AnnouncementsSeptember 2001
Members Night Show 'n Tell
Slides from the Summer
If you did something adventurous, wild, wacky, or just downright cool this summer, come out and bring your slides and photos and tell us about it! Get reacquainted with your fellow club members and get inspired for the fall season!
Tuesday, 18th September, 7:30 PM
The Rutherford Room
Varscona Hotel
8208 - 106 Street
Inside
| Sep 22 - 23 | Jasper East day hike/scramble | Novice | Frank Geddes 432-1923 |
| Sep 22 - 23 | Mt. Michener / Mt. Abraham | Intermediate | Marc Harden 431-0511 |
| Sep 28 - 30 | Mt. Maligne | Intermediate | Markus Kellerhals 493-8198 |
| Sep 29 - Oct 1 | The Finger-Banff area | Novice / Int. | John Booth 462-8014 (h), 446-0938 (w) |
| Oct 6 - 8 | Wates-Gibson Thanksgiving | Novice | Rick Checkland 462-2636 |
| Jan 12 - 19 | TNF Winter Leadership Course | (Application Deadline: October 1. See page 3) |
Report from your Executive
A new season is upon us, so we're not really in gear too much yet. But, expect some new happenings once we get back together.
One of the first items to consider will be whether you wish to receive future issues of the Breeze in paper (like this one) or as a pdf copy by e-mail. We'll be doing away with the web version, which has always been a bit different than the paper one and which has been free to anyone with an Internet connection. Instead, the pdf format will be identical to the paper one and will only be sent to Edmonton Section members who choose that option (although non-current issues will be archived as pdf files on the web). "Identical" means that, if you wish to print it, your quality will depend on your particular printer, but, if you view it on your monitor, you'll have the advantage of seeing the photos in all their blazing colour, and the hyperlinks will be active. To reflect the savings in printing and mailing, we intend to offer a discount to those who receive their newsletter by e-mail; further details will be in the next issue.
You might also consider being part of your executive. A few of the current positions will soon be open, and we're looking for eager and capable people to fill them. Of course, you could also run for a filled position and inject some strong competition into our annual elections-the likes of which has not been seen for some time-because all positions are officially open for nominations each year.
If you're not sure about serving a term on the executive but you do have some time, we always need volunteers to help with our functions during the year. If you are interested in either type of involvement, please contact one of the current executive members to talk to them about what it's like to be involved and let them know what you might be interested in helping with.
Announcements
TNF/ACC Leadership Courses
The focus of our leadership program-co-sponsored by The North Face and ACC-is to provide training for our active section trip leaders, GMC amateur rope leaders, and national camp managers. The primary objective of each course is to help ACC members develop the personal skills and abilities they'll need to lead, or assist leading, groups as ACC members on summer and winter mountaineering trips and tours, as well as on international expeditions.
Two courses are being run over the next year:
Winter Leadership Course
Golden Alpine Holidays Vista Lodge
January 12th-19th, 2002
Guides: Cyril Shokoples, Peter Amann, Brad Harrison
10 participants. Fee: $450.00 + G.S.T
Summer Leadership Course
GMC basecamp
Aug. 10th - 17th, 2002
Guides: Cyril Shokoples, Helen Sovdat, Karl Klassen
Camp Manager: Brad Harrison
10 Participants. Fee: $450 + GST
There will be ten (10) participants in total at each of these camps. Ideally we hope for six (6) representatives from ACC sections and four (4) trainees for ACC national Camp Manager positions. Applicants will require letters of endorsement from their section. Participants need to have organized and led ACC trips and have considerable pertinent skills, especially those relevant to mountain activities. Participants should be fit and strong and have confidence in their own skills.
Winter course content: Planning and management of ski trips and traverses; snow safety and terrain evaluation; route planning, selection and finding; decision making in avalanche terrain; glacier travel and navigation; crevasse rescue systems; group dynamics, interaction and management; and emergency situation management.
A full information package and course application is found online at the ACC national website at: www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/activities/leadership/index.html.
Deadlines for applications are:
Winter course: October 1, 2001.
Summer course: February 1, 2002.
Please note that the selection committee meets to choose the successful applicants very shortly after these deadlines. Therefore, late applications will not be accepted.
The Selection Committee strongly prefers that applications be completed and submitted electronically. Please send applications and letters of endorsement to accprogs@telusplanet.net.
ACC Grants
The ACC has permanent funds in place to support a variety of mountaineering-related projects and initiatives.
The ACC Endowment Fund provides grants to projects consistent with the Club's constitution, goals and objectives (alpine research, mountain culture, leadership development).
The ACC Environment Fund provides grants supporting projects aimed at preserving and protecting mountain and climbing areas.
The Jen Higgins Fund provides grants that promote creative and energetic alpine-related outdoor pursuits by young women (25 and younger).
The Helly Hansen Mountain Adventure Award is designed to celebrate human passion for alpine areas. That passion is expressed in many forms—mountain exploration, recreation, culture, education, research and alpine access preservation.
Annual application deadline is December 31st.
Visit our website at www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca to download details and application forms. Or, for hard copy, contact:
The Alpine Club of Canada
Box 8040, Canmore AB, T1W 2T8
phone: 403-678-3200, ext. 112
fax: 403-678-3224
e-mail: accprogs@telusplanet.net.
Prairie Pitch Adventure Race
The ACC Saskatchewan Section will be hosting the 1st Annual Prairie Pitch Adventure Race, being held at Blue Mountain Outdoor Adventure Center near North Battleford on Saturday, September 22, 2001. This is a 12-hour race covering approximately 100 km of mountain biking, trail running, canoeing, swimming, climbing wall, zipline, and navigation. Ya, ya, you mountain folk might be laughing at the thought of this event being held on the Prairies but, believe it or not, we do have some very challenging terrain. The focus of this race is to have fun and we have a great race course planned. For more details check out our website at www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/saskatchewan.
Awards Benefactors
Renee has received some missing information on awards benefactors—those generous people who are responsible for our annual photo competition awards. (Thanks, whoever!) However, we still need to fill in a few gaps. So, check out our website, put on your thinking cap, and let us know if you can help.
New Cookbook
Bev Bendell's new and improved Fearless Food Preparation Manual is hot off the press. She has generously devoted her time to produce this useful manual, which will help all those who prepare meals for groups in the backcountry.
Bev sends her thanks to those who contributed knowledge and information to the project.
A copy can be purchased from the ACC national office for $6.00 + postage, and Bev may be contacted by e-mail at bevbendell@hotmail.com.
Enjoy the manual and good luck with your meal preparations!
Wildland Closures and Restricted Access
People are often a hazard to both bears and wildfire control. Thus, for two reasons, restricted access to—and closure of—some parks and related wildlands have occurred over the past season and might recur in subsequent years. A brief synopsis of these actions, and contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses, follows. Ensure that you are aware of such restrictions before setting out on ACC trips this year and in future.
Potential Bear Conflicts
Background: In 1995, an adolescent grizzly bear began using the popular Moraine Lake area as part of its home range. This area includes Larch, Eiffel, Consolation and Paradise Valleys, and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. As the result of frequent exposure to high numbers of people in the area, the young bear’s wary behaviour changed and it became bold around people; it became human habituated. Following several serious human-bear encounters, area closures lasting from five to ten weeks were required in 1996, 1997 and 1998 to protect both people and the bear.
Restricted Access: In 1999 and 2000, restricted access was tested as a means to allow access, but in a way that maximizes public safety and minimizes further habituation of this bear. Restricted access means that access is restricted to hiking groups of six or more when a bear is in the area. This group size was chosen since a group of six or more has never been attacked by a bear.
If implemented, the status of restricted access will be reviewed when seasonally important bear food sources begin to decline in late summer. Approaches and descents for climbs immediately adjacent to the Rockpile and Lakeshore trails not likely to be affected by restricted access, include:
The feasibility of a short connector trail from this point to the road will be reviewed this year. Check with Lake Louise Information Centre staff and trailhead signs for closure dates and important information.
Contacts: Visit or phone the Visitor Centres in:
Lake Louise (403-522-3833)
Banff (403-762-1550)
Visit their website: www.parkcanada.gc.ca/banff
(A pdf file with more complete information is available there.)
Fire Control
Effective August 30th, Alberta Sustainable Resource Development has prohibited public access in an area south of Canmore to prevent potential fires and to avoid evacuating large numbers of campers during a possible wildfire. Residents will be allowed access into the affected area, but campers, hunters, fishermen, recreation users and other members of the public will not be allowed in without special written permission.
In addition, the existing fire ban in southwestern Alberta has been extended to Rocky Mountain House, prohibiting open fires in designated campgrounds and other recreation areas.
A copy of the complete Fire Control Order and Area Closure Order, with a detailed description of the fire ban area and an interactive map, is available on Alberta Sustainable Resource Development’s website at: envweb.env.gov.ab.ca/env/forests/fpd.
More information is also available by calling:
1-866-FYI-FIRE (1-866-394-3743).
Failure to comply with such orders can result in prosecution under the Forest and Prairie Protection Act.
Thanks to Ken Larlee for organizing the food and drink, and to Terry McIntee for slaving over a hot barbecue. You guys really made our June social a success.
Mike’s Legacy
In the June issue of the Breeze, we noted that the national Board of Directors of the ACC had bestowed upon Mike Mortimer (past President) the A.O Wheeler Legacy Award. The following is a letter written by David Toole (ACC President) to describe Mike’s legacy.
Over the past decade, I have worked closely with Mike Mortimer, the Club’s outgoing President, and would like to offer this tribute to his leadership.
Mike became active in the Executive of the Calgary Section over 20 years ago. He started as Editor of the Section’s newsletter, The Chinook, and quickly became the Section Chair. His abilities were effectively utilized to organize and run many Section activities, including the Lyells camp in 1981 and the Mountain Leadership Conference (which he chaired) in 1982.
Following his success at organizing the construction of a new Bow Hut in 1989, which at that time was the largest single project the Club had undertaken in recent years, Mike joined the National Club’s Board of Directors in 1990 as VP Facilities. Mike has long recognized the strategic importance of our facilities and has consistently supported their development.
Mike was elected President of the Club in the fall of 1994. Over the six and a half years since then, our Club has developed successfully on many fronts:
Below is a brief chronology of Mike’s work with the Alpine Club of Canada:
Calgary Section
1979 – 1980: Editor, Chinook
1979 – 1980: Executive Board member
1980 – 1982: Chairman, Calgary Section
1981: Organized Rock Review
1981: Managed Lyell’s Camp
1982: Chaired Alberta Mountain Council, Mountain Leadership Conference
1983 – 1987: Various minor section activities
National
1987 – 1990: Board Member
1989: Organized and oversaw the construction of the Bow Hut
1990 – 1994: VP Facilities
1994 – 2001: President
2000: In conjunction with the Japanese Alpine Club, organized the Mt. Alberta 75th Anniversary Celebration
One of the key projects undertaken during Mike’s term of Presidency was the Mount Alberta Project, which culminated in various celebrations held in August 2000. This project was the largest the Club had undertaken since the Yukon Alpine Centennial Expedition (YACE) in 1967. Under Mike’s direction, dozens of volunteers and ACC staff organized and carried out a project that served close to 100 Canadian and Japanese mountain lovers. As part of the organization for this event, Mike had the opportunity to represent the ACC to both the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of Japan, as well as many Canadian Government officials.
This summary of Mike’s contributions is not all inclusive by any means, but it illustrates the sustained leadership role he has taken in the Club over many years, as well as his dedication to the ACC as an institution. Mike has devoted much of his personal life to the Club over the years, as most recently exemplified by his hard work and success with the Mount Alberta project. For this we need to thank Heather Mortimer, Mike’s wife, as well.
For all these services- and all the others not listed here, Mike was presented with the A. O. Wheeler award at the 2001 Annual General Meeting this May. This is one of the highest honours that the Club bestows.
Congratulations, Mike, on your award and on your legacy!! It’s been a noble thing you have done.
David Toole,
President
Climbing News
The Wall
We’re back to winter hours at the U of A climbing wall: 7:00 - 10:00 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.
Again, 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
VIRG Discount
Vertically Inclined is offering a 10% discount on all 10-visit punch passes for ACC members. Membership cards must be presented to receive this discount. All climbers require a Top Rope or Lead Belay Check before belaying in the facility. Check out www.verticallyinclined.com for information on hours, rates, courses, etc.
Climbing News Mail List
The Climbing News Mail List is a grassroots, nonprofit, announcement-style mailing list with over 4,000 subscribers who love to climb and contribute to the online climbing community. It is not affiliated with ACC, but if you wish to join, you:
Winter Trip Leaders’ Meeting
Well, the summer season is pretty well put to bed, and it’s time again to prepare for the winter. So, while the squirrels are storing nuts, it’s up to us to drink beer, eat nachos, and plan our winter schedule. For those who have been running the excellent trips so far: thanks, and let’s see if you can even better yourselves this year. For those who haven’t run a trip yet, consider giving it a go. We always need novice trips, so you can test the trails and pitches with something less demanding. Alternatively, you can come to the meeting and sign up to co-lead a trip with someone else.
Iron Horse Pub (upstairs)
8101-103 St.
Thursday, October 11th, 7:30 PM
Beer and vittles provided. See you there!
Fall Elections
It’s also close to that time of year when we hold our Annual General Meeting and fall elections. General elections will be held at the November general meeting.
Interested in getting involved as an ACC Edmonton executive member? Or do you know of someone who would be a valuable addition to our executive and who might be interested in being “nudged”? Open nominations will be accepted, so decide who you want to represent you! And contact any current exec member to get the real scoop about the duties and benefits (and there are some benefits).
Trip Reports
The ACC Skaha Easter trip
by Jenn Savenake
Editors note: My apologies to Jenn; this report got mislaid and should have been in June’s issue along with Enid Higham’s report.
A lack of snow, the desire for warm weather, a couple of days off over Easter and the Skaha plan was hatched over a Vietnamese meal. Let’s see how far we can drive to find some warm rock. The original idea expanded and a group of 14 from the ACC made their way across the Rockies to BC.
Susan and I made our way to Penticton in the sunny Okanagan on Thursday afternoon. The trip was uneventful to Jasper where we stopped for fuel and wine (less tax in Alberta than British Columbia). Then I got to drive. For Australians driving in Canada for the first time in a manual car, the gear stick is on the opposite side. Changing up was OK while I was thinking about it. When I was changing down a couple of times I found the window winder and realized I was reaching to the wrong side of the car. Staying on the right side of the road was not a problem; just keep the steering wheel next to the centre line.
We were going to stop earlier but couldn’t find anywhere to stay once we had got to Kelowna. The first provincial park we found was Okanagan, where we were supposed to be meeting the others. The last two hours of the drive seem a little blurry as we did miss a couple of campgrounds along the way. After a couple of donuts around the campground at 2:30 AM, we decided that the Jeep with Alberta plates probably belonged to Ken and took the next site.
We arrived at the Skaha car park amazed at the number of cars there. We did not have any trouble finding somewhere to climb despite hundreds of other people having the same idea of sunning themselves on warm rock for Easter. We bumped into other Emontonians and ACC members taking advantage of the warmer weather. Friday was a little on the cool side in the shade where we were climbing. Down jackets were donned while we were belaying. On my first climb, a gentle grade 5.8 (which was probably closer to 5.9), my fingers were numb with cold by the time I got to the top. Luckily there were lots of positive edges on which I could hook my frozen claws. When we moved into the sun, we found the climbing much more pleasant. The rock was solid, the sun warm and the company excellent.
After recovering from my end of semester fatigue, visiting family and a 12-hour drive, I enjoyed the climbing on Saturday a lot more. I ticked off a couple of 5.6 and 5.8 leads, while Grant, Alik, Caitlin and Ken and Bob were leading the 5.10s for the rest of us to try and follow. Back at the campground, we had a huge pot of spaghetti, chocolate cake and red wine to celebrate Ken’s birthday.
On Sunday, the Easter bunny left coloured droppings filled with chocolate all over our campsite. Julia, Ray and Marin might have caught a glimpse of him as they were moving at 5:15 AM, the rest of us didn’t stir until after 8:30; we reached the climbs around 10:00. After all, a couple of hours in the sun makes the rock so much nicer. We had top ropes and lead climbs on a face called Nowhere Wall. Grant, Alik and Caitlin also managed to find some harder routes for the rest of us to flail on.
By Monday, the car park had thinned out, as all those poor souls who had to go back to work headed home. We headed to grassy plain and found a south-facing cliff with a range of easy to moderate climbs. The plan was to leave around 3:00 PM to start the drive home. But we were all having too much fun. Around 5:00 we gathered for the obligatory group photo on top of the crag. After just one more climb, we packed up and headed for Kelowna. Enid, Caitlin, Ken, John, Simon and Alik met for dinner and the post climb dissection. After we finished climbing, Bob, Grant, Susan and I joined them. The four of us took the leisurely route back to Edmonton over a couple of days, stopping at Revelstoke and Nordegg. I can thoroughly recommend finishing a trip with a hot tub in Nordegg.
The participants were Alik, who in Australian terms climbs harder than his age; Bob, faithful lichen-covered belayer of Grant’s as-yet-unnamed new route possibility; Caitlin, who showed us the benefits of youth, strength and flexibility; Colin, the Aussie who soloed laps off the cliff; Enid, who climbed exceptionally well; Grant, the hard climber who proved that rock shoes are optional by climbing barefoot; Jenn (me), who put the most gear in 10 metres; and John—well my mother always told me if I didn’t have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all. Anyway, John provided light entertainment and great encouragement.
Julia and Ray proved the best-organized team, coordinating climbing and childcare, and encouraging young Marin to venture onto those boulders and increase her vocabulary to include rock, climbing and rock climbing. Julia and Ray both excelled, leading after only a few times sport climbing on rock. Simon proved tough men don’t need tents. Susan should probably have been leading harder as she forgot to clip the crux bolt on a 5.8, as she was too busy chatting.
September Camp at Wates-Gibson
by Diane Antoniuk
Editor’s note: This is also a waylaid report, but before my time. It pays to come to the barbecue and find the editor, doesn’t it, Diane?
The second week of the Edmonton section climbing camp did not start off in the most promising manner. We trudged in, accompanied by drizzle and sleet, which turned into heavy, steady, wet snow by the time we made it to the hut. The trail was in terrible condition—about as muddy and sloppy as it could get.
The next day dawned bright and sunny, with about six inches of wet snow coating everything. We all took exploratory hikes up the valley above the hut, taking turns breaking trail as we went higher. We stayed carefully on the moraine because the glacier just looked like a snowfield with all the fresh snow on it. By the time we had a leisurely lunch and started back, the temperature was warm enough that water was running everywhere and the crevasses were clearly visible again.
Next day, some of us decided to try to climb MacDonnell. The day started sunny, but as we walked up the moraine, clouds blew in from the west, at a level that was way below the height we were on. In the blowing snow of a mild (about -5 C) blizzard, we harnessed and roped up and felt our way up the glacier till it was time to turn around if we were going to be back in time for supper. We had the luxury of a camp cook and she made tasty food.
Another clear, bright dawn on Tuesday, but some of us thought we'd see how the day developed before we headed out. (The two most dedicated climbers set off to do a simple ascent of Outpost Peak at an early hour.) Cloud came in, true to form, but it stayed high and the temperature was pleasant so six of us hiked over to a mountain called Thunderbolt. Ted (who said he was nervous about heights) maintained that he knew a good way to avoid some of the bushwhacking that it appeared we had to do. He was eventually as good as his word; we struggled through thick brush on a fairly vertical slope for perhaps half an hour before he located an upward-leading clear bit through the bush. Up we went to a lake and a wonderful view of the Tonquin area and the Astoria valley. Ted pointed out a snowslope above the lake that he said was a great "butt-slide." We all went up it. At the top of it, it seemed to some of us that there was a possible route up some rocks, up another snowslope and along a ridge to the summit. Ted wasn't interested, but we didn't want to split up, so he agreed to go on a bit further. Needless to say, we plodded on steadily and eventually made it to the top—Ted still protesting that he was nervous—and some of us being very happy that finally, on the third day, we had achieved a summit!
That evening was a little tense, because our two keen climbers did not make it down for supper. After a quiet and hurried meal, our camp leader took two big guys and started off up. Happily for all concerned, they met the climbers within twenty minutes. They had turned back short of the summit to come back within the allotted time, but conditions on the "simple rock" of Outpost, with the melting snow, were treacherous enough that it had taken them a long time to get off the route.
Everyone wanted a "rest day" on Wednesday. A group of us "rested" by walking up the Eremite Valley for about 6 miles, going up into a pass and scrambling part way up Angle Mountain. The supposedly fairly easy scramble was complicated by the wet snow on all the house-sized boulders we clambered on. Back to the hut for another great meal, complete with complimentary glasses of wine.
Thursday, we mounted a serious expedition up "simple" Outpost Peak. You may have gathered by now that the weather was being very cooperative, but the early dump of snow was making conditions a bit more difficult than usual. Up the moraine, a careful scramble up a not-very-steep rock face, then we roped up for the glacier. Three ropes of us took turns picking our way through the big cracks at the foot of the glacier and then breaking trail with increasing confidence up the snowfield to the ridge that would take us to the summit. The ridge was still a little dicey because of snow, but we went carefully up to the summit overlooking Outpost Lake and the Wates-Gibson Hut. Wonderful views in all directions! The Eremite Valley and the peaks overlooking it were magnificent. But the view down the Astoria was great, too—we could pick out all the peaks to Edith Cavell and beyond. And looking out over Outpost Lake and beyond to the Tonquin, with Amethyst Lake and Mount Clitheroe, was truly beautiful. Then there were the peaks standing dramatically straight across from us—Parapet and Paragon. We could have spent much longer than we did looking around and around our "Outpost." However, our stomachs reminded us that there would be a tasty supper waiting for us, and down we went. Coming off the glacier was a little more exciting than we would have liked at the time—a couple of cracks attempted to swallow climbers, but ropes were taut, ice screws served their purpose and everyone survived to trudge happily back down the moraine for the expected excellent supper.
Our last day at Wates-Gibson was spent doing farewell hikes to various scenic areas that we hadn't yet seen. Some of us went up what, in winter, the skiers call the Boulevard; we had a picnic overlooking Amethyst Lake. Others followed Phil Kemp and had tea with him at the foot of the glacier by Parapet Peak. The walk out to the Cavell hostel was as pleasant as the walk in had been miserable. Altogether an amazing week!
Participants were: Bill Inch (camp manager), John Booth, Brian Stephens, Diane Antoniuk, Anton Rozspal, Michael Black, Jennifer Black, Dave Jobst, Ted Bik, Brian Hamilton, Hilary Kemp, Alison Kemp, Phil Kemp, Luc Hounjet, Pat Hodgkinson, Susanne Scholz, Jim Scholz, Lloyd Sommers, Nasser Tahbaz, Ezekiel Weis, Colin McDonald, and Donna Pepper.
Peyto Hut to Bow Hut 17-18 March 2001
by Marion Mayerhofer
On Saturday morning, we skied through the forest down to Peyto Lake. Facial war paints ranged from green, in honour of St. Patrick’s day, to white, which seems to be an Australian custom.
After crossing the lake with a bit of a headwind, we started skiing up the moraine and had lunch behind the moraine between some trees. Soon after that, we had to take our skis off for lack of snow, and we walked up the moraine to the top and down the other side past the weather station.
At the edge of the glacier, we roped up, which took us barely an hour, and had an uneventful ski up to the Peyto hut, where we arrived 6 ½ hours after we left the trailhead.
There were only two other skiers there besides our own group, so there was enough room for everybody. Peyto hut has been renovated just last summer and is now an absolutely beautiful hut with an extra fore room, lots of windows, new propane stoves, and lamps and a very fancy outhouse.
We had good food and lots of drink; all the problems of the world were solved. If only we could have remembered anything the next day!
The plan for Sunday had been to summit Mt. Rhonda before the ski out via Bow Hut (nobody wanted to walk on that moraine above Peyto Lake again).
In the morning we skied up onto the Wapta Icefield and into the whiteout. Since we couldn’t even see our mountain, we gave up our hopes of summit glory and decided just to ski on to Bow hut instead. We navigated in the white by compass and GPS till it opened up a bit and we could see the “Onion” and use that as a beacon.
We did some turns above Bow hut when Hank fell, injuring his knee, and couldn’t get up anymore. Our fearless leader, already at the bottom of the slope, came up again. Part of our group was already at Bow Hut and had started lunch not knowing what was going on.
Hank wasn’t able to ski anymore and also couldn’t walk down the slope. That’s when one of the finest rescue operations in the Rockies began.
John skied down to Bow hut to see if there was a sled around. Jesse, carrying all the extra skies, and I, with all the extra ski poles, assisted with the rescue—taking pictures is a very important part of any rescue! Then our rescue experts—Ernst and Reinhold—went to work.
First they tried to carry Hank between them down the slope. That didn’t get them very far because they were breaking in through the deep snow at about every third step. After some discussion, the Austro – German Bergwacht decided the best way would be to switch into “body recovery mode” and drag the victim out by his arms. The snow was soft and no harm was done—except to Hank’s pride maybe.
At the flat area above the hut, the snow surface was hard, and Hank could walk supported on each side by one of his rescuers.
As the group got closer to the hut, they were met by Peter Lemieux with a sled, which is always at Bow Hut, and Hank could sit in the sled for the last part of the trip.
There were already lots of people in the hut, among them a doctor who checked out Hank’s knee. Hank was happy to be at the hut. I think he wasn’t quite sure if he should thank Ernst and Reinhold for the rescue or damn them.
Peter had a radio with him and called for a helicopter, which came in an amazingly short time even though the weather didn’t look very good. Jesse and Tanya went with Hank in the helicopter down to the parking lot. After shuttling all the cars from Peyto lake to Bow lake they left for Edmonton.
The rest of the group had an uneventful two-hour ski to the cars.
At the debriefing at the restaurant in Nordegg, everybody agreed that there was never a dull moment on Ernst’s trips. So be very careful next time you ski with Ernst and Reinhold: The rescue might just be worse than the injury!
Hank’s knee injury turned out to be a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament which is slowly healing and I hear he is already planning ski trips for next winter.
Participants: Ernst Bergmann (trip leader), John Henoch, Marc Harden, Jesse Anaka, Tanya Binette, Victor Chwieros, Hank Binnema, Reinhold Mayerhofer, Marion Mayerhofer.
Elliott Peak 26-27 May 2001
by Markus Kellerhals
After two hours of continuous pounding rain, my enthusiasm began to wane. Eight of us were piled into Candace’s van heading for David Thompson Country. Camping, let alone climbing, in this weather was not going to be fun. Thankfully the rain started to let up past Nordegg. By the time we reached Two O’clock Creek, the sky was mostly clear.
Saturday dawned sunny, and we headed to the Cline River trailhead for an 8 AM start. After following the Cline River trail a short distance, we cut left following a spur between two creeks to gain the north ridge. Just below tree-line, the ridge narrowed into a steep crest. At this point, Mark left us, opting for a scenic tour on the Cline River trail. Some easy scrambling took us to the 7700’ shoulder of Elliott, where we stopped for lunch. From this vantage, it was obvious that the north ridge was not a good option. The upper portion of this ridge consists of steep slabs, which at this time of year were covered in snow.
Sacrificing 1000’ of hard won elevation we descended into the north bowl of Elliott, from whence it appeared possible to reach the Elliott-Sentinel Col. Once in the basin, however, Marc spotted a gully, which appeared to lead straight up to the summit of Elliott, though the upper reaches of the gully were hidden from below. We decided it was worth checking out, as the mixed rock and snow slopes leading up to the col looked less than appealing, particularly after they had been baking in the sun for several hours.
From below, the gully was an intimidating chasm, with overhanging walls on one side and a narrow ribbon of snow in the bottom. Candace, not having any snow climbing experience, stayed behind in the basin while the rest of us kicked steps up the couloir. It proved to be an excellent route—the overhanging walls offered some security against rock fall, and the snow in the base was mostly excellent. The angle was mostly fairly moderate (35 degrees). The one steep section (45 degrees) unfortunately also had the worst snow—some rotten hollow stuff on top of ice. The couloir ended just below the summit ridge, and we had to scramble up some fairly vile rock and snow for 50 metres to finish the climb. From the top of the couloir, the summit was a short stroll across a low-angle boulder field.
Summit views were impressive. Elliott stands significantly above the surrounding peaks, so we could spot distant summits such as Forbes and Columbia, as well as the familiar scrambles of the David Thompson area. The drop down the NE face to the highway and Lake Abraham is an impressive 5000’ in a matter of two kilometres.
We took great care descending the gully. Unroped as we were, a slip would likely have led to a painful and abrasive ricocheting descent. Frank was at a slight disadvantage, armed with a ski pole rather than an ice axe. Considering Frank had been at a crevasse rescue course the weekend previously, we asked him some pointed questions about what he had been taught there! Our fearless leader, Marc, made the sacrifice and traded Frank an axe for a nordic ski pole. (Editor’s note: The fearless leader specifically asked everyone to bring either an ice axe or a ski pole, and everyone complied.) Once past the steep section, we turned to face out, and shortly thereafter switched from foot travel to bum glissading.
We returned to the Cline River Trail by following down the creek draining the north bowl. Twelve hours after our departure we reached the car.
Had we known this route ahead of time, we would have been much faster as this is a very direct and efficient route up the mountain. Considering the ambiance of the gully, the moderate climbing and the outstanding summit views, I would highly recommend the climb (see the bivouac.com website for a complete route description). If the gully turns to ice later in the season, it would be doubly attractive; on the other hand if it melts right out, it is probably a chossy garbage chute.
Participants: Marc Harden (leader), Frank Geddes, Soren Andersen, Markus Kellerhals (reporter), Candace Gwynn., Mark, Chuck Labatiuk, Victor Chwieros.
Haddo &Aberdeen
Part 1: by Tanya Binette
Photos by E. Podemski
Q: How many Edmonton Section members does it take to conquer Mt. Aberdeen? It’s easy to forget that often the most dangerous part of any adventure, particularly one involving an alpine start and a long day of climbing, may be the drives to get there and home again. For Andy and myself, this became apparent all too soon, just before turning south on Hwy. 22, to be precise. A loud banging was quickly identified to be the fraying of the serpentine belt in Andy’s van. After a make-shift repair job involving a buck knife, we decided it would be better to head towards the city, where we had a chance of picking up my vehicle—rather than the option of being stranded somewhere in David Thompson country for the rest of the weekend. We made it back to Edmonton safely, grabbed my car, and arrived in the Lake Louise parking lot in ample time for a sufficient rest of two hours before meeting the rest of the group at 4 AM.
At the trailhead, gear was sorted, cars were shuttled to the Paradise Valley parking lot, and two groups of six set out towards Fairview Mountain (to avoid the bears—or was it the fine of about $2000/ person if we were in smaller groups?) The second group of us heading up were definitely getting a slow start, waking up somewhere on the trail: “Do you know if this is the trail?” “No, I thought you did.” But we met up with the others shortly and were thereafter guided by our fearless leaders: Todd, Chris and Eddie. We reached the toe of the glacier at sunrise and roped up into our four groups of three. As described in “Selected Alpine Climbs”, most of the actual climbing on this route is getting up to the Haddo-Aberdeen Col. It is also described as not technical, which has led many groups to come this far without ice screws. Some, like Chris and Eddie on their first trip up here, wisely decided to turn back at this point, while others have attempted to go on, resulting in five fairly serious accidents at this site when assorted climbers peeled off, dragging their ropemates down, although fortunately no deaths have occurred in the last 10 years or so.
Todd and Eddie bravely led two lines up followed by Chris and Rick leading the other two ropes. After Todd, Yannick, and I had an hour plus nap/lunch on the glacier, we decided maybe we should see what was holding the others up. Apparently, as a group, we had used every single ice screw available, creating the need for gear re-arrangement on the way up which slowed our 9 partners down. Victor was conveniently placed at the end of Chris’ rope, where he managed to clean all the gear and probably weighed more than he ever has or ever will by the time he finished (his penalty for not providing us with his usual hot chocolate on this trip)! After Todd devoured half of the entire chicken he carried up, washed down by several power gels, we continued up to the Col. The sky remained overcast for most of the day but with brief moments of sun. Todd (must’ve been fueled by the chicken), Yannick, and I built a cairn on Haddo Peak, so the log book was locatable but we missed out on the group Haddo summit shot as we somehow felt the need to run ahead to get on Mt. Aberdeen. We did place two snow stakes as the last bit of the East slopes was quite exposed. The views of Mts. Victoria and Temple as well as the Valley of the Ten Peaks were amazing. Several photos were taken (Markus modeled his stunning long underwear for us this trip), the remaining half-chicken was devoured, Todd tried to convert me to power gels (I am still a skeptic), and it was time to head down.
Chris and Eddie had warned us about what may be ahead: hours of nasty scree which wouldn’t be “skiable”. Luckily snow patches allowed us to glissade most of the way down (bet that made you think twice about not bringing waterproof pants Todd and Markus!). Chris decided to take a quick dip in the Paradise Valley. Apparently Eddie swam on a previous trip and he was trying to outdo her. After a long day, the two-hour slog out of Paradise Valley (a beautiful trail) was aggravated by the hordes of mosquitoes attacking from every direction. Relief in the form of aluminum cans was found in the cars, which had been left at the end of the trail for us. The sixteen-hour day ended at the Outpost where Todd may have eaten another whole chicken – although this is only speculation.
Then the dangerous part of the trip began: driving to Yam meadows (what people won’t do for free camping) or Calgary for even stupider folk (yes, that was me; what some people won’t do for a bed). The only thing keeping me awake was watching Markus and Eddie driving ahead of me—with my finger on the horn ready to beep every time Markus approached the centre line. If I could change one thing about the trip, well that would be the only one. Thanks to Chris, Eddie and Todd, a group of twelve summitted both Mt. Aberdeen and Haddo peak in a most enjoyable day. You guys are definitely the Hosts with the Mosts!!
A: 11 (Andy, Brett, Chris, Eddie, Markus, Rick, Soren, Tanya, Todd, Victor, and Yannick) plus one member from the Toronto section (Jim).
Part 2: by Jim Everard
Notes From an Eastern Orphan: He Came, He Climbed, He Disappeared
Serendipity happens! Recently I found myself far away from my traditional limestone crags, or the Bon Echo hut of the Toronto Section – ACC: an unscheduled weekend in the Rockies. Under such conditions, one might take to scrambling up the Rockies decent routes, but the real treat is to stuff your pack with rope, ice screws, pulleys, etc., step into some crampons and head up.
This is great theory, but piss-poor if there’s no one at the other end of your rope, especially when the trailing end is 60 dead vertical feet above you, on the glacier! What’s a stranded Eastern orphan to do?
One of the best, most practical options is to use the “Membership has its Privileges” card—that’s right, the Alpine Club of Canada Card. Armed with this card, visits to numerous Section websites for Rockies trip beta, and extremely generous trip leaders, tremendous possibilities can open up.
This was basically the entrée into an Edmonton Section trip to Haddo & Aberdeen. Despite an already bulging waiver release form, Edwina Podemski had the courage to take on a new-comer (after, of course, the appropriate inquiries about skill levels: although maybe I didn’t need to warp the truth about that solo effort in the Trango!)
As I was to learn, Edwina’s generosity was part of a hugely consistent pattern to make sure folks get into the mountains. I understand over 100 people have had the opportunity to get onto the peaks thanks to her organizational stamina!
The day was good fun, and conditions assured the group a successful ascent. (I wonder if Aberdeen has ever had such a large crew on her summit?) Thanks for the fun ascent, the fine weather, and camaraderie. Yep, the mountains really do bring out the best in people.
Any Western orphan temporarily abandoned in Ontario should contact the Toronto section via website, or Jim Everard 416-466-0631, and we'll see if the East can come close to matching Western hospitality!!
“I would never want to part of any Club that would have someone like me as a Member” - Oscar Wilde.
But I do feel like a distant “associate” Member of Edmonton ACC!
Mount Sunwapta North Face 16-17 June 2001
by Markus Kellerhals
A grim forecast this weekend would have kept me away from the mountains had I not committed to lead a club trip. However, it turned out that the weather gods smiled on us, granting us just enough good weather to complete the climb. Victor, Soren and I drove down late Friday night, arriving at the Columbia Icefield Campground after midnight. Next morning, we “slept in” till 5:30 and met the rest of the group then.
Our route began just north of Beauty Creek Hostel. We climbed through a forest of match-stick pine along the north side of Grizzly Creek. After 400 metres of climbing, the valley flattened out and the timber opened up. Around this point, we started getting superb views of the Winston Churchill Range, rising above a glistening layer of fog that filled the Sunwapta valley. Easy travelling over meadows and talus led us to the bottom of the glacier around 2500 metres elevation. At this point, there are two ramps on the glacier leading over to the NE ridge. We chose the lower of the two ramps as it appeared to be less crevassed. For a short distance, we were exposed to serac fall, beneath where the upper ramp spills over a cliff. Travel on the glacier was quite slow thanks to the unconsolidated early season snow pack. Usually, the trailbreaker sank to mid-calf, though there were occasional patches of knee or even thigh deep wallowing.
Once on the NE ridge, we followed it to the summit. Mostly it was moderate-angle snow, but the last 200 metres were steeper, with a short section of 45° ice and a cornice to surmount. According to the guidebook, one can avoid this final steep section by traversing right to the NW ridge; however, we saw no reason to avoid the most interesting climbing. The snow on this final steep stretch changed from the spring mush we had encountered lower down to fresh wind slab. Just below the cornice, I started across a steep section, but was brought to my senses by a sudden whumph as the snow around me settled. I scuttled back to the safety of a gentler, more windswept area. Just below the cornice, I placed a couple of pickets in hard wind-packed snow to protect our climb over the lip.
After surmounting the cornice, it was a short stagger to the summit. At this point, there were no longer any views to enjoy as we were whited out and in the middle of a mini-blizzard. No doubt the views would have been excellent, since Sunwapta stands well above its immediate neighbours. As an aside, Sunwapta may even be one of the Rockies “Eleven Thousanders”. On the 1:50000 map, the final contour is only 3320 metres, but on the National Atlas of Canada website, Sunwapta’s height is given as 3360 metres, just above the magical mark.
After stopping to snap photos and stuff our faces, we headed down the scramble route on the SW slopes. The snow here was well softened by the sun. We found the best way to avoid wallowing was to descend on our bums. Fast traveling, but the worst wedgie I have had since high school! The snow ended around 2700 metres, leaving us to stumble down huge scree slopes and then through forest back to the road. Brett had obviated the need for a vehicle shuttle by racing down in half the time it took the rest of us, fetching his car and giving the rest of us rides back to our cars, saving us two or three km of road walking.
Our round trip took roughly 12 hours, 59 minutes and 32 seconds, thus falling comfortably within the nine to thirteen hour range that I had told participants to expect. We took ten hours up, greatly slowed by the tough trail-breaking, and two and a half hours down. We all agreed it was a very pleasant route. It is slightly tougher (and considerably longer) than the normal route on Athabasca. It also has a bit more of a wilderness feel since you are out of sight of the road for most of the day and away from the whine of tour buses and sno-coaches.
Participants: Markus Kellerhals (leader and reporter), Ernst Bergmann, Darren Bryson, Brett Wheler, Soren Andersen, Victor Chwieros, Bill Powell, Chuck Lummer.
3 day Mission: Iceline Trail and Mt. President
Captain’s Log, Stardate: July long weekend 2001
1st Communications Officer: Kelly Sloan
Late on Friday night, the first discovery of the “Enterprising” group was that the Lake Louise overflow and main campsites were closed due to hostile intruders (a.k.a. grizzlies). Some of the group were able to get into the hostel while others slept in the car. Following a gargantuan breakfast the next morning at Mountain Restaurant, the group headed into Takkakaw Falls and departed on the Iceline trail. This is rated as one of the best hikes in the Rockies, and with good reason. Although it was a very hot day, requiring repeated applications of sunscreen and litres of water into the system, the trail afforded incredible views of surrounding peaks, ranges, and valleys.
On Sunday morning, at the designated arousal time (4 AM), a sleepy voice was heard to mumble “I think it’s raining” to which another hushed voice replied “sssshhhh, you’ll wake up Eddie and she might make us go in the rain.” Alas, Eddie’s finely tuned environmental sensors had already awakened her and further investigation confirmed the earlier climatic pronouncement by the anonymous sleeper/climber. The rain did, in fact, create a warp in the space/time continuum and a few more hours of zzzzzzz’s were a welcome reprieve.
The group’s prime directive was to climb Mount President and the Vice, barring any unexpected occurrences, so the group of thirteen left the Stanley Mitchell hut and made warp time up the rock trail to the harnessing and roping-up point. One of the crew headed down at this point to spend a more relaxing day and, we later learned, to have supper waiting for our ravenous crew upon return. The weather was mixed sun and cloud, so many outstanding distant galactic quadrants were viewed and photographed during the climb.
Upon reaching the bergschrund, hailing frequencies were temporarily cut off between Eddie and the front person on the lead rope team (whose name begins with B, ends in T, and rhymes with Brett). The Captain’s log for this star date is a bit fuzzy on details at this point, although Brett was later called to the Captain’s Ready Room for debriefing the mission. Records do show that Brett was mysteriously beamed via a snow bridge geological anomaly across a giant worm hole which had opened since last year’s summit attempt. Brett was followed by Doug who, when asked what it looked like on “the other side” of the ridge, stated “like the movies, man ! Like the movies!” Hailing frequencies were, by this time, formally opened again between Eddie and Brett; consultation from several quarters took place, and six people continued on to the summit while the other six remained on the bergschrund to enjoy the views.
Captain’s Log, Mission: Summit of Mt. President
2nd Communications Officer: Victor Chwieros
The away mission continued up a steep and slushy snow ridge towards the summit, marking the void anomaly with flagging devices. The vertical void allowed brief visual contact with the waiting group. Not long after visual contact was lost, the team archived the summit objective, where display devices were constructed comprising red and white and traditional blue to mark Canada Day celebrations. After Rob established contact with planet Earth by bouncing frequencies to orbiting satellites, the team was ready to return. On the descent, sluffy sliding was encountered and the team was in danger of the sliding and vertical void anomalies interacting. Fortunately, no such event occurred, and the away-team descended to the col, where a briefing was held about the latest flow wave theories, and it was decided that an attempt at Vice President would pose too much hazard.
Captain’s Log, Return Mission
1st Communications Officer: Kelly Sloan
While the summiteers summitted, the Sophisticated and Sensitive Six who remained in wait for the away team were entertained by Officer Data (a.k.a. Chris), who is a veritable encyclopedia of music trivia and a gol darn good impersonator, too ! (Get this guy to a karaoke night !) Some extra zzzzz’s were captured by some, pseudo summit photos taken, movies discussed at length by those precious few who had actually seen the inside of a theatre in the last two years (I’m not bitter !), a Canadian flag saw daylight, and pee breaks were taken as per normal routines. When the summit-away team returned, they were belayed across the worm hole by members of the Sophisticated and Sensitive Six. The entire group were then transported via leg power and the thought of supper down to mission control, where Lorraine had supper ready for us (thanks, again, Lorraine!). All in all, it was a good trip, good weather, friendly people, superb cuisine, and no one had to visit sick bay which is always a plus! Thanks again to leaders Eddie, Simon, and Chris for an excellent weekend.
Mission Participants: Eddie P., Chris W., Simon J., John B., Victor C., Kelly S., Rob H., Brett W., Sandy A., Lorraine A., Doug B., Gina S., Bob T.
(Photos by Captain E. Podemski)
Mt. Hector
by Tim Moran
The day began at the inhumane hour of 4:30/5 AM, but it was a typical alpine start, nonetheless. We departed the Lake Louise Hostel around 5:30 to rendezvous with our trip leader, Brian, just south of the Mosquito Creek Hostel. After brief introductions and an overview of our objectives for the day, we hit the trail at 6:30. For about the first 30 minutes, we proceeded through a pleasant forest which gradually steepened as we approached the gully between Mt. Andromache and Little Hector. After a brief rest, we climbed up the gully—mostly 3rd- or 4th-class climbing. Once we topped out from the gully, we hiked past some pretty impressive slabs that Bill and Brett S. thought had great top-roping potential. From this point, it was pretty straightforward hiking on a gentle grade to the easternmost toe of the Hector Glacier.
We took a short rest to do some boot adjustments and prophylactic duct-taping near a small headwall and alpine swamp. As we departed from our "boot break", as a joke, Bill exclaimed, "Who forgot their axe?!" I think the look of distress on eight climbers' faces was much to the amusement of our assistant leader. We arrived at the eastern toe of the Hector Glacier around 10:30 AM and took our lunch break. The scenery was, to say the least, spectacular. To the east was a very lush and green valley, to the west the view was dominated by Little Hector, and to the north Mt. Andromache and numerous peaks along the Icefields Parkway.
We donned crampons and roped up around 11:00 into three teams: Brett S., Gabrielle, and Maris; Brett W., Naja and Bill; and Brian, Chuck and Tim. We began trudging west up the glacier, weaving our way between some smaller crevasses before turning south and heading towards the summit. Aside from the ablation zone, there was still a fair amount of snow on the glacier, which made for fairly easy travel, albeit across many snowbridges. As we gradually gained altitude, the weather at the summit was constantly changing by the minute. Closer to the summit, we had to start kick-stepping as the terrain became fairly steep and the snow was considerably deeper. This part of the climb seemed to never end! Finally we topped out on a small plateau at about 3250 m, only about 200 m below the summit, but to our misfortune, the weather became quite unsettled and visibility became very poor—not to mention the fact that our turnaround time of 3 PM was fast approaching, so we decided to begin our descent.
Clearly this trip was not about to violate Murphy's Law and, almost as soon as we began our descent, the summit, which had been enshrouded in clouds, was suddenly sunny and clear. It afforded a spectacular view of Hector Lake to the west and a fabulous panorama of numerous peaks to the north.
We began plunge-stepping parallel to the route by which we ascended. Brett W., Naja and Bill opted to glissade, much to the enjoyment of Naja, who had recently moved to Canada from Denmark and who was on her very first trip to the Rockies...ever! As we got onto more level terrain, it became apparent to me that the snowbridges were becoming a bit unstable. I sank up to my waist on at least five or six of them, prompting Brian to ask, "Hey, how much do you weigh?" Shortly thereafter, Brian took the lead on our rope team. In the meantime, Bill, Naja and Brett W. steamed past just to the right of us and past a gaping crevasse that was more the likes of a big hole, prompting Brett S. to point out, "That wouldn't be very fun to ski into."
About 20 minutes past the "bus station" (the gaping hole and so named because at least a couple of buses could fit into it), we reached the northern edge of the glacier. We unroped, removed crampons, had a snack and began our seemingly endless descent. We plodded our way down very steep rubble/scree slopes for quite sometime before reaching a pleasant meadow (not only for scenic value but for soft spongy ground). We took a short break while we waited for Gabrielle and Bill to perform some backcountry surgery—Gabrielle's boots were giving her some grief on the way down and some duct-taping was necessary. Instead of down-climbing the gully we came up, Brett S. suggested an alternate and much easier route to the right just below Little Hector. This route was mostly a steep scramble past a waterfall and through some forest before we emerged at the drainage we had followed on the way up. By this time it was around 7:30, and we were all getting quite tired and hungry. We reached the cars around 8 and, after sorting gear and a short debriefing, we made our way back to the hostel. We ended the day with dinner and dessert at the Outpost Bar.
Mount Hector is a scenic, straightforward and enjoyable outing, but it might be better to consider some other routes for a "novice" outing for several reasons: (1) it proved to be a long day at a "guide's pace"; (2) some features of the terrain (i.e., the gully) could prove a bit unnerving for a complete novice; (3) the 1400-m elevation gain will leave you puffing and exhausted at the end of the day. That said, it shouldn't be passed up as a good day of alpine climbing, just not seen as a novice climb.
Trip Leader’s Technical & Safety Notes:
First, many thanks to Tim for doing the duty of trip report writer. The route as described in Dougherty’s “Selected Alpine Climbs” (1999) is probably the ski ascent, so while the approach to the toe of the glacier is easier, it is longer than gaining the glacier higher up as far climber’s right (west) as possible (this should be reconnoitered pre-trip). The latter was used as the descent route. However, the trade-off is the novice climber’s sense of a seemingly endless descent down very steep talus/scree slopes (see above). In summary, a better route would probably be to gain the glacier higher on the right, but avoiding the scree/talus by staying left until above it, then descend via the route shown in “Selected Alpine Climbs” (a reconnaissance will make this clearer). This would be somewhat faster, provide a safer down-route, and increase the chance of making the summit while moving at guide’s pace. Dougherty mentions only the climber’s left-side route through the headwall near the waterfall, i.e., there is no mention of the trail on the right side that was used on the descent. The left side includes a very short bit of vertical rock that, while lacking actual vertical exposure (unless one goes off-route to the right), requires basic/novice rock skills. The right-side route is in the trees and so seems less exposed, but includes a similar very short bit that is less risky only in the sense that a fall would be stopped by the trees rather than talus, so a similar rock skill level is required. As an up-route, the right side offers switchbacks, the only other safety factor being that the dirt trail would be muddy (slippery) if wet. A final safety point: at a minimum, helmets are appropriate when climbing through the headwall. However, consideration should be given to Bill Inch’s practice of wearing one whenever there is potential for head injury from a fall (crevasse, less-than-vertical rock), especially on a trip with novice climbers.
Participants: Brian (trip leader), Bill (assistant trip leader), Brett S. (first aid), Brett W., Chuck, Gabrielle, Maris, Naja, Tim.
Mount Olive 23-24 June 2001
Photos and text by Dan Hallet
The First Night at the Thompson Creek campground was a success. The group of highly trained individuals united at the two campsites. Reading the note posted at the entrance by Bill, worked!
No one ended up using the pile of firewood brought over in a couple of wheelbarrows—it may be that the tents were a bit close to the fire pits.
Bill Inch (non-metric) and John Booth led the trip up to the Bow Hut Saturday. Everyone portered some piece of equipment or fixin’s for the Saturday supper. The crew included representation from the Calgary ACC.
Bill herded us up to the hut and grudgingly allowed one repast on the trail. This was shared with a small, slightly timid 4-legged creature in the rocks. I’m sure he does clean-up duty of untoward crumbs on the ground. We arrived at the Bow Hut with plenty of time to visit.
After many discrete inquiries, the group discovered that the 12 cans of beer basking on the deck outside the hut was lugged up by no other than our birthday boy, Coby. It was a joyous occasion for the great, unwashed masses when it was found the beer could be sampled by all. There were musings speculating how much a beer could fetch up at the hut.
The magnificent, tasty, carbo-loaded meal prepared under the watchful eye of Bill Non-Metric, was more than adequate to stave off the hunger of the masses. Soup du jour and appetizers were provided. It is said that beer aids digestion and this was done amidst cries of “yo’ da man” to the birthday boy. Beer can do wonders at altitude with pasta. No medical evidence supports this of which I am aware, but I’m sure it’s true.
We were honored (yes, we are not worthy!) as Chic Scott—who was our most esteemed Bow Hut custodian—shared the tasty, abundant meal. John discovered that someone had more than their fair share of dessert. Victor shifted uneasily. It was rumoured that extra puddings cause extra trips to the biffy during the night. Justice was served.
After a raucous card game and a fire-side chat with our custodian, the group retired for the evening. Comments were made that the non-snoring room had at least one snorer—the general area could only be guessed in the dark. Maybe it was the renegade mouse on Victor’s back during the night. Whether the mouse was real or imagined, this story was met with mixed skepticism.
Up and at ‘em early in the morning and on the hill just after the desired 6:00 AM target. John got his extra morning exercise by going back to the hut for the third rope. It seems that in the excitement, the one rope was taken out from under his nose at the hut. Bill Non-Metric reinforced the fact that we were fortunate to have obtained brand, spanking-new ropes from the rope custodian, Edwina. He espoused the importance of allowing him to live upon the return of the (hopefully) undamaged ropes to the aforementioned rope custodian. In fact the ropes were returned undamaged—undoubtedly as a result of Bill 2.54 cm’s preaching.
Chic Scott gave us some notoriety and joined us for the trip up. Under Mt. St. Nicholas and over to Mt. Olive we trekked, 3 roped groups strong.
The weather was unstable on the way up, and the temperature hovered around zero. On the ridge, the wind blasted corn snow in the face and produced a wind chill befitting a winter day in Normal Town.
A funny thing happened on the way to the summit. Bill’s axe was vibrating in the air. He possessed the rare, singing axe. Knights have long sought after this phenomenon. I personally was looking for somewhere to duck, expecting a bolt of lightning.
The thought of the day was reinforced before the cornice on the way over to Mt. Olive; “Don’t walk on the snow at the edge.” We reached the false summit and a few people opted out. Chic accommodated these people and took them back to await the return of the other groups. There they waited. And waited. And waited.
Meanwhile, back at the summit the two remaining roped groups reached the summit just in time for some fantastic views of the pillowy smooth snow of the Wapta Icefield and Mt. Gordon across to the south-west.
Returning with the speed-challenged group, I had time to look around on the way back. When what to my wandering (and bloodshot) eyes should appear, but our hero, John! He aided the crew down, assisting and entertaining at the same time. Due to the lateness of the day, Mt. St. Nicholas would have to wait for another time.
There must be a world record set for the number of people roped, glissading in unison on the last stretch before the Bow Hut. At least there was some unison amidst the hooting and hollering. It is rumored that Bill Non-Metric passed a couple of people on the way down.
There was only one obvious crevasse, which all were able to cross over, on the way back. Pedro sank waist-deep, since the snow had softened by early afternoon. Though people were eagerly ready to rescue him with their well-practiced glacier rescue, he disappointed by his self-extraction. There was certainly no opportunity to dull the crampons on this trip. There was enough snow to make travel in hiking boots possible for many.
After reloading and refreshing on yesterday’s spaghetti sauce for lunch—which some also had for breakfast—the tribe tramped back out to the awaiting vehicles to join the tourists and buses at Num-Ti-Jah lodge.
The post prandial meal was held at Rocky Mountain House, where the restaurant was convinced, suborned and wheedled to keep the salad bar open for the hungry crew coming. Then homewards.
Participants: Bill Inch, Pedro Jugo, Dan Hallet, Gabrielle Zimmermann, Tharin Blumenschein-Almeida, John Booth., Victor Chwieros, Jonathan Verner, AndyVerner, Marus Rupners, Coby & Stephanie Dufour, Brett Wheler.