Winter 2010 - The Alpine Club of Canada

Lynn enjoys a sunny fall day on an unnamed
ridgetop in upper Fryatt Valley, Jasper National
Park.
Photo by Max Schoffel.
Short rope
by Lynn Martel
It never ceases to amaze me, as I
assemble each issue of the Gazette,
how a theme develops, nearly always
organically, tying together the issue’s
various articles.
This issue features an interesting
variety of stories highlighting how different
Alpine Club of Canada members and
projects are demonstrating leadership in
the mountain community.
At the young end of the learning
continuum, in September members of
Canada’s national youth climbing team
proudly competed at the Youth World
Championship in Edinburgh, Scotland.
And recently, the ACC teamed up with
the Army Cadet League of Canada to
help nurture leadership skills in teenage
members of the cadet program.
Last summer, a trio of ACC members
who showed exemplary judgement,
generosity and respect in the mountains
were recognized with the very special
Denali Pro Award. In western Canada’s
mountains, an ACC-supported project
is helping a motivated PhD candidate
develop better ways to manage human
waste in the backcountry. At the mature
end of the spectrum, long-time ACC
member Peter Fuhrmann, who served as
Club President and contributed to the
growth and sustainability of our club in a
myriad of immeasurable ways, including
developing the much appreciated Wapta
Visit the ACC’s online store for:
✦ Select climbing, hiking and ski touring
guidebooks
✦ Large selection of topographic maps
✦ ACC labelled apparel and accessories
✦ “Mapitfirst” software
ACC members receive a
15% discount off our retail prices!
www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/store/ or phone 403 678-3200 ext. 1
Icefield huts, was selected as recipient
of the prestigious Summit of Excellence
award for 2010.
And on the occasion of the 125th
anniversary of Banff National Park and
Canada’s national park system, the ACC’s
history guru, Zac Robinson, relates how
some of the Club’s founding members
helped influence the creation of that
intrinsically valuable system of protected
lands, even forming Canada’s first nongovernmental
watchdog for those parks.
Continuing on the leadership theme,
Club President Peter Muir describes
how the ACC is working with affiliated
groups to establish a standardized training
program for section trip leaders.
Clearly, the ACC is continuing its
exemplary century-old tradition of
providing inspiring leadership, not just as
mountaineers and climbers tying into the
sharp end of a rope, but also in the realms
of mountain culture, youth development,
preservation of wild places and
backcountry huts providing comfort and
shelter for people visiting that wilderness.
How fitting.
As we all plan our winter adventures,
we should all keep in mind the various
ways we might contribute to our club.
We don’t all have the skills or natural
talents to be rope leaders, but we can, all
of us, find ways to contribute and provide
leadership through our unique strengths
and expertise. We all have moments of
strength, doubt, frustration, impatience
and brilliance, and they don’t all happen
in the mountains.
After all, our club’s co-founder,
Elizabeth Parker, did not climb mountains.
She never sought attention, or
congratulations, for bagging any summits
or achieving proficiency at any technical
climbing grade.
But, without her foresight, courage
and determination—not to mention
fierce patriotism—we would likely not
have a club at all.
The true value of climbing can only be
measured in combination with our value
as members of our entire community—as
children, as siblings and partners, as
parents, as volunteers, as professionals and
neighbours.
And in that vein, please take a minute
to recognize the contributions of your
fellow ACCers, on and off the mountain
tops, by nominating one of them for a
very appropriate—and very special—volunteer
award.
4 Alpine Club of Canada Gazette Winter 2010