reveals unexplored

Transcription

Vol. 30, No. 2
Summer | été 2015
The Alpine Club of Canada | le Club Alpin du Canada
Nahanni révèle une beauté inexplorée
Nahanni reveals unexplored beauty
pages 6 - 9
publications mail
# 40009034
To bring together, and give voice to, Canada’s mountaineering community. | Tous ensemble, bien représenter et faire apprécier la communauté canadienne des amateurs de montagne.
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Box 8040, Canmore, AB
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Phone: (403) 678‑3200
Fax: (403) 678‑3224
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Board of Directors
Gordon Currie President
Isabelle Daigneault Secretary
Neil Bosch Treasurer
Wayne Campbell VP Access/Environment
Frank Spears VP Activities
Jim Gudjonson VP Facilities
Zac Robinson VP Mountain Culture
Sandy Walker VP Sections
David Foster VP Services & Athletics
David Toole Honorary President
Lawrence White Executive Director
Publication
Lynn Martel Gazette Editor
Suzan Chamney Layout & Production
Jean-Philippe Gravel Translator
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Gazette Editor at [email protected]
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by request. Please direct advertising inquiries to
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What’s Inside...
Adventures
6
8
12
22
24
28
29
Nahanni révèle une beauté
inexplorée
Traversée de Charlevoix a
breathtaking adventure
Clean granite, sparkling tarns
First encounters with ice
TuGo™ offre une couverture
d’hélicoptère
TuGo™ Travel Insurance covers
helicopter
Members
4
5
14
14
25
ACC Grants awarded in 2015
Heritage Club
National Volunteer Awards
Prix nationaux pour bénévoles
Community bids farewell to
Honorary Member
27 ACC Board of Directors elections
Athletics
26 Profile: Elise Sethna
Publications
15 The Bookpack
19 The 2015 Canadian Alpine Journal
Huts
11 We’ve reached the summit!
Community
4
5
10
14
15
18
19
20
30
30
What’s Outside...
facebook.com/alpineclubofcanada
twitter.com/alpineclubcan
Short Rope
Conference draws mountain
experts, enthusiasts
The ACC community gives back
Route Finding
Recherche d’itinéraire
Wolverine Watch a valued success
Robson Gmoser remembered
L’initiative Wolverine Watch: un
succès précieux
Open Air
Classified ads and notices
Cover photo: P
eter Knamiller relaxes in the evening sun at
Milk & Honey camp.
Peter Knamiller se détend sous le soleil du soir dans le
« Camp de lait et de miel ».
Left: The Guardsmen and Citadel tower high above Lonely
Lake.
À gauche: Les monts Guardsmen et Citadel dominent
Lonely Lake.
Photos: Marko Marjanovic. Article: pages 6 - 9.
Corporate Partners
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and the advertisers in this Gazette the next time you purchase goods or services of the type they offer.
Corporate Sponsors
Corporate Members
Backcountry Access
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CPAWS
Patagonia
Explore Magazine
Patagonia Banff & Calgary
Five Ten
Petzl
Forty Below
Rocky Mountain Books
Golden Alpine Holidays
Sterling Rope
Gripped
Yamnuska
Helly Hansen
Zaui Software
Hi-Tec Sports Canada
Club alpin du Canada
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Gazette
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été
2015 3
ACC Grants awarded in 2015
T
he Alpine Club of Canada is pleased to award more than $16,185 in grants this
year to a number of worthy mountain-related projects.
The Environment Grant awarded $5,000 to the ACC Okanagan Section to sup‑
port a low elevation trail network along the south slopes of Kelowna. This network
will include regional and provincial parks and crown land.
Lynn enjoys her other passion at Stanley Mitchell
Hut during a ski trip to the Little Yoho Valley.
hoto: Lynn Martel
p
Short Rope
by Lynn
A
Martel
s members of the global moun‑
tain community, I can’t imagine
that any Alpine Club of Canada
members, even those who have never
visited Nepal, were not affected by the
news of the earthquakes that tore apart
and crushed so many homes and busi‑
nesses and lives.
If anything, I would imagine such
natural disasters remind us all, first, of the
frailty of life and the spectacular power of
nature, and second, of the exceptionally
fortunate, privileged lives we enjoy in the
western world. We have the luxury of
climbing, hiking and skiing in beautiful
mountains, just for fun.
We are not only educated people who
travel, we also have the advantage—and
the responsibility—of being educated
travellers. People with choices. The pages
of this Gazette issue, and many previous
issues, attest to numerous adventures
where we’ve made responsible choices.
The vast majority of Nepalis have few
choices. Among the lucky at this time are
those who have food to eat, clean water
to drink and a safe place to sleep with the
family members they still have.
I’ve never met anyone who has
trekked through remote Himalayan
villages where they were welcomed with
the most gracious hospitality, who has not
spoken with sincerity about the beauty
of the people’s smiles. Without fail, I’ve
heard many praising the people and what
Frances Klatzel referred to in the title
of her book, as the Sherpas’ indomitable
“Gaiety of Spirit”.
So, as educated travellers with an
affinity for mountain places and cultures,
4 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette
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Summer 2015
The Jen Higgins Grant assists young women pursue their adventure dreams.
This year a combined total of $8690 will help:
1. Heather Mosher to explore Tombstone Territorial Park on skis.
2. Michelle Brazier to go ski touring in the Walker Arm and Sam Ford Fjord
areas of Baffin Island.
3. Soleil Onoya on an all women’s self-propelled trip involving a high altitude
ascent of Aconcagua via the Polish Glacier route.
4. Regan Kohlhardt to circumnavigate Mount Waddington on skis.
The Jim Colpitts Memorial Scholarship assists young people in pursuit of
mountain-related training courses such as avalanche training, wilderness first aid,
rock/crevasse rescue, mountain leadership training and ACMG training. This year’s
fund will support Jacob Dans taking an Advanced First Aid course, and Adelaide
Png with an Intro to Leading Sport course.
The Karl Nagy Memorial Scholarship is awarded to aspiring guides and ama‑
teur leaders in alternating years. The award consists of a trip to the Club’s General
Mountaineering Camp, where the recipient is able to shadow and learn from full
mountain guides. This year’s award is presented to Paul O’Brien Kelly to help hone
his leadership skills.
To learn more about ACC grants, visit www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/grants/.
what choices can we make that are in the
best interest of the people of Nepal at this
terrible time in their history?
Klatzel, a Calgary native who for
many years has made her home in
Kathmandu, and who runs a small NGO
helping Nepali women and children,
suggested people should donate to
established organizations such Doctors
Without Borders or the Red Cross.
I’ll add her own CORE International
www.core-international.org/
Through the ACC’s own fundraising
page www.alpineclubofcanada.ca
/nepal-earthquake-crisis/ more than
$15,000 was raised, which was then
matched by our federal government, to go
toward the Patan Hospital Earthquake
Disaster Fund, to support medical servi‑
ces the hospital provides to injured area
residents.
Alpine Club of Canada ambas‑
sador and long-time staff member,
Nancy Hansen, who was on Everest’s
north (Tibetan) side when the
initial earthquake happened, and
who visited some of the devastated
villages of Nepal afterward, made sim‑
ilar suggestions in her blog posts at
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/author
/Nancy/
“One of the biggest problems for
the city [Kathmandu] now is the lack
of people filling the streets and stores.
Foreign tourist numbers are down, and
apparently 500,000 Nepali people left
the city to return to their villages. The
streets are noticeably quiet. Businesses are
hurting. The beautiful Nepali people are
as kind and friendly as ever—I encourage
you to come and see them!”
And she added, “Please give gener‑
ously. These lovely mountain people will
never be able to recover without help
from the rest of the world.”
Wally Berg, a long-time Canmore
resident who has employed dozens of
Sherpas on numerous trekking and
climbing expeditions to the Himalaya,
summed it up this way:
“Go to Nepal, trek, climb, meet
people! Go for the mountains, but really,
go for the people.”
Conference draws mountain experts, enthusiasts
by Lynn
I
Martel
n May, more than 140 academics,
writers, artists, scientists, historians,
climbers, community members, and
special representatives from numerous
western Canadian First Nations gath‑
ered in Jasper, Alberta for the Thinking
Mountains 2015 conference.
Hosted by the University of Alberta’s
Canadian Mountain Studies Initiative,
the event’s delegates came from as far as
India, France, Switzerland, New Zealand,
Austria, Indonesia, the U.K., U.S., and
across Canada.
The conference speakers comprised
a highly accomplished group presenting
on a range of themes, including moun‑
tain literature, glaciology, wilderness in
mountain parks, mixed media artwork,
conservation initiatives, caving, and the
impact on mountains of war, earthquakes
and water.
Mountain areas comprise about onefifth of the world’s surface and serve
as natural water storage and delivery
systems, providing direct life support for
about 10 per cent of the Earth’s inhabit‑
ants. They act as indirect life support
for another three billion people and
inspire recreational, artistic and religious
experiences.
The event grew from the creation of
the U of A’s Canadian Mountain Studies
Initiative (CMSI), whose long-term aim
is to encourage and support interdisci‑
plinary research and learning, as well as
to engage with community members.
After the CMSI launch in 2012, the con‑
ference steering committee—comprised
of professors from the U of A’s faculties
of Arts, Science, and Physical Education
and Recreation, as well as participants
from Parks Canada and the Nakoda First
Nation—expressed a shared desire that
Thinking Mountains take place not at the
U of A campus in Edmonton, but in the
mountains.
“We were buoyed by the enthusiasm
that came out of the 2012 launch of the
Canadian Mountain Studies Initiative,”
said Zac Robinson, assistant professor of
Physical Education and Recreation, and
conference co-chair. Robinson also serves
as the ACC’s VP Mountain Culture.
“We were excited to hold the event
in Jasper, specifically, because of its rich
historic connections to Edmonton. Both
Edmonton and Jasper were fur-trade
posts, depots along the waterways for
peoples moving furs and other goods
across the country. There was a local con‑
nection there, not to mention a theme of
exchange that resonated with everyone.”
Plans are for Thinking Mountains
to occur every three years, and since it
is interdisciplinary and international in
scope, plans are for future gatherings to
take place in other mountain towns and
areas such as the Rockies’ Bow Valley,
Vancouver or Whistler in the Coast
Mountains, or Whitehorse in Yukon’s St.
Elias Mountains. Or, perhaps one day,
even in mountains outside of Canada.
With delegates from around the world
attending this year, Robinson said he and
his colleagues believe they’re onto a good
thing.
“We had all the continents repre‑
sented except Antarctica, but we had
some glaciologists who spend a lot of
time there,” Robinson said.
Keynote speaker for this year’s event
was John Geiger, CEO of the Royal
Canadian Geographic Society and author
of several books, including The Third Man
Factor and Frozen in Time.
Among several local presenters, Parks
Canada executive director of Mountain
Parks, Pat Thomsen, spoke on managing
national parks in a modern world and
the success and challenges that relate to
Canada’s parks. Jasper National Park biol‑
ogists Greg Horne and Saakje Hazenberg
presented on bats in Jasper’s mountains,
while University of Calgary researchers
Jamie Lantz and Shelley Alexander spoke
about coyotes in Alberta’s Glenbow
Ranch Provincial Park. Ojibway Elder
Jim Ochiese, a Knowledge Keeper from
Yellowhead Tribal College, led a medicine
walk on Buffalo Prairie south of Jasper.
While most of the conference was
open to delegates only, New Zealand
climber and writer, Pat Deavoll, and
Alpinist magazine editor-in-chief, Katie
Ives, participated in a public presenta‑
tion examining the question of whether
mountaineering is the most literary of
all sports. As well, the Jasper Art Guild
hosted an exhibit of images reflecting the
similarities and differences between the
Rockies and the Himalayan mountain
environment and cultures. Delegates
also took part in a mountain photog‑
raphy workshop and a field trip to the
Columbia Icefield Visitor Centre.
Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the
Nepal earthquake, Dr. Buhhda Basnyat
from the Patan Academy of Health
Sciences in Kathmandu, who planned to
speak about high altitude medicine, was
obliged to cancel.
For everyone involved, Robinson said,
it’s always a treat to meet others who
share a deep interest in mountain related
fields of study and recreation.
“Academics rarely meet professionally
with others outside of our disciplin‑
ary specific fields of study,” Robinson
said. “And so it’s a unique meeting in
that sense. But, mountain studies is
inherently interdisciplinary. Like any‑
one being in the mountains, you want
to know a bit about the climate, the
ecology, the history and culture, the
geology, its literature and so forth. For
us as academics, this type of engagement
pushes our own individual research in
new and unexpected directions. It drives
new research and ideas.”
This story was previously published by
Crowfoot Media http://crowfootmedia.com
Heritage C lub
Every 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 and the 50-year
members receiving a handsome wall
plaque.
In 2015, 22 members reached the
25-year milestone, 18 members reached
the 35-year milestone. This year we are
honouring two 50-year member:s
50 years
Michael Piggott, Toronto
Tom Swaddle, Calgary
Congratulations!
b
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Gazette
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2015 5
Last August, the Alpine Club of
Canada’s Yukon Section partnered with
Parks Canada to explore a remote area of
Nahanni National Park Reserve in the
Northwest Territories over 12 days in order
to report back on the hiking and climbing
potential in the area. Below is a story taken
from Parks Canada employee Lyn Elliott’s
trip report.
Right: Laura Sly gazes down the Hole in the
Wall Valley. The sharp Wolf’s Fang towers above
everything.
À droit : Laura Sly regarde au bas de la vallée
Hole in the Wall, où la pointe acérée du « Croc du
loup », the Wolf’s Fang, domine tout.
article by Lyn
I
Elliot, photos by Marko Marjanovic, Yukon Section Representative
t was a normal Thursday in my Parks
Canada cubicle. Then I received an
instant message: Could I join a 12-day
Alpine Club of Canada backpacking trip
in Nahanni National Park Reserve? No
one else could go. It started Monday.
I was two days’ travel away with
nothing ready, except an adventure phil‑
osophy: “What’s the better story when
I’m 80?” I booked a flight, and packed
12 days of gear and food in four hours.
Sometimes the price of a good story is
eating couscous and instant Cream of
Wheat for 12 days.
It struck me that an Alpine Club of
Canada trip might be… technical. I had
backpacked Pukaskwa National Park’s
Coastal Trail a few times, but I was not a
mountain climber. I called the Nahanni
staff. They assured me it was just hiking.
Maybe some scrambling.
Maybe some scrambling.
A calm Lonely Lake, with the smaller, yet distinct, Peak Wex in the distance and The Guardsmen and
Citadel towering high above the lake.
Un calme Lonely Lake avec au loin le Peak Wex, petit, mais distinct; les monts Guardsmen et Citadel
dominent le lac en hauteur.
T
he ACC Yukon Section crew from
Whitehorse flew into Lonely
Lake just ahead of me. As I
climbed out of the plane, I was deter‑
mined to learn their names. But, I got
distracted; dangling from their packs were
helmets. Climbing helmets.
“Just hiking,” they said. “Maybe some
scrambling,” they said.
I have never worn a helmet hiking.
The next 10 days were a blur of
instant Cream of Wheat, couscous, and
reminding myself that it was going to be
a great story when I’m 80. And, a lot more
than some scrambling.
Day one, we hiked towards Wolf ’s
Fang. Wolf ’s Fang is the highest peak
If you go…
The Hole in the Wall area was first
explored by climbers in the 1960s, the
details of which are recorded in several
volumes of the Canadian Alpine Journal.
The 2014 group drove the 550 kilo‑
metres from Whitehorse to Finlayson
Lake, approximately 350 kilometres of
which is on gravel. From there pilot
Warren LaFave of Kluane Airways
kluaneairways.com/unclimbables.html
flew them by float plane to Lonely
Lake, where he also picked them up 12
days later. It is also possible to fly from
Whitehorse.
anywhere with a pack—if you’re willing
to do some scrambling.
On day 10, we packed up camp and
made our way up the back side of Peak
Wex—my first summit. It was, as many
have described, an easy ramble up the
back side. But I didn’t care. After 10 days
of scrambling in and out of my comfort
zone, it felt good to finally make it to
the top. It felt good to look out over the
valleys and peaks and think about all the
stories I’ll be telling when I’m 80.
Lyn Elliott is currently discovering her
next great story as Visitor Experience Team
Leader for Nááts’ihch’oh National Park
Reserve, Southwest NWT Field Unit.
R
With no official names for any of the
peaks in this largely unexplored area, the
group christened a few of the mountains
as they backpacked from one valley to the
next, setting up camps and scrambling
up several peaks. With no human trails
in the remote wilderness, they dubbed an
animal track the Super Highway.
Holly Goulding scrambles up the Wolf's Fang.
Holly Goulding grimpant le Wolf Fang : le « Croc
du loup ».
PHOTO / DAN HOLZ
in the area at 2,636 metres. Before this,
my experience hiking up mountains
was Newfoundland’s Gros Morne (806
metres) and Yosemite’s Half Dome (2,682
metres). By the time I reached the ridge
beside Wolf ’s Fang (about 20 minutes
after the rest of my mountain goat com‑
panions), I had found a new fear: heights.
We eventually spread out for the descent,
and those with helmets donned them.
Helmetless and slow, I started to mentally
write the story I’ll tell when I’m 80.
It would be a story about some scrambling in a rarely visited corner of Nahanni.
A story about spending 11 days exploring
the most extraordinary valleys—green
with braids of streams, flowers in bloom,
and pikas chirping everywhere. Valleys
of Chaos where thousands of car-sized
boulders stood between me and the only
patch of green suitable to make camp.
A story about looking up to a suggested
“shortcut”, and wondering whether
human beings were even meant to go
there with packs. Then, discovering
firsthand that humans can go almost
A place for everything, even the unexpected!
Osprey’s new collection of drysacks and compression sacks
provides everything you need to organize and protect your pack
while searching for adventure.
ospreypacks.com
En août dernier, la section Yukon du
Club Alpin du Canada s’associait avec Parcs
Canada pour explorer pendant 12 jours la
région en vallée éloignée Hole in the Wall
de la réserve de Parc national Nahanni
aux Territoires du Nord-Ouest,pour rendre
compte de son potentiel pour la randonnée et
l’escalade. Voici une histoire issue du rapport
de voyage de Lyn Elliott, employée de Parcs
Canada.
À droit : Laura Sly randonne dans la zone alpine,
en contrebas de Beaver Peak.
Right: Laura Sly hikes in the alpine below Beaver
Peak.
Nahanni révèle une beauté inexplorée
article par Lyn
C
Elliot, photos par Marko Marjanovic, représentant de la section du Yukon
’était un jeudi ordinaire dans
mon cubicule de Parcs Canada
quand j’ai reçu un message
instantané qui me demandait si je pouvais
joindre une expédition à pied de 12 jours
à la réserve du Parc national Nahanni.
Personne d’autre ne pouvait y aller. On
commençait lundi.
J’étais à deux jours de distance avec
rien de prêt sinon ma philosophie de
l’aventure : « À 80 ans, quelle sera ma
meilleure histoire? » En quatre heures j’ai
réservé un vol et emballé 12 jours d’équi‑
pement et de nourriture. Le prix d’une
bonne histoire, c’est parfois manger du
couscous et de la crème de blé pendant 12
jours.
Puis l’idée m’a frappée qu’un voyage
Lyn Elliot et Peter Knamiller émergent de la « Vallée du Chaos », remplie de rochers.
Lyn Elliot and Peter Knamiller climb out of the boulder-filled Valley of Chaos.
du Club Alpin du Canada serait peutêtre... technique. J’avais randonné
quelques fois sur la piste côtière du parc
national Pukaskwa, mais je n’étais pas
alpiniste. J’ai appelé le personnel de
Nahanni, qui m’assura que c’était juste de
la randonnée. Avec peut-être un peu de
grimpe.
« Peut-être un peu de grimpe. »
L
’équipage de la section du Yukon
du CAC volait devant moi vers
Lonely Lake. En débarquant,
j’étais décidée d’apprendre leurs noms,
mais quelque chose m’a distraite : des
casques d›escalade pendaient de leurs
sacs. Des casques d›escalade.
Si vous y allez ...
La région Hole in the Wall fut
explorée en premier par des alpinistes
dans les années 1960, ce dont plusieurs
volumes du Canadian Alpine Journal
ont enregistré les détails. Le groupe
de 2014 a roulé 550 kilomètres de
Whitehorse à Finlayson Lake, dont 350
kilomètres de gravier. De là, Warren
LaFave, pilote de Kluane Airways
kluaneairways.com/unclimbables.html
l’a conduit en hydravion au Lonely
Lake, où il les a repris 12 jours après.
On peut voler aussi à partir de
Whitehorse.
At Yamnuska, we know that
food is a critical part of any
trip to the backcountry.
Reservations stRongly recommended...
That’s why we now offer
the same delicious and well
balanced food served on our
programs.
Why buy mass-produced
freeze dried meals when
you can have a tasty custom
built menu prepared by our
resident Chef?
• Full meal packages or
dehydrated dinners.
Adam Greenberg PHOTO
« — Juste de la randonnée », disai‑
ent-ils. « — Peut-être un peu de grimpe. »
Je n’ai jamais porté de casque en
randonnée.
Les 10 jours suivants furent une
masse confuse de couscous, de crème de
blé, de rappels à moi-même que tout ça
ferait une super histoire quand j’aurais 80
ans, et de beaucoup plus qu’« un peu de
grimpe ».
Le premier jour, nous sommes allés
vers Wolf ’s Fang. À 2636 mètres, c’est le
plus haut sommet de la région. Avant
cela, mon expérience de la randonnée en
montagne était Gros-Morne à TerreNeuve (806 mètres) et Half Dome au
Yosemite (2682 mètres). Quand j’ai atteint
la crête à côté de Wolf›s Fang 20 minutes
après ces chèvres de montagne qu’étaient
mes compagnons, j’avais découvert une
nouvelle crainte : celle des hauteurs.
Éventuellement, nous nous sommes
dispersés pour la descente, et ceux qui
avaient des casques les enfilèrent. Lente
et sans casque, j’ai commencé d’écrire
mentalement l’histoire que je raconterais
à 80 ans.
Ce serait une histoire sur de la
grimpe dans un coin peu fréquenté de
la Nahanni,, sur onze journées passées à
explorer les plus extraordinaires vallées
— vertes avec leurs cours d’eau entrelacés,
leurs fleurs écloses et le gazouillis des
pikas partout. Des vallées de chaos où
des milliers de rochers gros comme des
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For a limited time receive 10% off your first order of dehydrated
dinners when you order online (use Coupon Code “WELCOME”).
voitures s’interposaient entre moi et le seul
coin de verdure approprié pour monter
un camp. L’histoire de la recherche d’un
« raccourci » proposé, où je me demandais
si les êtres humains avaient été conçus
pour y aller en sac à dos — et de la décou‑
verte, première main, que les humains
peuvent aller presque partout avec un sac,
de gauche à droite : Laura Sly, Peter Knamiller et Holly Goulding apprécient la vue au sommet du mont Elysian.
From left, Laura Sly, Peter Knamiller and Holly Goulding take in the summit view on top of Mount Elysian.
• We can ship anywhere in
Canada, or you can pick
your order up at our office
in Canmore, Alberta.
• We cater to individuals,
groups and expeditions.
Contact us for more details
and let us focus on the food
while you focus on your trip.
si vous êtes prêts pour un peu de grimpe.
Au jour 10, nous avons levé le camp et
fait notre chemin jusqu’à l’arrière du pic
Wex — mon premier sommet. Il offrait,
comme beaucoup l’ont décrit, une ran‑
donnée facile sur le côté arrière, mais peu
m’importait. Après 10 jours de grimpe
dans et hors de ma zone de confort, ça
faisait du bien d›atteindre enfin le som‑
met, d’observer les pics et les vallées en
contrebas et penser à toutes les histoires
que je raconterais à 80 ans.
Lyn Elliott découvre actuellement sa
prochaine meilleure histoire comme chef
d’équipe de la Visitor Experience Team pour
la réserve de parc national Nááts’ihch’oh,
Unité de gestion sud-ouest des TNO.
R
Vu l’absence de noms officiels pour
aucun des sommets de cette région
largement inexplorée, le groupe a baptisé
quelques-unes des montagnes en ran‑
donnant d’une vallée à l’autre, installant
ses campements et grimpant plusieurs
pics. Privés de sentiers humains dans
cette nature éloignée et sauvage, ils ont
nommé une piste d’animaux la « Super
Highway » : la Superautoroute.
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2015 9
Each year the ACC receives the generous support of those who share our love and passion for alpinism. We are pleased to share with you the
impact of donor support from the 2014 fiscal year and to profile the unique stories of those who are making a difference in the ACC community.
The ACC community gives back
Karl Ricker
by
Chic Scott
F
or some of us the mountains are
our life—they give us a reason to
get out of bed in the morning. Karl
Ricker of Whistler, British Columbia is
one of these people. Way back in 1959
Karl had the opportunity to join Hans
Gmoser on the second ascent of the east
ridge of Mount Logan. “The highlight
was a trip into the unknown—in those
days, it was no man’s land,” states Karl.
It was one of the greatest adventures of
his life and one of the finest climbs done
by Canadians at the time. To become
a member of the expedition Karl had
joined the Alpine Club of Canada. The
very next year he bought a life member‑
ship. “I paid $100, which was big money
at that time,” laughs Karl.
Karl was already an accomplished
mountaineer when he joined the ACC,
having been introduced to climbing
in 1950 by Ferris Neave on Mount
Arrowsmith, Vancouver Island. For
almost 60 years now he has volunteered
for the Club as an organizer, a trip leader
and a hut builder. A lifelong supporter
of UBC’s Varsity Outdoor Club and the
British Columbia Mountaineering Club,
Karl transcends narrow club rivalries.
He has climbed and skied extensively
in the Rockies, the Southern Alps of
New Zealand, the European Alps, the
Cascades and the Coast Mountains. In
1964, he pioneered the world famous
Spearhead Traverse near Whistler.
Recently Karl was a great supporter of
the Hans Gmoser Film Preservation
Project and raised thousands of dollars to
ensure that Hans’ film legacy would not
be forgotten.
In 1967, Karl received an M.Sc. in
Geology and has devoted his professional
Celebrating a year of
AREAS SUPPORTED
Number of donors
contributing
in 2014:
Support for mission
related initiatives
250
Individual Donors
85
Corporations &
Foundations
$208,627
$165K
from individuals
$44K
from Corporations
& Foundations
Gazette
57%
10% Endowment
Facilities
1% Environment
NB: Proceeds from the annual
Mountain Guides Ball fundraising
event support different areas each year.
19%
3%

Summer 2015
Mountain
Guides Ball
Other
The Endowment portfolio
returned 8.46% over the
fiscal year, which brings
the rolling 5-year
average to 10.73%.
$652K
2010

Adventures & Athletics
3%
Mountain Culture
8%
Sections
2%
ENDOWMENT FUND
Funds raised in 2014:
career to mountain geology and
glaciology. One of his more unique con‑
tributions has been his monitoring of the
Wedgemont Glacier for 43 years.
This spring Karl made a major dona‑
tion to the ACC to support the Richard
& Louise Guy Hut at Mont des Poilus
and the proposed huts on the Spearhead
Traverse. When asked why he made this
donation, he jokingly replied that after
not having to pay a membership fee for
almost 60 years he felt that he owed the
Club something. But in actual fact, the
Club owes Karl a sincere thank you for all
his contributions over the years. Well done
Karl, your generosity is much appreciated.
SUCCESS
DONATIONS
335
Karl Ricker. photo: Will Schmidt
$2.8M
$3M
$3.3M
$2.4M
2011
2012
2013
2014
We’ve reached the summit ! Thank You !
“I am overwhelmed
by the generous
support of our
alpine community.”
—Richard Guy
The Alpine Club of Canada is ecstatic to announce that due to
the generous support of 96 members and friends, more than
$506,000 has been raised in support of the
Richard & Louise Guy Hut at Mont des Poilus.
The support, both financially and from volunteers, has been
exceptional. We are thrilled that this long-awaited facility
will move forward this summer and will forever be called the
Richard & Louise Guy Hut. Thank you for giving generously!
—Gord Currie, ACC President
For more information on how to
support ACC, please contact:
Jolene Livingston
Fundraising Consultant
Phone:
(403) 703-2631
E-mail:
[email protected]
Donations over $20 are eligible for a tax receipt.
Traversée de Charlevoix a breathtaking adventure
by
Deb Clouthier
T
he red in the thermometer was
off the scale. The water in the
pot that was steaming just a few
hours earlier was now ice slush. Once
again, the temperature was below -30 C.
Every morning that week we began our
ski day with polar wax, big mitts, full face
coverage, three layers of clothing plus a
hard shell. And of course, our 30-pound
packs. We were giddy, thrilled, excited,
stoked and fully committed to be on the
Charlevoix Ski Traverse in Quebec.
We’d waited a whole year for this,
after we’d been forced to cancel last
year’s reservation due to ice cover and
little snow. All seven of us, ACC Ottawa
Section members who share the same
passion, had been keen to do something
hard-core in the backcountry relatively
close to home. With limited choices for
a hut-to-hut challenge in the east, this
had popped up as our number one choice.
As a warm-up, last year we skied the
four-day Papineau-Labelle ski tour just a
two-hour drive from Ottawa, but it was
quite tame compared to the Charlevoix.
Despite training hard for the 100-kilo‑
metre, week-long Charlevoix traverse,
nothing prepared us for the bomber headplants we all experienced speeding down
some of the major hills, as six of us skied
on metal-edged cross-country skis, and
one on telemark gear. At times, our legs
screamed for relief as we rocketed down
hundreds of metres of descent or skinned
up to incredible vistas in sub-alpine like
meadows. The snow, almost perfect, was
soft and deep. Some parts of the trail were
quite narrow however, and we descended
some very difficult terrain with deep
powder and sharp turns. One run, which
dropped 450 metres in a single go, left
everyone’s legs shaking on a good quiver!
A six-hour drive from Ottawa, the
Traversée de Charlevoix begins in St.
Urbain, northeast of Quebec City, and
ends at the Mont Grand-Fonds ski hill.
The traverse and its huts are run by a
non-profit private organization with very
friendly and extremely helpful staff who
had us sign waivers and organized for our
vehicles to be shuttled to the end of the
traverse. We also arranged a food drop
half-way through our week, and we were
given maps and detailed directions, which
proved helpful at confusing corners.
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Summer 2015
We skied from one Scandinavian-style
log cottage to the next, each different
from the other and each equipped with
wood stoves, and propane cooking and
lights. We chopped for ice and water in
the nearby lakes and rivers.
The route is marked, but at times it
was difficult to see as the snow buried
signs. While there were a couple of days
when the tracks were completely obliter‑
ated due to high winds, the trail is cleared
enough to find the route. Navigation was
good as we followed tracks of another
group who had skied the route a day or
so before us. Like all animals that follow
the route of lease resistance, especially
in winter, moose followed the trail too,
leaving behind a lot of evidence of
moose post-holing. At times, the moose
post-holing was so deep and severe
we could only walk on our skis over
those areas.
For the most part, the traverse route
passed deep in the World Biosphere
Reserve of Charlevoix where the moun‑
tain backdrop was so breathtaking it was
hard to look down and keep our eyes
on the ski trail. We were all in total awe
of the scenic beauty of the Charlevoix
mountain range as we passed through
the Grand-Jardins and Hautes-Gorges
national parks area, home to some of the
highest rock faces east of the Rockies.
By the end of our adventure, we’d
enjoyed a total of 4,030 vertical metres
ascent and descent, traversed through
amazing wilderness and experi‑
enced some of the most exhilarating
From left, Marc Charbonneau, Deb Clouthier,
Katharina Goetze, Mike Bowler, Patrick McCabe
and Ivan Wood take a break at the 90 kilometre
point on the final, seventh day of the Charlevoix
Ski Traverse. p hoto: Andy Adler
Chalet de la Chouette provided cozy
accommodations on day three, 29 kilometres
along the traverse route. p hoto: Deb Clouthier
backcountry skiing we’ve ever had the
pleasure of. We all agreed we got our
money’s worth.
And what I learned is, I want more
of this! My first comment to our group
the night we finished was, “OK, what’s
next?” We’re eagerly looking into our
next ski trip.
Marc Charbonneau, Ivan Wood,
Patrick McCabe, Andy Adler, Mike Bowler,
Katharina Goetze and Debbie Clouthier are
all ACC Ottawa Section members living in
the Ottawa area.
Deb Clouthier approaches the Chalet Coyote a
l'Epervier, 85 km along the route on day six.
hoto: Marc Charbonneau
p
THE FINAL VOLUME IN THE CELEBRATED SERIES
Gillean Daffern’s Kananaskis Country Trail Guide, 4th Edition
Volume 5: The Highwood • Flat Creek • Upper Livingstone • Willow Creek
Gillean Daffern’s widely respected hiking guides to Kananaskis
Country have now been completely reformatted, revised and
updated. As the pre-eminent expert on the area, the author
continues to offer something for every level of foot-traveller, be
they novice or experienced hikers, scramblers or backpackers.
Gillean’s clear and detailed text, enhanced with colour photos
and maps, enables everyone to navigate safely through this
complex and beautiful area.
•
•
•
•
The original two volumes have been extended into five
exhaustively researched books.
Each new volume includes exciting and previously
unpublished trails and routes.
All maps have been completely redrawn and enhanced.
Full-colour photographs throughout do justice to the
spectacular scenery of the Canadian Rockies.
ALSO AVAILABLE
Think outside.
Route Finding
by
I
Gord Currie, ACC President
met Robert Omeljaniuk at Bow
Lake last summer. He was just
about to board a helicopter to the
site of our new hut at the des Poilus
Glacier. By day he is a PhD biologist at
Lakehead University, studying the role
of intracellular signaling mechanisms on
neurohormone reception and pituitary
hormone release. However, he was ready
to dedicate a week of his holidays to
doing manual labour in order to help
prepare the site for construction.
More recently I met Ron Royston
in Vancouver. For 20 years he has taken
the hut reservations, collected the fees,
and organized the maintenance for the
Tantalus and Jim Haberl huts. In his
spare time he volunteers for Vancouver’s
North Shore Rescue.
Another of our great volunteers is
David McCormick of Kaslo, B.C. who
keeps a list of volunteers—people like
Robert who are willing to spend their
own time pounding nails if a hut needs a
new roof.
Our Treasurer, Neil Bosch, lives in
Edmonton so he has a four-hour drive to
Board meetings in Canmore. And then
four hours back. There is also time spent
in committee meetings and balancing the
budget. Neil travels a lot for work and has
kids at home, so time spent on the ACC
is time spent away from family.
Many of our Board members travel
great distances to the meetings, such as
David Foster who flies in from Ottawa,
so he is always awake two hours before
the rest of us, and he typically doesn’t get
home until midnight on Sunday. Then,
after not enough hours of sleep, he’s back
at his day job.
Lots of great volunteers serve on
Board committees too. After recently
creating a new committee, we put out a
call for volunteers on NewsNet and Club
members responded with the offer of
their professional expertise.
Then there are the many members
of Section executives across the country,
including newsletter editors, trip lead‑
ers, social coordinators and webmasters
among others. These are not coveted pos‑
itions, and occasionally some arm-twisting
is involved, but people agree to do these
jobs because they need to be done.
While we have a small, very profes‑
sional staff in Canmore, it is still our
volunteers who make the ACC a great
club.
As I write, tick season is upon us. By
the time you read this, most of the snow
at higher elevations will be melted. I have
always wanted to see the Tonquin Valley
in Jasper National Park, and in August
I finally get to go—on an ACC camp,
where I expect I will meet more ACC
volunteers. Wherever your travels take
you this summer, be safe out there.
Climb on.
National Volunteer Awards
Prix nationaux pour bénévoles
he Alpine Club of Canada extends its congratulations to
the following devoted volunteers who were recognized
for their outstanding contributions to the national and/
or section levels of the Club in 2014. A description of the recipi‑
ents’ accomplishments can be found on the ACC’s website at
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/awards/
F
President’s Award. Presented to individuals deserving recognition
for extraordinary service towards the activities of the Club:
Don Forest Service Award. Presented to members in recogni‑
tion of their significant service to the Club:
T
John E. ( Jed) Williamson
Wallace R. Joyce (posthumously)
Distinguished Service Award. Presented to members for
distinguished service to the Club in matters other than
mountaineering:
David Roe, Calgary Section
Paul Geddes, Vancouver and Toronto Sections
Eric Brooks Leader Award. Presented to members for strong
commitment to learning and applying technical and leader skills
in mountaineering and ski mountaineering:
élicitations aux bénévoles dévoués, mentionnés ci-dessous,
qui furent reconnus pour leurs contributions exceptionnelles
au Club Alpin du Canada en 2013, tant au niveau national
qu’au niveau des sections. Une description des réalisations
des récipindaires est disponible sur le site web du CAC au
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/awards/
Ashton Beaupré, Saint-Boniface Section
Dana Engler, Calgary Section
Christine Fordham, Vancouver Island Section
Paul Hrynkow, Saint-Boniface Section
Myrene Mollison, Saskatchewan Section
Robin Owens, Calgary Section
Dave Pors, Jasper/Hinton Section
Peggy (Margaret) Taylor, Vancouver Island Section
Steve Traversari, Montreal Section
Elizabeth Williams, Vancouver Island Section
Jason Guptill, Rocky Mountain Section
Jeffrey Dmytrowich, Saskatchewan Section
Mark Rosin, Saskatchewan Section
Many thanks to the members of the Awards Committee:
Un grand merci aux membres du Comité des prix :
André Mahé (Chair/président, section Saint-Boniface), Paul Geddes (Vancouver and Toronto Sections), Tom Haslam-Jones (Montreal Section),
Dave McCormick (Saskatchewan Section), Rod Plasman (Rocky Mountain Section) and Bill Scott (Ottawa Section).
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Gazette
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Summer 2015
Recherche d’itinéraire
par
J
Gord Currie, président du CAC
’ai rencontré Robert Omeljaniuk au
Lac Bow l’été dernier. Il était sur le
point de monter à bord d›un héli‑
coptère vers le site de notre nouvel abri au
glacier Des poilus. De jour, il est un biol‑
ogiste (Ph. D) à l’université de Lakehead
qui étudie le rôle des mécanismes de
signalisation intracellulaire dans la récep‑
tion neurohormonale et la libération des
hormones pituitaires. Mais il était prêt
à consacrer une semaine de ses vacances
au travail manuel pour aider à préparer la
construction du site.
Plus récemment, j’ai rencontré Ron
Royston à Vancouver. Depuis vingt ans il
prend les réservations pour les abris, recue‑
illi les frais, et organisé l’entretien des abris
Tantalus et Jim Haberl. Dans son temps
libre, il fait du bénévolat pour l’équipe de
sauvetage de la rive nord de Vancouver.
Un autre de nos grands bénévoles est
David McCormick, de Kaslo (ColombieBritannique), qui garde une liste de
volontaires – des gens comme Robert qui
sont prêts à taper du clou dans leur temps
libre quand un abri a besoin d’un nouveau
toit.
Notre trésorier, Neil Bosch, vit à
Edmonton et doit donc conduire quatre
heures pour assister aux réunions du
Conseil à Canmore – aller seulement.
Sans compter le temps passé aux réunions
ou à équilibrer le budget. Neil voyage
beaucoup pour le travail et a des enfants à
la maison, et le temps passé sur le CAC se
passe loin de chez lui.
Beaucoup de membres du conseil
d’administration font de longs trajets
pour ces réunions. Toujours levé deux
heures avant les autres, David Foster
vole depuis Ottawa et ne rentre habitu‑
ellement pas chez lui avant minuit le
dimanche. Après une nuit de sommeil
trop courte, on le retrouve à son travail le
lendemain.
Beaucoup de grands bénévoles
siègent à des comités du conseil aussi.
Après avoir créé récemment un nouveau
comité, nous avons lancé un appel à
volontaires sur NewsNet et des membres
du Club répondu en offrant leur expertise
professionnelle.
Il y a aussi les nombreux membres de
section exécutifs à travers le pays, comme
les rédacteurs de bulletin, les chefs
d’excursion, les coordinateurs sociaux et
webmestres, entre autres. Ce ne sont pas
des postes convoités, et parfois un peu
tordage de bras est nécessaire, mais les
gens acceptent de faire ces tâches parce
qu’elles ont besoin d’être faites.
Bien que nous ayons une petite équipe
très professionnelle à Canmore, ce sont nos
bénévoles qui font du CAC un grand club.
À l›heure où j›écris, l›appel de la saison
est sur nous. Au moment où vous lirez
ces lignes, le gros de la neige des altitudes
élevées aura fondu. J’ai toujours voulu voir
la vallée du Tonquin dans le parc national
Jasper, et en août j’obtiendrai finalement
d’y aller, dans un camp du CAC, où je
m’attends à rencontrer encore plus de
bénévoles du CAC.
Où que vous alliez, soyez-y en
sécurité et grimpez.
The Bookpack
by Lynn
Martel
Too Close to God: Selected Mountain Tales by Jeff Long
Gripping, enigmatic, ephemeral and memorably haunting, Jeff Long’s short stories draw the reader
into his vertical world of summit-less cliff faces and sealed-over crevasse tombs, where brilliant heights are
unavoidably linked to dark shadows of human obsessions. And, as if Long’s impressively fertile imagination
wasn’t enough, what makes this collection of characters and stories even more enjoyable to read are the real
life adventures and encounters with some unforgettable characters described in his introductions. Aptly
described in Alpinist editor-in-chief Katie Ives’ foreword, “piecing together torn scraps and fragments from
American westerns, modern fables and medieval allegories, refractions of biblical stories, Greek tragedies and
Shakespeare,” Long’s masterful writing provides an irresistible, inescapable journey.
Published by Imaginary Mountain Surveyors http://imaginarymountains.com.
A Youth Wasted Climbing by David Chaundy-Smart
“I just didn’t understand people who found suburbia livable without something like climbing.”
So writes David Chaundy-Smart in his entertaining, poignant, youthfully exuberant and witty memoir in
response to his high school principal’s suggestion that he see the guidance counsellor about his passion for
climbing after his ascent of the CN Tower was broadcast on the TV news. Ignoring the advice, after gradu‑
ation he packed up his brother’s car and the two of them drove west from Etobicoke, Ontario to test their
skills in the Rockies and Bugaboos. Appreciated by Canada’s climbing community as the founding editor of
Gripped magazine, Chaundy-Smart’s memoir resonates with a soulfulness that’s melodically woven through
themes of adventure, first loves, adolescent male bravery and coming of age.
Published by Rocky Mountain Books www.rmbooks.com.
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2015 15
30 Backcount
Find yours!
Evening light on Asulkan Cabin in Rogers Pass.
Photo: Tanya Koob
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/huts
ry Huts
In 2010, the Alpine Club of Canada’s Environment Fund awarded seed funding for the Wolverine Watch initiative. Since then, lead
researcher Tony Clevenger, a PhD in wildlife ecology, has conducted research in the Canadian Rockies on this elusive carnivore, with a strong
citizen science component. One of his team members, Aaron Bose, a graduate of Selkirk College’s School of Environment and Geomatics in
Castlegar, B.C., shares this five-year update on the project and its aim to better understand the effects of human activity on wolverine distribution, connectivity and gene flow in the Canadian portion of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem.
Wolverine Watch a valued success
by
Aaron Bose
A
s human beings, our love of
alpine environments can only be
exercised as visitors. Whenever
we embark on an excursion into the high
country, our eyes open wide in wonder
at the forms nature takes at its terrestrial
limit. This wonder is amplified when we
witness life at such extremes: a herd of
mountain goat on an absurd slope, Apollo
butterfly on a summit 3,000 metres above
sea level, or an old and twisted whitebark
pine stubbornly clinging onto the treeline
limit.
Wolverine seem to go a step further
in bewildering the alpine enthusiast’s
imagination. Perhaps this is because they
are so seldom witnessed, yet occupy such
vast ranges in their individual territories.
This range also extends below the alpine
to the busy valley bottoms they must pass
through to connect their patchwork of
habitat.
Biologists have begun to explain part
of what makes this species so elusive
through evidence of their steadily declin‑
ing populations in the same mountain
ranges we all enjoy. Human factors
affecting the abundance and connectivity
of this species’ populations have been
identified, and in some cases acted upon.
But what can the humble adventurer do
to help such a cause?
Wolverine Watch is a citizen science
initiative that seeks to facilitate the
exchange of information on this species
between the public, biologists, industry
and decision makers. The project began
in 2010, with funding from the Alpine
Club of Canada, and continues to grow
through contributions to its database
from people like you.
We receive reports of sightings,
tracks and scat that indicate wolverine
occurrence in a given area, and document
any additional details such as elevation,
direction of travel, as well as behaviour,
when available. Reporting a wolverine
occurrence is a lot easier than chancing
upon one outside; WolverineWatch.org
has an online reporting form and

Gazette

Summer 2015
mapping tool that allows for the location
to be approximated if you didn’t happen
to bring your GPS out that day. While
some observers are lucky enough to snap
a photo of the creature itself, many more
submitted evidence of tracks and even
collected what they suspect to be Gulo
gulo scat. If you didn’t bring a camera
with you, don’t fret—your observation
will still make a valuable addition to the
database.
Entering its sixth year, the project
has so far received 197 submissions from
across western Canada—a big number
for a species that keeps such a low profile
from humans. Thirty-three per cent of
these submissions have been confirmed
by WW biologists based on evidence
submitted or due to the professional
background of the source. Many Parks
Canada employees and Banff area guides
are regular submitters to the project,
doing so on their own time from observa‑
tions made in the field.
The average elevation of reported
occurrences is 1,989 metres, which reflects
wolverine alpine habitat, but also con‑
firms the target observer for this project:
hikers, climbers and ski-tourers by far
make the majority of submissions. The
Approximate elevation of wolverine occurence
(metres) 1:1,000,000
A wolverine carries a substantial meal prize, a
marmot, in Yoho National Park.
hoto: Lee Rentz www.leerentz.com
p
Au Parc national Yoho, un carcajou porte un mets
substantiel et prisé : une marmotte.
highest elevation an observation occurred
was at 2,900 metres, at Bow Summit in
Banff National Park.
While the majority of submissions
came from the Banff and Canmore
areas, the most popular local area by far
was the Lake O’Hara hiking circuit in
Yoho National Park. This series of high
elevation lakes and alpine meadows make
ideal habitat, and was home to a female
and two young of the year during the
summer of 2013. Unfortunately, wolverine
in this area have grown very accustomed
Wolverine Watch sighting density by grid
Robson Gmoser remembered
There are only a few waterfalls in
the world that are globally famous, but
only one of those is in a place cold enough
to climb. In the past 20 years, I’ve ticked
a lot of the “highest” and “wildest” water‑
falls in the world—at least according to
the internet. But Niagara Falls carries
10,000 times the water of anything I’ve
ever tried, and it didn’t seem plausible as
an ice climb.
Then in January 2014, the media
declared “Polar vortex slams east!” And
it was cold—cold enough to build some
Read
Will Gadd’s
Niagara Falls in
The 2015
M
embers of Canada’s mountain community were deeply saddened to learn
that Robson Gmoser, 45, had died in an avalanche in March while work‑
ing as a ski guide in B.C.’s Selkirk Mountains. The younger of Hans and
Margaret Gmoser’s two sons, Robson followed his father’s bootprints as a guide early
in his life, leading ski touring groups under his father’s tutelage while still a teenager
at Battle Abbey, the backcountry lodge he would run as an adult with fellow guide
Roger Laurilla. By his mid-20s Robson had earned his full Ski Guide certification
with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, the organization his father was
instrumental in creating. Robson was also a popular and highly skilled sea kayaking
and backpacking guide, and an apprentice ACMG Rock Guide. He is greatly missed
by his wife, Olivia Sofer, their three-year-old son, Max and his family, many friends,
colleagues and clients.
Read a full obituary written by his life-long friend, Marco Delesalle, in the 2015
Canadian Alpine Journal.
professionally gathered population esti‑
mates and found to be statistically precise
enough to be used in official population
monitoring.
What this means is that as the
Wolverine Watch database grows, both in
volume and scope of time, the opportun‑
ity for further uses by biologists increases.
That is why frequent publicity and word
of mouth advertising is so important.
really huge spray formations along the
sides and in the middle of Horseshoe
Falls, the main falls of the several that
make up the collective Niagara Falls. My
Facebook feed started filling up with posts
from people asking: “Will, when are you
going to climb it? Ha ha....” My eyes have
been forever changed by climbing spray
ice at Helmcken Falls, and I now under‑
stood that the spray ice around Niagara
was climbable. But it was illegal—really
illegal—and the easiest access was on the
U.S. side, right beside the police station…
Even if you haven’t chanced upon a
wolverine yet, pay a visit to our website,
WolverineWatch.org for a look at the
resources and initiatives surrounding this
species. You can even download and print
a track ID card to take with you on your
next visit to the alpine.
Spread the word, and keep your eyes
open—you never know when you might
encounter Gulo gulo!
Get the 2015
Journal for
$29.95
The 98th inspiring edition of the
journal of climbing in Canada
and by Canadians abroad.
Available in July
alpineclubofcanada.ca/store
Add a subscription for
the 2016 volume to
your membership for $22
including shipping (in Canada).
Canadian Alpine Journal
photo © Red Bull Media House
to the presence of human hikers and were
not afraid to approach large groups of a
dozen or more; this is reflected by the 30
observations that occurred around this
area. The project has received reports from
as far north as Stone Mountain Provincial
Park, on the B.C./Alaska border, and from
more unlikely locations such as the Banff
Springs golf course. It is our hope that
as the database grows, it will continue to
receive submissions from atypical loca‑
tions that can help identify areas where
human development may be influencing
local populations.
The potential for this data goes
beyond a simple glimpse into the
movements and behaviour of individual
wolverine. Citizen science has been
successfully used to support empirical
research in Scandinavia. In Sweden the
Large Carnivore Observation Index
(LCOI) enlists hunters to report occur‑
rences of protected brown bears during
moose-hunting season. The results
have been compared with independent,
En 2010, le Fonds pour l’environnement du Club alpin du Canada a accordé un financement de départ au projet Wolverine Watch de surveillance des carcajous. Depuis, son principal chercheur Tony Clevenger, Ph. D en écologie de la faune, a effectué des recherches dans les Rocheuses
canadiennes sur ce carnivore insaisissable, avec une importante participation de la science citoyenne. Membre de cette équipe, Aaron Bose, diplômé de
l’École de Selkirk de l’environnement et de géomatique (Castlegar, Colombie-Britannique), a fait le point de toutes les observations signalées par les
membres du CAC et d’autres citoyens scientifiques ces cinq dernières années. Il partage ici son bilan de la composante citoyenne-scientifique du projet.
L’initiative Wolverine Watch: un succès précieux
par
Aaron Bose
C
omme êtres humains, ce n’est
qu’en visiteurs que nous exerçons
notre amour des milieux alpins.
Dès que nous embarquons en excursion
dans le haut pays, nos yeux s’écarquillent
d’émerveillement devant les formes que la
nature prend quand elle atteint ses limites
terrestres.
Cet émerveillement s’amplifie quand
nous devenons témoins de la vie à de
tels extrêmes : un troupeau de chèvres
de montagnes sur une côte absurde, un
papillon Apollon sur un sommet de 3,000
mètres, un pin à écorce blanche vieux
et tordu qui s’accroche obstinément à la
limite de la zone arborée.
Les carcajous vont plus loin pour
dérouter l’imagination de l’amateur alpin.
Ils sont si rarement vus, alors que leur
territoire individuel s’avère de très vaste
étendue. Une étendue qui s’étend au-des‑
sous de la région alpine jusqu’aux fonds
des vallées occupés qu’ils doivent traverser
pour lier les pièces de leur habitat.
Une piste de carcajou présente souvent une
démarche distincte, sautillante 3X. hoto: Lynn Martel
p
A wolverine track often shows a distinct 3X loping
gait. 20 Alpine Club of Canada

Gazette

Summer 2015
Les biologistes ont commencé d’expli‑
quer en partie ce qui rend si insaisissable
cette espèce par les preuves d’un déclin
constant de population dans ces chaînes
de montagnes dont nous profitons
tous. Les facteurs humains affectant
l’abondance et la connectivité des popula‑
tions de l’espèce ont été identifiés et suivis
d’effets, dans certains cas. Mais que peut
faire l’humble aventurier pour aider une
telle cause?
Wolverine Watch est une initiative
de science citoyenne voulant faciliter
l’échange d’informations sur cette espèce
entre le public, les biologistes, l’industrie
et les décideurs. Le projet a débuté en
2010 par le financement du Club alpin
du Canada, et continue de croître par des
contributions de personnes comme vous à
sa base de données.
Nous recevons des rapports d’observa‑
tions, comme les pistes et les excréments
indiquant l’occurrence d’un carcajou dans
une région donnée, et documentons tous
les détails supplémentaires telles que
l’altitude, le sens du déplacement, ainsi
que le comportement, lorsque disponible.
Le signalement d’une occurrence est
beaucoup plus facile que la rencontre d’un
carcajou par hasard, et WolverineWatch.
org a un formulaire de déclaration et un
outil de cartographie en ligne qui peuvent
estimer le lieu de l’occurrence si vous
n’avez pas de GPS ce jour-là. Alors que
certains observateurs ont eu la chance
de photographier la créature elle-même,
davantage ont soumis des preuves de
pistes et même recueilli ce qu’ils soupçon‑
naient être des excréments de glouton.
Si vous n’avez pas d’appareil-photo, peu
importe : votre observation contribuera
précieusement à notre base de données.
Entamant sa sixième année, le projet
a reçu 197 soumissions à l’échelle de
l’Ouest canadien jusqu’à présent : un
nombre élevé pour une espèce qui garde
un profil aussi bas avec les humains.
Trente-trois p. cent de ces soumissions
ont été confirmées par les biologistes du
projet d’après les preuves produites ou en
Carcajou. | Wolverine.
raison de l’expérience professionnelle de
la source. Nombre d’employés de Parcs
Canada et de guides de la région de Banff
contribuent régulièrement au projet, sur
leur propre temps et à partir d’observa‑
tions sur le terrain.
L’altitude moyenne des événements
signalés est de 1 989 mètres, ce qui reflète
l’habitat alpin du carcajou, mais confirme
aussi le profil de l’observateur du projet.
Les randonneurs, les alpinistes et les
amateurs de ski font de loin le plus de
soumissions. L’altitude la plus élevée
d’une observation était à 2900 mètres,
au sommet Bow dans le parc national de
Banff.
Alors qu’une majorité de soumissions
provenait des zones de Banff et Canmore,
la région la plus populaire fut de loin le
circuit de randonnée du lac O’Hara dans
le parc national de Yoho. Cette série de
lacs de haute altitude et de prairies alp‑
ines forme un habitat idéal, hébergeant
même une femelle et deux jeunes en
été 2013. Malheureusement, le carcajou
de cette région s’est beaucoup habitué
à la présence de randonneurs humains,
certains ne craignant pas d’approcher de
grands groupes d’au moins dix personnes,
comme l’ont démontré les 30 observa‑
tions réalisées autour de cette zone. Le
projet a reçu des rapports venus d’aussi
loin au nord que le parc provincial Stone
Mountain à la frontière de l’Alaska, et
de l’ouest jusqu’à l’île de Vancouver, et
d’endroits plus improbables comme le
terrain de golf de Banff Springs. Nous
espérons, pendant que la base de données
marmot.com
croît toujours, plus de signalements
venus d’endroits typiques et atypiques,
pour aider à identifier les zones où le
développement humain influencerait les
populations locales.
Le potentiel de ces données va au-delà
d’un simple aperçu des mouvements et
du comportement du carcajou isolé. La
science citoyenne a soutenu avec succès la
recherche empirique en Scandinavie. En
Suède, le Large Carnivore Observation
Index (LCOI, Index des observations des
grands carnivores) enrôle des chasseurs
pour signaler l’espèce protégée de l’ours
brun durant la saison de chasse à l’élan.
Comparés avec des estimations de la
population faites par des profession‑
nels indépendants, les résultats se sont
montrés assez précis statistiquement pour
que la surveillance officielle des popula‑
tions les utilise. Nous prévoyons comparer
les données de Wolverine Watch avec nos
données d’une vaste enquête de terrain
plus tard cette année.
Le fait est qu’à mesure que la base
de données de WW grandit en volume
et en durée, ses possibilités d’utilisation
augmentent pour les biologistes. Voilà
pourquoi le bouche-à-oreille et une
publicité soutenue sont si importants.
Même si vous n’avez pas eu la chance
de rencontrer un carcajou encore, visitez
notre site Web WolverineWatch.org pour
un aperçu des ressources et des initiatives
qui entourent cette espèce. Vous pourrez
même télécharger et imprimer une carte
d’identité de piste à emporter à votre
prochaine excursion alpine.
Aussi, passez le mot et gardez les
yeux ouverts : on ne sait jamais quand
apparaîtra le Glouton!
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
Gazette

été
2015 21
Helen Habgood enjoys a refreshing dip in a lovely granite tarn on the south shoulder of Barkshack Peak. Clean granite, sparkling tarns
Story and photos by Tony Knight
T
he Powell Divide is an area of
interconnecting north-south
ridges located northeast of
Powell River, B.C. One of the first
Coast Mountain traverses pioneered by
John Clarke, it features massive, clean
granite and makes for fantastic hiking
and scrambling with moderate technical
difficulty.
In September 2013, Margaret Hanson
and I hiked into the area with Patrick and
Linda Lloyd, staying at the well-main‑
tained Emma Lake cabin. It was our first
time exploring the clean granite slabs,
ramps and cirques sculpted from the last
ice age. We wanted to return.
Last September, the four of us were
joined by four more friends with plans for
a two-week North Powell Divide traverse.
Initially we planned to be dropped by
helicopter near Julian Peak then hike
south on ridges to Emma Lake and out
via the Eldred Valley using the forest
service road. Two food caches would help
ease our loads. Unfortunately, inclement
weather forced us to wait three days,
so we shortened the trip and started
near Berkshire Mountain. The flight in
allowed us to scope out the route includ‑
ing a cruxy descent on Mount Alfred’s
south side.
By noon we set up camp near a lovely
cirque lake below Berkshire Mountain.
Scrambling with light day packs towards
the ridge crest, soon we wandered across
a fantastic landscape of granodiorite
slabs punctuated with angular and pillow
shaped stone outcroppings. After easy
scrambling to Berkshire Peak we found a
small film canister. We marvelled at the

Gazette

Summer 2015
first entry:
“August 19 ’84 Hiking from Toba Inlet
to Eldred R or Freda if weather improves.
I’d like to hear about your trip. My current
address is in the membership list book in
Mountain Equipment Coop in Van BC.
Member No. 28-1. Cheers, John Clarke.”
The route sees few travellers. The next
entry, dated Aug. 5, 2006, was a group
that included Helen, who’d returned with
us. Making our way down sloping granite
slabs back to camp we stopped for a
refreshing dip in the lake.
The next morning we awoke to clear
skies and a rhythm that soon became
familiar: coffee, breakfast, pack camp and
set off. We shouldered heavy packs and
headed up onto the ridge, southward. The
scrambling occasionally became steeper as
we negotiated ridge crests, taking breaks
at scenic spots or small tarns.
We reached a small glacier on the
northwest side of Pillbox Peak, then made
a steep scramble on rock before regaining
the ridge. The route is mostly non-tech‑
nical but we brought two 30-metre ropes
for steeper exposed sections and gear for
glacier travel.
By afternoon, we found a lovely camp
site on the west shoulder of Pillbox
Peak, complete with granite tarns and
benches. We were concerned it had been
a dry summer and a low snow year, but
it turned out that tarns and water were
abundant. The pink sunset was lovely.
Heading south down slabs the next
morning, we looked for a small cliff
described by previous parties. Scrambling
down we soon located some old rap‑
pel slings. After a 20-metre rappel we
regained the ridge south of Pillbox and
enjoyed our first good look at Mount
Alfred. With one person belaying others
up a steep step, travelling on the ridge
then became easier on sidewalk smooth
granite.
The north aspects of the Powell
Divide are dominated by glacier-pol‑
ished granite while vegetation grows on
south-facing aspects. Route-finding was
sometimes tricky down bluffs and ledges.
By evening we reached our first food
cache and enjoyed much-deserved good‑
ies, and later another orange sunset.
The next day we had to decide
whether to climb Mount Barkshack
or bypass it with a long detour around
Helen Habgood belays Liz Scremin (left) and Anna Milino on steep exposed slabs leading up Barshack Peak.
2016 nGMC
ced!
ou
n
n
A
Photo by David P. Jones
its west side. Helen recalled from her
2006 trip that it was possible to gain the
ridge via steep slabs, so we scrambled up
through massive sloping corner features
and a maze of ramps. Just below the
ridge, the rope came out for one steep
exposed section—the most challenging
scrambling thus far. Regaining the ridge,
easy snow slopes led to Barkshack’s
summit where we found another badly
deteriorated note from John Clarke. The
warm day invited us to linger and absorb
360-degree Coast Mountains views but
we resisted and continued down to a
bouldery camp spot.
The next day brought mellower hiking
through lush meadows. A fat marmot
whistled loudly and we saw large piles
of bear deposits, but thankfully, none
of the depositors. We continued up and
over Ironface Mountain, which despite
the name was quite green and vegetated
to the top. There we had a good view of
the icefall coming from the west side of
Mount Alfred, tomorrow’s objective.
Descending through heather meadows
we camped by three tarns. The sunset was
golden, but clouds to the west suggested a
change might be coming. In the morning
we bashed through steep forest to reach
the toe of the icefall below Mount Alfred.
The icefall itself was impassible, but we
were able to scramble up steep ledges
beside it. The rock quality had deterior‑
ated greatly from the previous days’ clean
granite. Reaching the northwest side of
the Alfred glacier, we roped up.
By midday clouds began to obscure
Alfred’s summit, which we hoped to
climb. Instead, we continued on to find
a way off the glacier, then camped at a
spot we called Balcony Camp for its airy
location atop precipitous cliffs.
We woke to clear skies above and a
deck of cloud below. Our challenge was
to descend 600 metres of steep ledges to
the col below. As the morning warmed,
the clouds soon engulfed us making the
route-finding trickier. Stress increased
as we scrambled down a maze of ramps
hoping to unlock the combination to
reach the col. Forced to rappel, we finally
found a way that went. Reaching our
second food cache at a col above Boulder
Lake we set up camp, able to relax.
We stayed there two days, exploring
$1,795
person/week
Five weeks to choose from starting July 9, 2016, plus an Artists Camp August 13 - 18, 2016
www.alpinclubofcanada.ca/GMC
ridges extending towards Crater Lakes
while a fresh northwest wind helped clear
out the cloud and stress. The next couple
of days were mellower with moderate
scrambling towards Emma Lake and one
last tricky section of downclimbing at
The Fist. Our last camp, which we called
East View, was on the east shoulder of
Crossroads Peak.
Our last day dawned clear; except for
the bit of weather on Mount Alfred, we’d
been blessed with very good conditions.
Heading up and over Crossroads Peak,
our last high point, we could see Emma
Lake and the cabin. On the long descent
gradually the vegetation overtook the
granite boulders, but the blueberries were
ripe and good. Soon the well beaten trail
to the Eldred Valley led to our pick up,
having travelled 55 kilometres over 11 days
in a fantastic area.
Tony Knight was accompanied by
Margaret Hanson, Manrico Scremin, Liz
Scremin, Patrick Lloyd, Linda Lloyd, Helen
Habgood and Anna Milino. All are ACC
Vancouver Section members.
Linda Lloyd admires the morning light above the clouds at Balcony Camp on ledges south of Mt. Alfred.
First encounters with ice
by
I
Nourhan Labib
can feel the capillaries on my face
constricting, sending burning sensa‑
tions to my brain, reminding me how
cold it is. Tears running down beneath
my fogged up glasses and my nose all
runny, I thank God no one can see my
face up here.
I cannot help but think of the horri‑
fying stories of the infamous “screaming
barfies” told to us newbies during our
Ice Climbing 101 earlier this morning.
Screaming barfies are when climbers
vomit with pain after their climbs, as
blood rushes to their deprived fingers.
When a climber is up for long enough
and in cold enough conditions, the body
limits blood flowing to the arms to heat
the core. The blood is further dimin‑
ished with all the axe pounding and the
elevated position of the arms. When
the blood starts flowing normally to the
arms, the pain can be so excruciating as to
induce vomiting. Definitely not the most
cheerful stories to remember when I am
up here climbing!
Does the 10 minutes I have been up
here qualify to get these barfies? Maybe
I should just go down now. I have not
even gone a quarter of the way up but I
don’t want to take any chances and puke
on my first day out with the Alpine Club
of Canada. That will send me home with
enough embarrassment that I won’t show
them my face again. Yes, I should go
down.
That was my first ice climb. I did not
puke that day. It was early January, and
Nourhan Labib, far right, gathers with fellow
Thunder Bay Section members after a great day
on the ice at Mount McKay, Ontario.
in Thunder Bay, Ontario, it definitely
gets cold enough to get these barfies.
I just didn’t. Maybe the fear of getting
them stopped me from climbing any
higher. Maybe all the tumbling and
falling during the challenging approach
in deep snow blew my confidence and my
body refused to cooperate. After all, an
unbelieving mind cannot push the body
further than it believes it can go. I felt I
owed it to myself to try again. I did not
really enjoy my ice climbing experience,
but if I don’t try again, I will never know
if I could physically climb to the top.
I signed up for the following week’s
ice climb. The hardest part of that day
was waking up early on a Sunday and
trading my warm and cozy bed for a body
squeezing harness and my pillow for a
heavy set of tools in the chilly outdoors. I
longingly stared at my bed while putting
on my thermals and snow pants.
At the climbing spot, I noticed that
day was different from the previous
Sunday. The sun was out. The sky was not
grey and gloomy. I could feel the sun’s
energy gently touching my face; that
energy being converted to willpower to
climb a bit higher. And that’s what I did.
It only took a couple more axe swings and
feet placements to go that extra few feet.
I could not have possibly grown stronger
in a week to go further if my strength was
the only limit. I only went halfway up the
same line, but that was enough to boost
my confidence. I didn’t get a chance to try
my newfound confidence that day, but it
Nourhan Labib celebrates after climbing to the
top of her first ice climbing route. hoto: Mary England
p
didn’t matter. Inside me a little kid was
grinning mischievously after trespassing
a fence when no one was looking. But
the fence was placed by the kid against
herself, and she could not wait to cross it
again.
A few weeks passed and it was the
Section’s last climb of the season. This
time, I did not hit the snooze button. In
fact, I woke up earlier than I had set my
alarm for and quickly jumped out of bed.
It was time to conquer both my mind and
the mount, my last chance to reach the
top. My logic was simple; if it only took a
few extra steps to climb from my previous
quarter way to halfway, then it would only
take a few extra steps to go all the way.
Things went pretty well when I started
climbing. I crossed the quarter way point
and the halfway point. My good luck
Nourhan Labib joined the ACC’s Thunder Bay Section in January, 2015 because she
wanted to “give nature another chance”. Here’s how she discovered the ACC…
I never thought I was an outdoorsy person. This is partly thanks to my parents,
both very much city people, who on our first (and last) camping experience, forgot
the poles for our tent and we had to use the tent as a blanket. You can imagine how
the rest of the trip went with our high level of expertise and preparedness. You see, we
were all born in Cairo, Egypt, a city with hardly any nature in it or surrounding it, so I
do not blame them, really.
In 2014, when I was on exchange in Australia, I came across the Melbourne University
Mountaineering Club at a clubs’ day event. They were really fun to talk to so I decided
to give nature another chance. We went canyoning in the Blue Mountains and that
was one of the best experiences of my life. We also did some rock climbing, kayaking
and camping (this time with tent poles), which I loved. The MUMC was the best part
of my Australian trip. I returned to Canada with a totally different perspective and
couldn’t help but wonder about all the things I had been missing. I Googled “outdoors
clubs” and found the Alpine Club of Canada.

Gazette

Summer 2015
Community bids farewell to Honorary Member
by
Paul Geddes, ACC Mountain Culture Committee member
A
lpine Club of Canada Honorary
Member John Oliver Wheeler
celebrated his 90th birthday on
Dec. 19, 2014. As a tribute to his great
contributions to Canadian geology and
mapmaking, the Geological Association of
Canada published an article highlighting
his accomplishments in their spring quar‑
terly newsletter GEOLOG. Much respected
throughout his career, colleagues, family
and friends gathered in North Vancouver in
January to celebrate with John.
Many ACC members have read Among The Great Hills, Three Generations of Wheelers
& Their Contributions to the Mapping of Mountains, by R.W. Sandford. The booklet was
written as part of the ACC’s Summit Series of mountain biographies. John Wheeler was
Patron of the Club’s Centennial Mountain Guides Ball in 2006. In the book, Sandford
wrote, “In the Wheeler family tradition, John played the game with consummate skill,
quiet passion and great dignity.”
John Wheeler’s example as a leader, mentor and guide throughout his long
career is legendary. Beginning in Yukon Territory in the 1950s with geological
mapping of the Selwyn and Pelly Mountains, and also the St. Elias Mountains, per‑
haps the most rugged terrain in Canada, John went on to map Canada’s Southern
Cordillera—the Selkirk, Monashee and western Rocky Mountains of southern
British Columbia. For more than 40 years, from the 1950s to 1990s, Wheeler and
colleagues gathered and compiled geological knowledge of the Cordillera. John has
provided the earth science community with a huge legacy of accomplishments, and
is an enduring example of leadership excellence. Read the full GEOLOG article at:
www.gac.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Geolog_V44N1_final.pdf
Just days after Paul Geddes submitted this article to the Gazette, we received news that
John O. Wheeler had died. Look for a full Remembrance in the 2016 issue of the Canadian
Alpine Journal. —Ed.
charm, the sun, was out, the weather was
relatively warm and I was not tired. After
the halfway, the climb became all of a
sudden steeper. It didn’t appear to be that
steep when I was at the bottom. But that
was the first rule of ice climbing: It is
always steeper than it looks. The second
is: All the experienced climbers are at the
bottom.
With every additional axe swing, my
arms grew more tired and to my frustra‑
tion, none of my swings were penetrating
the ice. My legs shook as I tried to
maintain a half squat position with my
knees bent and my heels pressed toward
the ground. Looking up I could see the
anchor only a few feet away. I looked
down below my wide open, awkwardly
positioned feet, and saw how far I had
climbed. Watching my belayer chatting
with the rest of the group, I couldn’t hear
a word, only the sounds of my breathing,
racing to provide oxygen to my fatigued
muscles. I was so close.
With a deep breath, I started up
again. A few more unsuccessful swings
and booyah! I was back on track. With
no place for doubt, I pressed on my legs
and reached up on my toes to touch the
anchor with my tools. I looked around
John Oliver Wheeler
December 19, 1924 - May 24, 2015
Born in Mussoorie, India to Sir
Edward Oliver (Surveyor General of
India) and Lady Dorothea Wheeler,
John attended Shawnigan Lake School
on Vancouver Island while his par‑
ents remained in India. John began
his lifelong love of the mountains in
the Rockies at age 10 guided by his
grandfather, A.O. Wheeler, co-founder
of the Alpine Club of Canada. John
was a keen athlete, excelling at hik‑
ing, mountaineering and skiing. He
graduated from the University of
British Columbia (UBC) in Geological
Engineering and earned his PhD in
Geology from Columbia University
in New York. “J.O.” had a long and
rewarding career with the Geological
Survey of Canada (GSC). As an emeri‑
tus research scientist he co-compiled
the Geological Map of North America.
He was recognized for his work,
receiving the Massey Medal (Royal
Canadian Geographical Society), the
GSC’s Logan Medal, and an Honorary
Doctor of Science from UBC.
John is survived by his loving wife
Nora, their two daughters and four
grandchildren.
to take in the majestic view; bare trees
covered with snow, ice slabs covering Lake
Superior and of course Thunder Bay’s
landmark, the Sleeping Giant. I wanted to
wake the Giant up to share my happiness
with him. I wanted to scream it to the
whole world. I finally finished the climb!
Winter Leadership Course for ACC Volunteers
Twice a year, ACC sections from across
the country send their leaders to
The North Face – ACC
Leadership Course
Application Deadline: October 15, 2015
Location TBA | Jan. 23 - 31, 2016 | $995
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/tnf

Gazette

été
2015 25
Profile: Elise Sethna
by Lynn
G
Martel
rowing up in Banff, Alberta, Elise Sethna enjoyed downhill skiing, cross-coun‑
try running, swimming and hiking. She won her first climbing competition
at nine, and her first Tour de Bloc at 14. Now 21, she’s won five Youth Lead
National Championships, and the Canadian Bouldering National Championships in
2012, 2014 and 2015. She also holds the women’s world record for the biggest dyno.
What attracted you to climbing?
When I was young I com‑
peted in gymnastics, skating and downhill
skiing. I watched a climbing film at the
Banff Mountain Film Festival when I was
eight and was intrigued by the passion
and friendship involved in the sport. My
brother, Eric, and I spent hours on the
festival’s climbing wall. Following Eric, I
joined the Banff climbing team at eight.
I loved pushing myself further to get
higher on the wall.
How did your first competition go?
In my first year climbing, Chris
Neve was my coach and I competed in
the entire Canadian circuit, including
nationals. Competing meant I could
meet awesome kids with the same love of
climbing and adventure.
Why did you continue competing?
I’ve always been competitive.
Competition climbing involves a very
personal competition between your own
mind and body, the elements, and the
wall. I’ve always liked individual sports
where if I put in the work and prepare my
mind and body, I can get the outcome I
want. Competition is also a great social
experience—I’ve met some of my best
Elise Sethna makes beautiful moves on a
warm-up route at a picturesque crag in Rodellar,
Spain. p hoto: Pam Eveleigh
friends from the competition circuits.
What motivates you to try harder?
I fell in love with the mental
challenge where every route or boulder
is a new problem to solve with a new
sequence to unlock. I’m continuously
learning from every climb and movement.
It’s exhilarating to be in the spotlight
and perform under intense pressure. This
feeling of putting myself in the zone
and feeling my mind and body connect
motivates me to train hard.
How do you prepare for competitions?
In my experience, oftentimes the
competitor who has mastered their mind
game wins, not necessarily the physically
strongest climber. I prepare by creating
a routine to put my mind and body in a
state where I can perform to the best of
my ability—eating the same foods, doing
visualization exercises. My anxiety dis‑
appears when I feel I have prepared fully.
I put the work in throughout the year.
Every competition is different and I learn
something about my climbing strengths
and weaknesses after each. I use this to
alter my training and preparation.
What was your first international
competition like?
It was the IFSC Youth Lead World
Championships in Australia, at 14. It was
definitely an eye opener! The competitive
field outside Canada is huge, the routes
are harder and more complex, there are
more competitors and the walls are bigger
and more intense. It was an exciting chal‑
lenge that fuelled my interest in pushing
far past my limits on Canadian soil.
What are you studying in university?
I just finished my third year
of a four-year Honours Bachelor
of Commerce program at Queen’s
University in Ontario. A lot of the rea‑
sons I love climbing are the same reasons
I love business; you are always faced with
new challenges and have to use your
mind in creative ways to solve problems
under pressure.
How do you balance studying with
training and competing?
Elise Sethna demonstrates her power and style at
the Canadian National Championships at the Bloc
Shop in Montreal, in March. p hoto: Nic Charron
I train at Kingston’s Boiler Room
Climbing Gym with a good crew of
motivated climbers three or four times a
week, and compete most weekends while
in school. I’ve learned to manage my time
in order to succeed—in athletics, extra‑
curriculars and my studies.
Does competing add to your studies?
When I compete I get in a
mental zone where I am able to think
clearly, analyze my situation, draw on
my strengths, determine my strategy and
commit. When things go wrong, I’ve
learned to maintain this same mindset,
refocus, reanalyze and commit again.
Competition climbing at its essence is
problem solving, requiring a high level
of focus, creativity and discipline similar
to what is required to perform well in
business school. I think they are highly
complementary.
What is your training regime?
I train my power endurance by
doing hard boulder circuits, weighted
climbing, system board training and
lock off training. In endurance phases,
I climb as much as possible and stay on
the wall for long periods, while targeting
specific moves and angles that are my
weaknesses. I weight train in the gym
for upper body and antagonist injury
prevention exercises. For mental training,
I keep a climbing journal and analyze my
thoughts and mindset when I succeed
and when I fail.
Do you learn from fellow competitors?
Constantly! I read the blogs
of many of my idols, including Sasha
Digullian and Anna Stohr, whom I’ve
competed against. I’ve learned everyone
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has their own routine and training regime
that works for them. There is no “recipe”
for success. You have to work hard, find
what works for your own body and com‑
mit to training and competing to succeed.
Who are your biggest mentors?
My previous climbing coach,
Dung Nguyen. I trained at the V’sion
Climbing Gym [Canmore] throughout
my childhood. He introduced me to
my first open competition when I was
very young and pushed me to realize my
potential on rock and in competition.
He never stopped believing in me and
because of that I learned to define my
own limits. My coaches have inspired me
to dream big and opened my life to new
corners of the world, new friends and
new challenges.
Do you have any climbing goals?
I’m a big believer in goal set‑
ting. I wanted to win nationals this year.
Setting a goal to win is not necessarily in
my control, but my preparation is. I set
smaller, more tangible goals that I can
control, including sticking to my training
schedule and eating healthy. I succeeded!
I made Canada’s national team and I’ll
compete in the Toronto and Munich
World Cups this summer. In the Rockies
I have plenty of unfinished projects to
complete!
What does climbing add to your life?
It’s taught me discipline and
hard work from a young age; inspired
a sense of wonder about the world and
a desire to explore. It’s led me to new
friends, new mentors, and motivated my
desire to succeed in everything I do. It’s
brought me closer to my family and likeminded friends.
Are there any downsides?
Honestly, I just love to climb.
There are times when I find training hard
and I don’t want to pull anymore, or my
fingers hurt so bad they are bleeding or I
don’t want to hike up two hours to a crag
or I fall on the first move of a route at a
competition or I get frustrated because
I can’t figure out the sequence. But, all
these challenges are what make the sport
fun and interesting.
ACC Board of Directors elections
The Spring Gazette contained a Nominations Committee notice offering a slate
of Board of Directors candidates for the May 2015 to May 2017 term and describing
the manner in which additional candidates could be nominated by Club members
on or before Monday, March 30, 2015. As no further nominations where received by
the deadline, the following candidates were declared elected by acclamation at the
2015 Annual General Meeting of members:
Treasurer: N
eil Bosch
VP Access & Environment: Wayne Campbell
VP Activities: Frank Spears
VP Facilities: Jim Gudjonson
VP Services & Athletics: David Foster
Also, a big thank you goes to Carl Hannigan, for his enormous and invaluable
dedication to the Club in serving as VP Facilities for 12 years.
Read the profiles of these and other board members at alpineclubofcanada.ca.

Gazette

été
2015 27
Assureur du Club alpin du Canada depuis longtemps, Travel Underwriters s’appelle maintenant TuGo. Pour en savoir plus sur notre assurance voyage idéale, contactez le CAC dès maintenant.
TuGo™ offre une couverture d’hélicoptère
par Leah
L
Chang
es membres du Club alpin du
Canada se demandent souvent si
l’assurance voyage TuGo couvre
l’hélicoptère-ambulance. La réponse est
oui!
La prestation de nos services ambu‑
lanciers couvre TOUT service autorisé
d’intervention médicale d’urgence. Vous
ne trouverez pas le mot «hélicoptère»
dans notre police car elle couvre TOUS
les services d’ambulance par voie aéri‑
enne, maritime ou terrestre. Si vous êtes
en situation d’urgence médicale, nous
vous aiderons à vous rendre dans l’étab‑
lissement médical le plus proche pour des
soins immédiats. Autres bonnes nouvelles
pour les membres du CAC: les services
d’intervention médicale d’urgence ne
nécessitent pas d’être préalablement
approuvés.
Notre prestation de transport aérien
d’urgence aide beaucoup dans la situation
où vous êtes blessé et que vous êtes déjà
arrivé au centre de traumatologie le plus
proche, mais que votre situation requiert
que vous soyez transporté par voie aéri‑
enne vers un autre hôpital ou que vous
rentriez au Canada pour y être soigné.
Cela se produit souvent dans l’ar‑
rière-pays où l’hôpital le plus proche ne
peut fournir tous les services nécessaires.
Dans ce dernier cas, le transport aérien
doit être pré-approuvé. Lorsqu’il n’est
pas lié à une intervention d’urgence, le
transport aérien doit être pré-approuvé.
Nous utilisons souvent l’évacuation par
voie aérienne pour transférer chez eux
des Canadiens blessés. Si vous êtes aux
États-Unis, être transporté par les airs au
Canada peut être un meilleur choix que se
faire traiter aux États-Unis. Votre traite‑
ment peut alors commencer à la maison,
entouré par vos proches et des profession‑
nels de la santé de votre région pour toute
Alpine Club of Canada
votre guérison.
Quand l’hélicoptère ou l’ambulance
aérienne ne sont-ils PAS couverts? S’il
n’y a pas d’urgence médicale, l’assurance
médicale ne couvre pas l’évacuation par
hélicoptère. Peu d’assureurs couvriront
le transport aérien pour des raisons
environnementales ou climatiques.
Certains randonneurs pris (mais
indemnes) dans les avalanches du Népal
en octobre dernier, ont été surpris que
leur assureur ne veuille pas rembourser
leur tour d’hélicoptère hors de la zone,
mais l’assurance voyage ne s’appelle pas
médicale pour rien, n’est-ce pas?
Alors, continuez d’envoyer vos questions! Nous sommes assurément là pour
vous aider.
Leah Chang est une grimpeuse qui travaille pour TuGo. Pour plus d’informations
sur l’Assurance Voyage TuGoMC, visitez
tugo.com.
MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES
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Dec. 4 - 6, 2015 or Jan. 23 - 25, 2016 $595
Multiple dates (check website)
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www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/adventures | [email protected]
The Alpine Club of Canada’s long-time travel insurance provider, Travel Underwriters, is now TuGo. To learn about our great travel insurance for your alpine adventures, contact the ACC today.
TuGo™ Travel Insurance covers helicopter
caught in the Nepal avalanches last
October were surprised when their travel
insurer wouldn’t reimburse their helicop‑
ter ride out of the area. It’s called travel
medical insurance for a reason, right?
Mountain
Guides
Ball
Patron:
Helen Sovdat
PSST!
Rimrock Resort Hotel
FUNDRAISER
Silent Auction
3 Course Dinner
Live Band
Tickets $110
CA
IATION
OF
Guide. Mentor. Friend.
October 24, 2015
OC
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/MGB
N A DI A N M
O
A
CMG
A
TAIN GUIDE
UN
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.
So, keep your questions coming!
We’re here to help—however we can.
Leah Chang is a climber who works for
TuGo. For more information about TuGo
Travel Insurance, visit tugo.com.
SS
lpine Club of Canada mem‑
bers often ask if TuGo Travel
Insurance covers helicopter
ambulance. Yes, it does!
Our ambulance services benefit
covers ANY licensed emergency med‑
ical response service. You won’t find the
word “helicopter” in our policy because
we cover ALL ambulance services via
air, sea or ground. If you’re in a medical
emergency, we’ll get you to the nearest
medical facility for immediate care. Good
news for ACC members: emergency
medical response services do not need
pre-approval.
Our emergency air transportation
benefit helps if you’ve already been evacu‑
ated to the nearest medical facility, but
need to be airlifted to a different hospital
or, when travelling, back to Canada for
treatment. This often happens in remote
areas where the first response hospital
doesn’t have the services you need.
In this situation, you do need
pre-approval for air transportation. Air
transportation, when not related to a first
response situation, needs to be pre-approved. We often use air evacuation to
transfer injured Canadians back home. If
you’re in the U.S., airlift to Canada can be
better for you than staying for treatment
in the States. This way, your healing can
begin at home, surrounded by the support
of family and friends and local healthcare
professionals who can see you through
your entire recovery.
When is helicopter or air ambulance
NOT covered? If there is no medical
emergency, travel medical insurance
doesn’t cover helicopter evacuation. Very
few insurance providers will cover airlift
due to environmental or climate-related
conditions. Some unscathed trekkers
26th annual
A
Chang
S
by Leah
The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides

Gazette

été
2015 29
CLASSIFIEDS
AFFORDABLE
Himalaya & Seattle Glacier School
5% discount for acc members
Lawrence White and daughter explore Devil’s Garden in Arches National Park, Utah. Open Air
by Lawrence White
I
am an “old dad”. An OD. It’s a fact.
My daughter was born two months
before I turned 40. And as any OD
will tell you, being an OD comes with its
pros and cons. The energy to raise a child
is immense, like an expedition, except it
never ends. It’s an experience cycle that
keeps going. Unlike most adventures that
have the three-fun paradigm (fun before,
fun during and fun after—though not
always all three) parenting really only has
the fun in anticipation and the fun dur‑
ing, which again, are not always assured.
There is no fun after phase, no time to
reflect and laugh about the near misses
and enjoyment in accomplishment. It just
goes on and on, each experience building
on the past, for better or for worse. For an
OD it can be absolutely draining to the
point of an existential absurdity in the
purity of its pursuit that, were I younger,
I either would not have considered, or
would have had more energy than I knew
what to do with anyway. However, being
an OD does come with a certain amount
of life experience and, hopefully, wisdom.
The ability to reflect a little more on what’s
happening in the chaos of my home, to
have that extra bit of patience—where in
my younger years I would have lost my
mind—is on the whole, a good thing.
I had a pretty good run from 20 to
40 years of age, living relatively carefree
though not really understanding just
how carefree until I had a kid. Back
then I would wonder how it is that ACC
members would join, and then lapse their
membership, only to rejoin years later.
Almost without fail people would say,
“oh—I had kids and I just didn’t have the
time.” It didn’t register with me. I would
think to myself, “there is no way I’m
going to let my life change just because of

Gazette

Summer 2015
a child, he/she will ascribe to my schedule
and activities.” Much like how I would
jeer at parents who adjusted their entire
day around a nap. “If I have a child, they
will sleep wherever I am.” Well guess
what—younger me had no idea what the
hell I was talking about. OD totally gets
why people lapse their memberships now,
why they make sure they are in a place
baby can nap, and why they don’t have
the time to recreate the way they once
did. But it only reinforces my desire to
reach those members and ensure they can
stay engaged in the mountain community
even if they are not actually “getting out”
as much as they once did.
This is a new community for me, the
community of parents, young and old.
And like all of the communities to which
I belong, this one too has its strength
in a mutual understanding of just what
is involved. No secret handshakes, but
shared beta and comparative war stories.
Intuitively I always knew that the Alpine
Club was a conduit through which I
could stay connected to my mountain
community in so many ways other than
climbing. But since becoming a father, I
really get it now. I engage in my moun‑
tain world through other means; reading,
socials, supporting others in their pur‑
suits. Like my small family at home, this
is my big family outside. It’s rewarding to
hear others share with me their experi‑
ences in the mountains of places I have
also been. And I look forward to sharing
those places in turn with my daughter.
Because even though the harder pursuits
have taken a hiatus, there is still plenty
of gas left in this OD. For now though,
I will enjoy supporting and exploring
everything else that is good about the
culture of mountains.
Climbing and walking trips for men
and women, with Dan Mazur.
All ages and abilities, expert to novice.
Everest summit climbs, training
climbs, and treks, Mount Elbrus, Ama
Dablam, Cho Oyu, Baruntse, North
Col, Lhotse, Everest Glacier School,
Island Peak, Muztagh Ata, Mera
Peak, Shishapangma, Aconcagua,
Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya. Charity
Service Walks near Everest, Seattle
Glacier School during summer and
Canada-USA
Friendship
winter
climbing school (free, no charge).
www.SummitClimb.com
[email protected]
NOTICES
UPCOMING EVENTS
Mountain Guides Ball:
October 24, 2015 in Banff
●●
UPCOMING DEADLINES
Winter TNF Course:
Applications due by Oct. 15, 2015
●●
STAY ON TOP OF THE
CLIMBING NEWS
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related news and events, ACC national
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and much more. Subscribe at
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Nahanni révèle une beauté inexplorée Nahanni reveals unexplored

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