AnnouncementsJune 2001
Barbecue Time !!
It's that time of year, when our monthly meeting is the annual barbecue. As last year, the cost is only $8.00 for food and beer, but, if you bring a ready-made backcountry meal and recipe, you pay only half price. The meal should be suitable for carrying and preparing in the backcountry. So, come socialize.
June 19th, 6:00 PM
Strathcona Community League
10139 - 87 Avenue
Comin' Up
Report from your Executive
Well, this is it for it for the season. This is your last Breeze before September, so now it's time for summer trips. Just don't forget the barbecue in June.
Much of the last executive meeting was spent reviewing the results of the national AGM and Board Meeting (reviewed by Enid Higham in this issue). Three of our members attended those meetings: David Zemrau as VP Services (national), Enid Higham as Edmonton Section Rep, and Frank Geddes as observer and co-editor of the upcoming publication Alpine Accidents in Canada.
Of special note to our section was the decision of the Board to recognize Ken Larlee and Julia Keenliside with Distinguished Service Awards (See pg. 5).
Last month, you should have received a copy of the summer schedule with your Breeze. A few additions are noted in this issue, but to keep up to date, you should check out our website at alpineclub-edm.org or check the local climbing stores for postings. For those of you on ListBot, you'll be advised by e-mail of any changes as they arise.
Regular meetings resume at the Varscona in September. Meanwhile, take lots of pictures for next fall and have an exciting and safe summer!
You'll see a list of newly announced trips on page 9 and some leadership courses on page 10. However, since this is the last newsletter until September, you won't receive any future updates for the summer. You can find any changes to the trips schedule by going to our website and, of course, you will be notified by e-mail as changes arise if you subscribe to ListBot.
Announcements
Hostelling International AGM
June 6th - 6:30 PM
Strathcona Community League
10139 - 87 Avenue
The ACC is invited to participate in the Hostelling International (Northern Alberta) annual general meeting in early June. Individual hostel members are also invited to run for a board position. The evening will include information, display fair, annual report, member input and questions, election of directors, bylaw amendments and a presentation by renowned outdoors interpreter and author of the recent book Raven's End, Ben Gadd. Free refreshments, parking and childcare available, for members. Further information at (780) 432-7798, or website at www.hostellingintl.ca/Alberta/.
Track 'n Trail Gear Night
Track 'n Trail is sponsoring a joint Gear Night for both the Grant MacEwan Mountain Club and the Alpine Club of Canada members on June 25, 2001. There will be specials and discounts at the store, so get your shopping list ready!
Alpine Accidents in Canada
The Services portfolio of the Alpine Club of Canada is pleased to announce a new safety-based publication, entitled Alpine Accidents in Canada. Its scope will expand on the Canadian mountaineering accidents that we normally include in Accidents in North American Mountaineering, which we will continue to jointly produce with the American Alpine Club. For example, the latter publication doesn't include accidents from ski touring, ski mountain-eering, hiking or scrambling, all of which are ACC-sponsored activities that will be embraced by our new publication. We will also include self-propelled avalanche incidents while incorporating a philosophy that the analysis of every incident is a learning experience that our members can use to avoid a similar fate.
We will be departing from the traditional method of distribution for this publication by placing it on our website in Adobe PDF format. (Software to read PDF is available for free download on both the PC and Macintosh platforms). For those who do not have Internet access, we will also provide one-off printed versions for a nominal price.
As we are targeting the first edition for this fall, we request that members send us any accident reports that they feel should be included by 30 June. These can be e-mailed to rod.plasman@town.banff.ab.ca. Please send the submission as either plain text or a Microsoft Word attachment. Hard copy can be mailed to: Rod Plasman, 132 Settler Way, Canmore, AB, T1W 1E2
Banff Mountain Book Festival
The deadline for entries to the 2001 Banff Mountain Book Festival's international book competition is August 15, 2001, but advance notice of an entry would be appreciated. Mail or fax a copy of the entry form to:
Shannon O'Donoghue
Banff Mountain Book Festival
Banff Centre for Mountain Culture
Box 1020, 107 Tunnel Mountain Drive
Banff, AB, T0L 0C0
Tel: 403-762-6406
Fax: 403-762-6277
e-mail: shannon_odonoghue@banffcentre.ca
You can also find out more about this year's festival on their website at www.banffcentre.ca/CMC and download the competition entry form here.
Sierra Club Outings
The Sierra Club of Canada is offering various day trips and weekend outings over the summer and fall, ranging from free weekly explorations of Edmonton's flora and fauna to three-day weekends at Mt. Robson and the Whaleback (starting at $50.00). For more information, contact them at:
Sierra Club Prairie Chapter
10511 Saskatchewan Drive
Edmonton, AB, T6E 4S1
Tel: 780.439.1160
Fax: 780.437.3932
www.sierraclub.ca/prairie
Climbing News
Climbing Wall Update
Just a reminder that summer hours at the U of A climbing wall are 6:00 - 9:00 on Wednesday nights. If you can't get out to the crags, it's a good chance to keep up your skills. You'll have the chance to talk to other climbers about trips taken and trips going. So, if you need beta or climbing partners, come on down.
The 2nd Annual Spring Bouldering Clinic has come and gone. It was fully subscribed with 12 climbers and two very capable instructors: Simon Robbins and Trevor Tyre. Feedback from some participants indicates that the clinic was extremely helpful and tons 'o fun, too! The bouldering problems that were put up for this clinic are still in place, so you can come and try them for yourself.
Again, I would like to mention that we have access to extra times at the climbing wall. Sunday evenings (4:00 - 7:00) are typically available for our use, provided we book in advance. If you have ideas for clinics, friendly competitions, family climbing times, or similar get in touch with me, and we can make the arrangements. Climb safe, and see you at the wall!
- Enid Higham
Deserving Awards
Distinguished Service Awards
Two Edmonton Section members - Ken Larlee and Julia Keenliside - are new recipients of the Distinguished Service Award, as awarded by the national Board of Directors on the advice of the awards committee. This award (originally called the Service Badge) is given for outstanding service to the Club in matters other than mountaineering, either voluntarily or greatly exceeding the value of any remuneration:
1. toward furthering the aims of the Club, or
2. on a committee or project of the Club, or
3. in providing leadership of a large undertaking of the Club, or
4. towards the activities of a Club Section
Ken Larlee has been involved in many areas of the Alpine Club. He has assisted with renovations on the Wates-Gibson and Bow Huts, was chair of the Alberta Sections, was chair and Climbing Chairman of the Edmonton Section, and helped design and construct the climbing wall at the University of Alberta.
"In summary he has provided an invaluable contribution to the Alpine Club and the Edmonton Section."
Julia Keenliside has chaired the Jennifer Higgins Fund committee since its inception and has been Membership Coordinator, Chair and Section Representative for the Edmonton Section.
"Julia has promoted and encouraged women both at a local and national level to be involved in mountaineering to a greater degree."
We salute both of them. Congratulations, Ken and Julia, and thanks for your dedicated efforts.
A. O. Wheeler Legacy Award
Also at the national meeting, the Board of Directors unanimously agreed to bestow upon Mike Mortimer the A. O. Wheeler Legacy Award. This award is available only to members who have made a long-term commitment to the goals and objectives of the ACC, and who have served and participated at the National level of the Club through service to multiple committees, projects or activities over a period of at least seven years. Successful nominees may be either volunteers or employees, whose work resulted in substantive, meaningful and long-lasting improvements in the Club and its operation, and who already hold the Distinguished Service Award.
Mike has served the ACC in various capacities for over 20 years, most notably as President for the last 6˝ years. We'll continue to benefit from his vigor as he fills the newly created post of VP External.
Report: Spring 2001 Board of Directors Meeting
by Enid Higham. Edmonton Section Representative
The spring ACC Board of Directors Meeting was held in Canmore on May 5 - 6. The meetings are attended by the National Executive Committee and the Section Representatives. The National office staff is well represented, and there are usually some additional guests who attend part or all of the proceedings, depending on the reason for their attendance. Suffice it to say that there is a whole wack of folks sitting in sessions for two days, twice a year, dealing with the inner workings of the Alpine Club of Canada!
I will do my best to tell you the highlights of the meetings.
Membership and Finance
Overall ACC membership is up by 7% over one year. The Thunder Bay section had the highest percentage increase (up 39.8% to 144 members), while the Rocky Mountain section surpassed 800 members in May of this year. Edmonton section membership is up a respectable 18.1% over last year to 366 members.
Membership does not pay for itself: The average revenue per member-ship is $19.17, while the average cost per membership is more than double at $42.14 (a $22.97 deficit). However, $150,000 in projected excess revenues comes almost exclusively from facilities (huts). Also, the Canadian Alpine Centre (Lake Louise) continues to generate revenue for the ACC.
The finance committee and facilities portfolio have been working closely to develop a long-range capital needs plan. Capital expenditures equivalent to the current facilities depreciation rate are insufficient to maintain and improve the facilities, so a mechanism must be found to provide the extra revenue required.
A membership fee increase will likely have to be considered as part of the FY 2002 budget process. The exact amount will be determined in the fall, and information will be forthcoming at the end of August.
Access and Environment
The Access and Environment committee will review proposed changes to national policy (submitted by Edmonton section) and will report their recommen-dations to the fall Board meeting-please contact Alison Dinwoodie if you can help out with the A&E committee.
Services
Rod Plasman announced the new publication Alpine Accidents in Canada should be available in the fall (see pg. 3). It will be put together through the combined efforts of Nancy Hansen, Rod Plasman, Frank Geddes, Edwina Podemski, Cyril Shokoples, and David Zemrau
We have a new internet service provider for the national website. Anyone who notices problems with the website should inform National. Rod Plasman will be starting a strategy planning committee for the website. There was a suggestion that section web masters be on that committee!
David Zemrau is the new VP Services. Congratulations Dave!
Activities
Camps continue to be good value and of benefit to members. Overall, camps run at a mere 1.6% profit margin.
National winter camps to Argentine Glacier, 2 Wapta traverses, Fairy Meadow and the Introduction to Winter Camps were all very successful. Clemenceau was postponed until next year. The St. Elias camp will run, with reduced numbers, only possible because guides Helen Sovdat and Steve Ludwig have generously reduced their fees for this camp.
Summer camps are well subscribed. All regular camps and GMC weeks are full, with waiting lists, but there are still places on the 4-day camps.
We want to encourage strong and deserving trip leaders to apply for leadership courses offered by ACC. If you feel ready to take a leadership course, contact the section executive.
Facilities
Jeff Potter reported that sections are being offered a discount on section camps at Wates-Gibson, Fryatt and A.O. Wheeler huts until September 2002.
The Energy and Waste Water Management Committee is being resurrected. Volunteers are needed for this committee. This initiative shows how ACC is becoming a leader and innovator in the area of responsible back-country hut use and management.
Jeff will be meeting with the Northern Alberta Hostelling Association to discuss a possible joint hostel operation in Jasper.
A 5-year strategic plan will deal with hut upgrades. As huts are the main source of revenue for ACC, these facilities must definitely be well maintained.
Clubhouse expansion is well underway, with the current focus on improving the very cramped office space. As funds become available, the remaining phases will be completed, including an improved reception area, high-tech map room, gallery, and drying room with security cameras. This is a big project, and it looks to be being managed very capably and frugally by John Harrop. His attention to details of flow pattern, maximizing views and re-using building material such as windows, is evident and admirable. Next time you go to the Clubhouse, check out the plans.
Publications
The Mt. Alberta Project book has been released. Called By This Mountain: The Legend of the Silver Ice Axe and the Early Climbing History of Mt. Alberta, by Bob Sandford, is a co-publication of the Alpine Club of Canada and the Japanese Alpine Club.
There is a plan to publish the ACC huts guide on the national website.
A forthcoming Western Canada Huts guidebook will include ACC huts, thereby superceding the need to publish our own hard-copy guidebook. This new publication is co-authored by Albertans Brian Anderson and Jim Scott. It will bear the ACC logo on its cover, and ACC will be able to purchase bulk orders at a discount. Look for it in upcoming months, available from Canmore.
The Gazette will move from the current 4 times per year at 16 pages, to 3 times per year at 24 pages. Advertising will represent the same 30% of its content. The actual dollar difference for this production format will not change much (slightly less expensive), but the saving on time and workloads of volunteers and staff will be considerable.
Canadian Centre for Mountaineering
In his review, Cam Roe stated that his vision is for the CCM to be "the umbrella portfolio for all mountain-eering activities within the ACC." Four committees come under this umbrella:
2001 is the International Year of the Bear. Please check out the very good website at www.yearofthegreatbear.com.
We want to be putting more effort into attracting student members into the ACC. To that end, we will be investigating opportunities to engage in joint projects and sponsorships with Student Outdoor Clubs. Patagonia has funding available for sections to promote themselves to student clubs. If you have suggestions, and can help out with this project, please contact any member of your executive.
2006 marks the Centennial Year for the Alpine Club of Canada. (The American Alpine Club celebrates its centennial in 2002, while the Japanese have theirs in 2005). A Centennial Committee will discuss ways to celebrate this event on a national and regional basis. So far, they are looking at an international camp in 2006. Any further ideas and input will be greatly appreciated. If you have historical records, stories, photographs or artifacts that relate to the Edmonton section or National that could be used for publication, they would be most welcome.
Vancouver section Rep., Fern Hietkamp, is heading up the "International Year of the Mountain" and is looking for interested volunteers to assist her in initiatives for 2002.
I would like to say how impressed I have been by the overwhelming amount of work that is done by volunteers, committee members, and office staff of the Alpine Club of Canada. This is a many-faceted organization, and the efforts that go on behind the scenes by legions of skilled people are monumental. Keeping the operation running smoothly requires hundreds of hours of dedicated volunteer time every month. They, and the most excellent office staff, should be congratulated for jobs well done!
Likewise, congratulations and thanks are due to our own executive committee who also selflessly dedicate many hours of work each month, making sure that there are programs, speakers, facilities, gear, newsletters, websites, e-mail notices, courses, social functions and support in place for members to enjoy and take advantage of. The best way for you to show your appreciation would be to pitch in and volunteer your services, too! There are plenty of ways to help out, without actually signing up for a specific committee, even if you cannot make any long-term commitments. Let us know that you are available, so that we might be able to call on you for a few hours of help. We look forward to hearing from you!
Have a great summer!
Addendum
by Frank Geddes
I had the opportunity to sit in on the aforementioned meeting, primarily because I was in Canmore to discuss the upcoming publication, Alpine Accidents in Canada, so I thought I'd throw in a few words from the perspective of a guest. As an observer, I was a non-voting member, so I kept my mouth shut-well, okay, mostly-but came away with a different view of how the ACC really works.
First of all, Enid has done an excellent job in summarizing what transpired at the meeting. To follow up on her last points about the substantial work done by the staff and volunteers, I must say I was impressed by the unity of the widely dispersed geographical sections of the ACC, which, at the same time, showed their considerably unique needs. This cohesive, yet diversity-minded, approach is something that you just don't see in the strictly local outdoors clubs that lack a national organization, and it's a perspective that you don't always appreciate from within the confines of a particular section of the ACC.
A sampling of the particulars of individual sections is as follows:
A couple of other points:
Mike Mortimer-formerly known as "The Great Leader"- has been promoting camps/trips to international alpinists, especially from Japan and Europe. Foreign alpine clubs have a substantial number of members, so we need only a fraction of them to make good use of our huts during the shoulder seasons, when they are not heavily used. The success of this venture will not only raise the profile of the ACC abroad but will contribute funds to leadership development.
The Board accepted the proposal from the Vancouver section rep, Fern Hietkamp, to host the 2002 AGM and Board Meeting. Directors agreed with the idea of holding some of the annual meetings in venues other than Canmore. Vancouver is well positioned to host the event, as three sections are fairly close and two others are also in B.C. They are so eager to ensure next year's success that they have offered to billet attendees to save costs. So, if you're in the area, who knows, even if you're not a Board member, you might be able to finagle a place to stay by offering a few drams of scotch or whatever. In any case, you'd be welcome to attend the AGM, and I'm sure that, like me, you'd come away with a broader perspective after meeting reps from the other sections
Expose Yourself
Do you want your photos and trip reports to get out more often? Or do you have a personal website that you'd like to be easily available to club members? If so, send any electronic postcards, trip reports and links to personal websites to the webmaster so that they can be uploaded to our site.
Upcoming Trips
Andrea's Additions
Mountaineering
Rick's Retreat
White Goat Wilderness High Traverse: Summer 2001
Tentative Dates: August 11-19
The White Goat High Traverse is an exquisite gem worth knowing about. Covering some seventy-two kilometers, only seventeen km are below treeline; the rest is open to the heavens. A rugged route with few trails and many hours of loose scree and steep boulder fields, it is an alpine challenge closer to an extended scramble than a hike.
The route starts at Whitegoat Creek, a few km north of David Thompson resort, and exits through Nigel Pass on the Icefields Parkway nine days later. At under 10 kilometers a day, the planned mileage is not aggressive, leaving time along the way for scrambles up peaks in the 3,000 meter range which are seldom summitted - or for lolling about in the sun.
Weather is usually good, since these front range peaks are in rain shadow from the Bigger Boys to the west.
This is a true wilderness experience. We likely won't see anyone else until we come out Nigel Pass on day 9! The route is comparable in difficulty to moderate scrambles like Temple, Rundle or Cascade--with a heavy pack!
We will leave on a Friday afternoon, and return the following Sunday evening. Timing is flexible, depending on participant availability, but mid-July onwards is usually better from a snowmelt perspective; we go over three 3,000 meter ridges on the route, for which dry conditions are very helpful. For further information or to reserve a spot, contact:
Rick Cowburn
E-mail: RCowburn@epcor.ca
Ph: (780) 412-3357
Home: (780) 988-9458
Fax: (780) 412-7801
Cell: (780) 446-6178
Leadership Courses
There is still room on the Alpine Rock Leadership course, running June 30 - July 2. The cost is $60.00. Contact Roger Marchand at 477-2943 for further details.
The Jasper/Hinton Section also advises us that Peter Amann is offering two courses for section members.
May 26: Rock Rescue
A one-day refresher on anchors and systems, and setting up improvised rescue systems for rock/alpine situations
May 28-29: Alpine Rock Leadership
This course will deal with the essentials of short roping, anchors, moving larger groups and safe travel on moderate alpine terrain. This course is designed for persons interested in leading trips with the section and for managing ACC groups.
Contact: Peter Amann at 852-3237 or pamann@incentre.net
Cost: $50.00/person, with your intention of leading a trip in the future.
Environment Corner
Do you care about your Parks and Protected Areas (P/PA)? You may be aware that after the last provincial election there was a complete reorganization of the Department of Environment, which could leave our parks in an even more vulnerable position. P/PA, which include Wilderness Areas, like Willmore and the White Goat and Ghost in the David Thompson country, as well as Wildland Parks, Natural Areas etc., are now under Community Development along with Heritage Resource, Museums and facilities for the Disabled (!) Forestry, Fish and Wildlife are now under Sustainable Development, leaving Environment dealing mainly with water and air quality and regulatory powers. This means that some of the decisions on the ground may be out of Parks control, such as oil/gas, access etc. Two bright spots are the hope that with a new Minister (Gene Zwozdesky) and more sympathetic Deputy and Assistant Deputy Ministers (Bill Byrne and John Kristensen) there may be more action taken, and P/PA will be a bigger fish in a smaller pond, rather than a little fish swimming in a big pond with the forestry sharks and others.
But we must make sure that P/PA are kept on the politicians' agenda, so please write, e-mail or phone your MLA and ask that the public Parks and Protected Areas be given more support from government. After many years of severe budget cuts, attrition and constant reorganization, Parks must be given more help, in staffing and budget, to upgrade, maintain and function effectively to provide for a real heritage for the future, long after oil and gas have disappeared. And tell your friends to write too! And send a copy to Premier Ralph Klein, 307 Legislature Bldg, 10800 - 97 Avenue, Edmonton, T5K 2B7.
The second item is not directly related to Mountaineering but for important information related to the Environment. The Federal Species at Risk Act is currently before the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development who is accepting public comments until the end of May. This third attempt must be improved to be at all effective: firstly, habitat for Species at Risk must be protected by the law, or they will not survive, thus defeating the purpose of the Act; secondly, Species at Risk must be determined by scientists, as at present, not politicians. The new, and increased (by 16 species) list of Species at Risk is available at www.cosewic.gc.ca But worse, the new draft Act will commence with no list of endangered species, and they will only be included if politicians, not scientists decide. You can send a free online fax, or get more info from www.extinctionsucks.org.
These two items highlight some of the discussion regarding the third item, the ACC Access and Environment Policy. As has been mentioned at previous meetings and newsletters, the Environment Committee felt that the A/E Policy, as passed by the Board last May, was too heavily weighted to maximize Access for Mountaineering, with only cursory attention to protection of the Mountaineering Environment. I have presented, after approval of the Edmonton Executive, suggested amendments to the new National Access and Environment Coordinating Committee (NAECC) for discussion.
The main change is to insert into the preamble "to promote the conservation of the mountain environment" in addition to "promote the maximization of freedom of mountaineering access, with sensitivity to issues including environmental concerns and legal considerations." Other changes stem from this statement, defining mountaineering environment more broadly as the whole ecosystem, not just a bunch of rocks, and emphasizing maintaining ecological integrity as a primary consideration.
Many ACC members have worked hard in the past to protect our mountain environments, and not solely for access purposes, so these changes would give better recognition for what the ACC actually stands for. It would also be a much stronger policy to defend in public, as opposed to the current policy which gives the impression of being more self-serving. If anyone wants more information or has any comments (positive or negative) please phone me (437-7183) or other members of the Edmonton Section Environmental Committee.
- Alison Dinwoodie, Chair, ESEC
Trips and Course Reports
ACC/TNF National Ski Leadership Course
PART 1: by Enid Higham
The ACC/TNF National Ski Leadership Course was held January 13- 20th, in the Esplanade Range of the Selkirk Mountains. In attendance were twelve participants from various sections across Canada, and three instructors /guides. Thanks to the generous support from The North Face (TNF) for their commitment to Leadership and to Golden Alpine Holidays for the use of Vista Hut. This program brings together Alpine Club members and professional guides to spend an intensive week of theoretical and practical instruction in winter trip leadership.
This year the guides took extra care and time to develop and maximize the content of the course, and the efforts resulted in a superb delivery of information and skills. The guides were Cyril Shokoples, Peter Amann, and Brad Harrison. Their combined talents and strengths provided an awesome and inspiring foundation for the program. We covered many aspects of winter travel, including terrain selection, snowpack evaluation, avalanche rescue, map and compass work, crevasse rescue, trip preparation and planning, and group management. We all had the opportunity to lead trips, set up crevasse rescue systems, deal with an avalanche scenario, and even an accident/injury scenario.
The whole group split up into three smaller groups of various combinations for the first few days, to work on various skills. One day was devoted to a full day-trip where each group had a different peak as their objective. One guides accompanied each group, with the intention of the exercise being that the group participants do as much of the decision making as possible. The guides were along to provide timely advice when necessary and prudent.
This years' limited snowfall and unstable snow pack afforded its own special considerations. We learned a lot about careful route and terrain selection. On the fifth day of the course (being Wednesday), the destination was Vista Peak, for the entire group. The main objective was to do some short roping. Once we reached the "skis off, ropes on" point, we again split into smaller groups of three, and Cyril led us all through some of the basics and fundamentals of short roping. It was a bit of a mob scene in a few spots, not being a particularly large area for so many numbers of people, but there were some fun bits of climbing to get through in our somewhat cumbersome ski boots. After we all summited, we returned to our skis and regrouped below the summit by skiing down a short pitch to a flat spot. This is where the unplanned accident/injury scenario comes in.
The writer was the victim. The writer lost balance, and in attempting to right herself, managed instead to have her ski squirt away from her in a rather severe vector, and thus completely tear off the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee. Since she had already suffered the same injury to her left knee some four years previous, she was cognizant of the nature of the injury the instant she heard that sickening pop coming from her knee. That would explain the string of profanities bellowing forth before she even hit the ground! In a flash we had a true blue accident scenario. Wasn't the writer a lucky gal to have three guides on hand to manage the situation! Now that's what is called good planning! (An important tip: when you radio for a helicopter for a medical evacuation, make sure that there is a paramedic on board. This ensures that it is, in fact, a medi-vac, and not just a helicopter ride. It makes all the difference when it comes time to pay the helicopter company.....)
PART 2: by Roger Marchand
Needless to say, she was attended to with great care and expertise, and says that there are a lot worse places to injure oneself, than at 8000 ft. looking across the Continental Divide at the Rocky Mountains on a perfectly quiet mountainside with a beautiful blue sky and surreal clouds above......(say, for instance, the Israeli Occupied Territories). Twenty-four hours later, she was on a Greyhound bus heading back to Edmonton. The rest of the group was shredding.
Actually, as Enid was suffering in pain and disbelief knowing that the injury would probably mean no more skiing and possibly a long recovery, the rest of the group looked on. Reality sets in -“It will be dark in three hours and we are in a radio dead zone.” Under the guidance of our instructors, we prepared a heli-pad in the snow. Brad headed down to the hut and, after a little difficulty, completed a call for a medical evacuation. We were fortunate to have a large well-equipped group. Three people try to make Enid more comfortable and the rest of us make it more comfortable for the helicopter. We marked a landing site with an approach line and perimeter. Later, we were told that the pilot was very appreciative of the visual clues – “it’s nice to know where the ground is when you’re putting your foot (helicopter) down.”
As they say, the course must go on… and it did. With most of the hard skill review days out of the way we set out in quest of good turning terrain. If you can remember way back to mid-January, the snow was variable, bordering on spooky. Occasionally, while out in the lead position, one would turn around to hear the a quiet voice that said “take me a better way, let’s not go there or why don’t you go a bit farther so that you can see a bigger part of the terrain in front of you.” This was the guide’s voice of experience suggesting that you make your decisions when you have more information.
As usual, we skied conservative lines. One of the more important lessons for me was to think about “thinking” of the right things. Think! Are you crazy, I came here to ski, what are you talking about? To think about where you are, where you are planning to take a group, how your going to get to your destination, how to know where to go when you can’t see anything. Oh ya, we can’t forget about trying not to get avalanched on 27° plus slopes – what a strange year. Can everyone say instability. Wow! In one area, we cut two Rutschblock tests on the same 28° slope side by side. One test resulted in an RB1 with two-failure point’s 23 cm stepped down to 45 cm. The second test failed at RB4 with similar layers. The lessons of terrain, terrain and terrain keep coming back. However, I still found the most difficult decision I had to make was when we were approaching a route that was questionably safe. You’re leading and you see that it is only a short distance across questionable terrain to get back to a safe route. Two minutes and you’re back on track! Why turn around? You’re not sure where to go next, the line you thought was good has changed, you turn around and everyone is quiet. “First make your decision, then we can all discuss it”. I found myself wanting to take the chance. It’s hard: you have to ask yourself two questions (not including all of the information that you have already gathered about the overall hazard – stability, time of day, location etc.) “Do you feel lucky today?” and, “What the hell are you thinking?” Taking the safe path may cost an extra five or ten minutes of back travel but can save your group a lot of unnecessary digging. (Difficult Reality Situation # 42, you think about your desire to risk the crossing for you and for your group. Then you say to yourself “What the hell was I thinking!” five minutes back down the trail to a safe route and the hazard is totally gone. This is another day in paradise… take the time and enjoy the tour). The first few times it’s a tough place to be. The great thing about courses is someone is still watching your backside.
Another useful tip I picked up over the week was on visual navigation. I am told that if you watch the layers of cloud and fog drift in and out from in front of you, rocks, trees and ridgelines may appear (don’t forget to bring along your best set of optics) showing you the way. So now, if you pay attention when travelling in poor conditions and you see enough of the big picture, you can judge the distances and directions of the route in front of you. Memorize this information so that you can be confident to keep going when you can’t see anything. Knowing how to do such magic may come in handy – some practice is required!!
Once Again, many thanks to the Edmonton Section for the support it gave both Enid and me by helping us to participate in this course.
For those of you that may be thinking of taking this course, I highly recommend it. Look on the national website for more information. I believe that the applications may need to be in by the end of September
First Annual Easter Trip to Skaha?
by Enid Higham
It was decided that a climbing trip at Easter break was in order. So what started out as a few friends from the Wednesday night climbing group organizing themselves to set out for a trip to Penticton, ended up being a group of twelve climbers from Edmonton section rendezvousing at Skaha Bluffs parking lot on Good Friday. Most of us had never been to Skaha before, so it was a real adventure and discovery for us. The few who had already been, knew what opportunities for fun awaited us!
But make no mistake—this is a long drive from Edmonton, and to go that far for less than four days of climbing would have been a tough sell. This cragging trip turned into a six days holiday.
The drive takes twelve hours, no matter which route you take. The first 8 hr seemed to go by at a pretty good pace. It’s the last 4 that take forever. (Apparently, the reason for this is that the region is known to be a Black Hole at times, which occasionally buggers up normal distances (a physics thing), says Ken!). Lucky for us, we had a couple of campground “poodles” who managed to do some reconnaissance the day before, and they sniffed out a good spot for us at Okanagan Falls Provincial Campground. Since we were rolling in to the site at around 11:00 PM and later, it was great to know that we had somewhere to pitch a tent. (Tons of thanks to Ray, Julia and Marin for setting us up.)
Since the groups of travellers left Edmonton at different times on Thursday, the most logical rendezvous was the parking lot at the Bluffs on Friday morning. And so it was that we assembled to begin four days of cragging. We knew that there was a strong likelihood of there being a lot of climbers at Skaha for the long weekend, but we had no idea there would SO MANY! Probably 200 cars in the parking lot, each at $5.35 parking fee/day! A bit off-putting at first, but we soon discovered that this area easily swallows up all those climbers, with hundreds of routes to spare! (My Skaha guidebook lists 600 routes, and it is not the most up-to-date book available!)
Our group consisted of a wide range of ages and abilities. The first two days saw the group split into two, situating themselves in fairly close proximity to each other. The second two days we all climbed together. We were able to satisfy everyone’s climbing needs and ambitions by taking on bolted routes, gear routes, slabs, cracks and overhangs. Skaha has everything you can want, from easy gear routes to heinous sport routes on superb rock. Very gneiss!
We were quickly able to establish who our designated Hero was to be. Grant filled the position with ease, style and modesty. Thanks to Grant for putting up so many routes for us, and for inspiring us to relax and have fun, whilst challenging ourselves. He proved again and again what a consummate climber he is, by leading up some seriously run-out sport routes, some fantastic gear routes, and (my favorite) leading a 5.10c bolted route in his bare feet! MY HERO! We were also treated to the feats of daring-do of 12-year-old Alik leading a 5.10 gear route, and Colin free-soloing on some 5.8s, like they were taking a walk in the park. Thanks also go out to Alik, and Caitlin and Ken, for leading some routes off of which we could then top-rope.
All in all, the whole bunch of us was able to get on as many routes as we wanted to and push ourselves to a next higher level of climbing. Some notable achievements were that a birthday was celebrated, there was first-ever lead-climbing done by some, and there was some new route setting on gear. A grand time was had by all!
It was unaimously decided by Ken Larlee, Alik Berg, Simon Booth, John Booth, Susan Mulholland, Jenn Savenake, Bob Thorgeirson, Grant Hayman, Enid Higham, Caitlin Dorward, Julia Keenliside, Ray Cislo and Colin Nell that this was our first annual Easter trip to Skaha.
Chris and Eddie’s Crash Crevasse Course
by Frank Geddes
I thought it couldn’t be done. I mean, how do you take 20 people with climbing/crevasse rescue backgrounds that range from butt stupid (me) to seasoned expert (Bill Inch) and meld them all into one course at the same time? That’s the task that CWEP (Chris Wood/Eddie Podemski) cheerily took on by organizing a weekend crevasse rescue course that started with “this is an ice axe” and ended with “now, that’s a successful rescue with 6:1 mechanical advantage on a C+Z pulley combo!”
We started the weekend by congregating at Hilda Creek hostel, where we signed our lives away on the waiver and sealed the deed with a swig of Polish honey vodka from Victor. Saturday morning saw us trudging up the fairly firm snowpack behind the hostel before gleefully tossing back slides, front slides and head-somewhere-else slides to make sure that we could self arrest from any position. Man, the way we slid down those slopes, we looked like river otters with attitude!
Next, we were up the hill to see how to (and how not to) set anchors with snow plates and pickets. A few of our imaginary victims were sent careering into the nether regions of the imaginary crevasse by failed anchors, but most were secured.
Essentially, the rest of the weekend was a progression (sometimes 1 step forward and 2 back) in crevasse rescue. After setting the anchor, we transferred the load, set up the crevasse lip, and attempted to retrieve our real-life victims by use of drop loops and z pulley systems, all the while minding our personal prusiks and rope-capture prusiks while trying not to confuse the snaking array of rope lengths.
There were a few glitches. Our first real victim (Bill Inch) found that the toughest job was forcing the cornice to collapse (where’s an accident when you really want one?). He was pooped even before he needed to be rescued. Add to that the fact that a few idle souls went down below and strafed him with a volley of snowballs while he hung helplessly from his harness and you can imagine that, with a rescue team like this, he’d be better on his own.
Chris showed how quick he is when he sprinted to save a victim from flying through the air and over the cornice edge. The “victim” in this case was a puffy, blue, down jacket-cum-kite that went AWOL with a gust of wind. Quick as he was, Chris couldn’t quite break the wind, and the jacket was soon out of the gate. I chased it halfway down to the hostel with a combination of running, boot-scootin’ boogie and glissading. I never did find out whose it was, but you know who you are and you owe me a beer.
Then, there was Marc Harden, dangling over the cornice whilst his team tried several combinations of pulley and confusing rope combin-ations to pull him up, until he finally had to be let down because the circulation was leaving his legs. Eventually, he was winched up, although his legs were blue. (Just kidding.)
Of course, nothing could touch the professional aplomb of the Simon/Brett/John team. But, I’ll let Eddie tell you how it went:
“Simon, Brett and John Bowers were on a line. Simon was the victim and John was in the middle putting in the anchor. Brett came down to prepare the crevasse lip and got a bit too close to the edge and fell onto Simon (well maybe he didn't actually hit him but it was darn close...) John laughed himself silly before checking on the hapless duo. At this point all of Brett's rescue gear was in the system, so he couldn't prusik out. He eventually (with some prodding) took off the rescue coil and threw it up to John to help pull him out (with John continuing to laugh himself sick). Eventually, the boys got themselves sorted out and rescued Simon, but in the meantime, Simon had expired from hypothermia.”
But, really, that’s what we were all there for: find out how well (or poorly) we can make the theory work. In a real accident, the ability to set a secure anchor and get a victim up to safety quickly is crucial, so this kind of practice is something that we can use more of. For me, the whole exercise was quite an eye-opener (starting with the vodka).
Chris and Eddie deserve a special thanks. Not only did they organize the weekend—at no charge—but they cooked a wonderful meal of curried chicken, chickpeas and a zillion other ingredients, and fed us cheesecake for dessert. Thanks a million, guys! And thanks also to the other experienced members who volunteered to be victims and show us the ropes.
LOST
Sometime over the last year, we seem to have misplaced the binder that holds information about each of the awards that are given out for the photo contest in November. We’d really like to find it so that we can properly acknowledge the award donors and honorees. If anyone knows where it might be, please contact the Chair, Renee Polziehn.