Summer 2007 - The Alpine Club of Canada

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Marmot Women’s Ski Camp an intense learning expe BY MARY ANN MAJCHRZAK ROMBACH Day 1: Bow Hut Ten women blazed their own trails up the Bow headwaters for this spectacular camp, which far exceeded everyone’s expectations for sheer fun, outrageous beauty, stupendous challenge, and an over-brimming slate of winter mountain knowledge. Guides Sylvia Forest and Jen Olson led the way, in the capable hands of Camp Manager Gabrielle Savard. Th e whip cracked at the parking lot of Num Ti Jah Lodge, and we skied off across frozen, snow-covered Bow Lake, up the ‘Mousetrap’ for a kilometre, underneath the headwall with the ‘Glacier Peering Down,’ then up the fi nal ‘hill’ to Bow Hut. Along the way a continuous stream of lessons about avalanche risk, route safety, spacing skiers and hazard-warning evidence kept our brains engaged as much as our bodies. Th e latter – fully female – were voraciously hauling heavy packs up to the hut upon fat boards and grabby skins, eager to devour adventure. After a quick lunch and rest in the hut, preceded by the scampering of participants to fi nd a place to spread out their sleeping bags – the usual territory grab – we tumbled onto the snowy slopes for beacon lessons. We had the full range of experience – none to lots. We had the full range of beacons – old to new – and every brand known to mountaineer. In short order the guides and manager had everyone functioning up to snuff – or at least enough snuff to qualify us for further travel! Dinner on night one brought forth fresh spinach salad, to complement a delicious full meal. After dishes – more lessons! Everything from route fi nding, route time calculations, compass navigation, map reading and knots, ad infi nitum. Th e guides and manager emptied their heads and fi lled up ours every night with everything they had, followed by a little down time and sleep. (Or lack thereof, as two over-excited participants had a rough time with that one!) Day 2: Mount Rhonda Th e second – and all subsequent – day’s patterns were the same as the fi rst. Lessons, fun and adventure, all blended into one fully pregnant experience. We headed up Wapta Glacier to split into two groups, one heading to Mount Rhonda’s south summit, the other to the north. Super weather, blue skies and cold temps kept the powder slopes safe and exuberantly skiable. Whahoo! I was in the south summit group. What a blast skiing up that never-ending ridge to the top – followed by wicked skiing all the way down! From left to right: Mountain Guide Sylvia Forest, Mary An Knaus, Assistant Guide Jen Olson, Megan Long, Taoya Whit Day 3: St. Nicholas – Olive Col to Rob Ritchie (Balfour) Hut We clambered quickly after breakfast to jam everything into packs to ski over to Rob Ritchie (Balfour) Hut. A quick beacon check and off we went, up and around St. Nicholas Peak, heading for the col between Mount Olive and St. Nicholas. Up and over that one and Sylvia decided in the biting blasts and -15°C temperatures to abort the Olive summit attempt and instead, practice roping up and climbing exercises along St. Nicholas’s frigid ridge. Butts almost frozen after that one, we skied hurriedly down Wapta Icefi eld and Vulture Glacier. We came to a less windy place and a wonderful intermediate powder slope – perfect for me. My group yo-yoed this slope, while another group climbed a steeper summit east of us. We gathered after this and took off together down Vulture Glacier to the hut. Th is hut sits on an isolated snow patch beneath the horrible gaze of Mount Balfour, far above. We were so small on an endless sea of ice. All night, the full moon peered in through the windows, adding to the drama. For a normal earthling like me, this fi rst experience on glaciers left me feeling like I might have been on another planet, so strange and new was the environment. I was so
ience n Rombach, Kaeli Benoit, Jenny Hamilton-Harding, Leoni e, Shelley Freeman PHOTO BY GABRIELLE SAVARD, CAMP MANAGER unbelievably excited that I slept only eight hours in six days! Th e following days we skied up an un-named peak and the Diableret Glacier; up to Vulture Col and across the glacier beneath Mount Olive to the Olive Nicholas Col to ski the north facing slope down to Bow Hut; and on the last day, skied from Bow Hut back to the Icefi elds Parkway. Women’s Leadership Focus Th is Marmot sponsored trip was designed to enhance leadership for women in winter glacier travel. Th e Camp Manager and Association of Canadian Mountain Guides certifi ed guides were met with such an enthusiastic group of seven participants that a ‘synergy of learning’ took off that was continuous and infectious. No opportunity for learning was missed, and extra activities were created to make sure every iota of winter travel skills and knowledge were imparted. For the crevasse and avalanche rescue experiences, every participant was hands-on in the process, as much as she was able. Opportunities were created for participants to lead in route AIR. WHAT COULD BE LIGHTER? The AirFlow pack series from Marmot. Ultralight packs with superior air flow and comfort to alleviate the dreaded sweaty back. Born Professionally with working mountain guides around the world. Learn more at marmot.com. Photo Gabe Rogel | www.marmot.com fi nding, according to their experience and capabilities. Even though I was a beginner, I was totally amazed at how much I learned in such a short order. Th e entire camp was an intense learning experience, which more than meets the ACC mission to teach mountain safety skills – all in a context of sheer fun and adventure. Interested in a last minute deal to ski powder at Fairy Meadow or Kokanee? ACC NewsNet subscribers were offered several last winter. To subscribe, email: NewsNet@AlpineClubofCanada.ca BORN PROFESSIONALLY Taoya digging furiously! PHOTO BY MARY ANN MAJCHRZAK ROMBACH Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● SUMMER 2007 17
Page 1 and 2: PUBLICATION # 40009034 Vol. 22, No.
Page 3 and 4: The Alpine Club of Canada Publicati
Page 5 and 6: New ACC Executive Director “exact
Page 7 and 8: Th e course ended with the instruct
Page 9 and 10: Munday biography brings history ali
Page 11 and 12: DRAGONFLY 8.2 | FUSE 9.4 | NOMAD 9.
Page 13 and 14: particularly helpful in providing i
Page 15: took our fi rst true rest day due t
Page 19 and 20: Whistler hosts fi rst Canadian Ski
Page 21 and 22: world for ice climbing,” Isaac sa
Page 23 and 24: Discover Places of Silence PACKAGE
Page 25 and 26: ACC salutes the BCMC’s centennial
Page 27 and 28: International Space Station. Weight
Page 29 and 30: West Coast members christen Centenn
Page 31: John Lauchlan Award and ACC team up

Summer 2007 - The Alpine Club of Canada

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?