A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada

Tonquin Valley Tales and Turns
Story & photo by George Stefanick
In
1961, Phil Dowling and the
Dowler brothers were contracted
to build the new Wates-Gibson Hut in the
Tonquin Valley of Jasper National Park. I
accompanied them in their mission to check
out the requirements for the foundation and
the availability of timber. The hut was built
the following year and in 1963, I attended
the General Mountaineering Camp (GMC)
and the offi cial opening of the Wates-
Gibson. For the next nine years I made
yearly summer visits into the valley and was
eager to see it in its winter setting.
I was dismayed in March of 1973 to
hear the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC)
had a rule about the equipment required
on its trips – heavy-duty downhill skis and
boots with touring bindings. Mine were
wooden with bear-trap bindings suitable for
touring. Bruce Harding, the chair of the ski
mountaineering committee, assured me he
could bend the rules and I was free to come
along with a couple of friends.
The following two years saw John
Tewnion and I each managing back-toback
weeks of ski mountaineering camps
in the Tonquin for the main club organizers
who were also running other ski camps in
different areas. Shortly thereafter, the ACC
Board felt that the area was losing its appeal
Eremite and Fraser Valleys
and decided not to use the Tonquin for a
few years. John and I weren’t convinced and
continued to run camps under the auspices
of the Edmonton Section, but opened them
to all ACC members. The camps have been
running now for 26 years an average of two
weeks each year and show no sign of losing
popularity.
When I was chair of the ACC ski
mountaineering committee, some members
expressed concern about the high cost of the
regular ski camps. For them, we arranged
low-budget camps with no cook or guides
and each participant was required to carry a
share of the food into the hut. These camps
were held over the Christmas holidays and
ran for six years but were discontinued
when participants began to organize their
own outings.
In the early years of the Tonquin ski
camps, Parks Canada used to keep the road
to Edith Cavell plowed. If we were planning
an outing, all we had to do was phone to
make sure the roadway was clear and if it
wasn’t, Parks would remedy the situation.
Later on, no person could be transported
but food and supplies were still allowed.
Now snowmobiles are forbidden but we are
still permitted to use dog teams to carry in
the food and equipment.
In addition to the Tonquin Eremite
ski camps, the Edmonton Section has
held camps in several other locations –
Assiniboine, the Icefi eld Parkway, Kokanee
Park, Monashee, Freshfi eld and Fairy
Meadows. Each area has its own unique
character and attracts a different mix of
skiers depending on the technical ability
required to enjoy the camp. Our camps have
always attracted a certain clientele from the
USA but since the advent of computers and
the Internet we now have participants from
as far away as Europe and Japan. We had
one of the editors of the New York Times
on one Tonquin trip who was so impressed
with the area she wrote a glowing article
about the area, the ACC and the camp in
particular. It was great advertising. (She was
a much better writer than she was a skier.)
Almost every camp will produce some
kind of ‘incident’. At the Stanley Mitchell
hut, a lady from Ontario was being harassed
by a pine marten as she was trying to prepare
dinner. In frustration she fi nally resorted to
her ice axe to defend herself – her aim was
bang on that day as she managed to impale
the poor beast on the wall.
Because many of our senior members
were no longer able to hike long distances
and function in a tent setting, I suggested to
the Board many years ago that we promote
a fall camp that would be held in a hostel,
hut or chalet and be easily accessible. These
camps have been a tremendous success
and much to my surprise have attracted
participants in their 20s as well as those in
their 80s.
Now after 26 years of Edmonton Section
camps the programs are still alive and well.
Although I am no longer directly involved I
am pleased to see that interest in them has
not waned. This year is a banner year with
two weeks of ski camps and four summer
and fall camps at four different locations, all
of which are fully subscribed.
George Stefanick has been a member of
The Club since 1958.
Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● Summer 2003 15