Summer 2007 - The Alpine Club of Canada

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Lynn soaking up summer season near Fairy Meadow PHOTO BY CHUCK O’CALLAGHAN Short Rope BY LYNN MARTEL As the climate warms all over the world, I’m repeatedly reminded of how much joy and wonder I derive from the distinct diff erences between all four seasons, and the infi nite marvels of nature each one brings. As I write this from Canmore Alberta, the Canadian Rockies are at their best – yesterday the local climbing crags were bustling places, and I savoured a run in tank top and shorts. Today grey clouds obscure fresh snow covering the upper slopes of mounts Lady Macdonald and Grotto as rain turns the grass bright green, and the temperature reads seven degrees Celcius outside my front door. One of the great bonuses of living in the Rockies is being able to experience all four seasons not in 12 months, but occasionally in 24 hours. With the seasons changing outdoors, and the Alpine Club of Canada’s Centennial behind it, the Club is charging toward its next season. In this issue you’ll learn more about plans for a Centennial hut to be built at Mount Robson. You’ll read about a Canadian astronaut launching into space with an ACC memento packed along. You’ll discover how communication, perseverance and dedication helped forge a new relationship between the ACC and the Fédération Québécoise de la montagne et de l’escalade. You’ll fi nd new faces and old faces in new places at the ACC’s National Offi ce, as former Director of Facilities, Lawrence White, moves behind the very large Executive Director’s desk passed on by a retiring Bruce Keith. And, you’ll learn how one long time Club member, past employee and volunteer who is bravely walking into the autumn of her life with inoperable cancer, is leaving the Club, that means so much to her, a much richer one – in so many ways – than when she fi rst became a part of it. 4 Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● SUMMER 2007 Book reveals adventurers’ tragic, fascinating tales The stories are compelling, fascinating, sometimes disturbing and very much true. Strange and Dangerous Dreams: Th e Fine Line Between Adventure and Madness, written by Canadian Alpine Journal editor, Geoff Powter, features tantalizing biographies and tragic tales of 13 adventurers who tumbled over that very line. Published by Th e Mountaineers in Seattle, the book will be released in both Britain and Germany in the fall. “As a clinical psychologist, experienced climber and engaging storyteller, Geoff Powter is uniquely suited to the task of unravelling the mysteries behind some of the most bizarre adventurers the world has ever seen. A fascinating look at what drives some people right over the edge.” —James Little, Editor, explore magazine. Strange and Dangerous Dreams: Th e Fine Line Between Adventure and Madness is available through Chapters online and Amazon.ca Would you have liked to sign up for a climbing clinic with Lynn Hill or Tommy Caldwell? ACC NewsNet subscribers found out how. To subscribe, email: NewsNet@AlpineClubofCanada.ca Mountain Photography Workshop with award winning photographer Richard Berry Discover new skills to improve your mountain and landscape photography. This weekend workshop, during the peak of fall colours, concentrates on improving composition and technical skills through lectures, fi eld trips and by reviewing photographs taken during the course. Breakfasts & lunches included. September 28 (eve) to 30, 2007 at the Alpine Club of Canada Clubhouse, Canmore. Only 9 places available. For more information visit: Cost $360 www.AlpineClubofCanada.ca/publications/workshop Some of you might also notice this issue of the Gazette is eight pages larger than usual. As editor, all I can say is thank goodness for the generosity of our advertisers, and several other factors which made this possible. Th roughout the year, and in an exuberant rush just prior to the spring, fall and winter submission deadlines, I have the great privilege of receiving dozens of stories and articles written by ACC members as they explore mountain places in Canada and abroad. Th at of course, is the problem – too much of a good thing! So, my sincerest apologies to all of you who have taken the time to write, collect photos and forward your stories in the hopes you’d see them published on these pages. Quite simply, with every issue I face the most diffi cult part of the editor’s job – deciding which stories to include on the limited number of pages, and which to hold on to in the hopes I’ll have room in the next issue. For some of you, this is that issue. And the Gazette Committee hopes to be able to publish a larger Gazette once a year in the future. But before you send in stories of your summer adventures, please contact me at gazette@alpineclubofcanada.ca so I might help you know how long your articles should be, so I can fi t as many as possible into the Fall issue.
New ACC Executive Director “exactly what the Club needs” BY LYNN MARTEL Even before Lawrence White took over the position of Alpine Club of Canada Executive Director in early May from Bruce Keith, who retired after 12 years in the role, he was looking forward to the challenge of trying to attract a broader membership demographic to the 100-year-old not–for-profi t organization. And, White believes his own youth should go a long way in letting the public know the ACC is not a staid or hardcore–focussed group. “My primary goal is to continue along with the work Bruce has initiated already, and to soak up as much as I can from the leadership of the Club, gain from their mentorship,” said White, 33. “My next goal is to fi nd ways to appeal to another demographic – a younger crowd who is reluctant to get involved in clubs and charities. I hope I can show them that I’m young, I volunteer and lead trips and I’m involved at the Club’s section level. I hope the public will see there are other people out there in senior roles who are still active and involved in the Club. If the public went to meetings, they might see the variety the ACC has to off er, that we run trips with everything from snowshoeing to mountain bike rides to advanced mountaineering.” White joined the ACC while living in Vancouver in 1999, when he was 25. From then his interest was piqued. “It was an outdoor recreation organization I wanted to get involved with,” White said. “I felt it was a club I could gain knowledge from. I wanted to get involved in the outdoor mountaineering community, and I found the ACC on line.” With a population of over two million, Vancouver has just 600 ACC members, a fact that can make fi nding partners for mountaineering activities challenging, he said. “Th ere’s not much presence there, that’s something I’d like to change,” White said. Lawrence has a lot of experience running both the activities and facilities areas of the Alpine Club of Canada. His level of enthusiasm and eff ort for everything he does is second to none. His love and respect for the mountains ensures that he will represent the ACC and its members to the best of his ability. We’re lucky to have him as Executive Director. —Cam Roe, ACC President In 2000, while studying tourism management at Capilano College in North Vancouver, White accepted a three-month student practicum position with the Club at its Canmore head offi ce. “It seemed like a natural progression, wanting to learn more about the nonprofi t environment, and the ACC, and what it did out this way,” White said. When a full time position became available not long afterward, White quickly accepted the Club’s off er and moved to Canmore. His partner, Corina Strim, followed, relocating her business, Music Magic, teaching music to children and adults. Now after fi ve years with the ACC, White said he feels the timing is perfect for him to take on the Executive Director role. “I felt the timing was appropriate,” White said. “I’ve been employed by the Club in all areas in the fi ve years that I’ve been here. I came in at entry level, then middle management, then up to senior management. And I looked at it as, if not now, then when? And right now, the environment of the Club is very attractive. If it was in disarray of any kind, or if there was any sense of instability, I would have thought twice about it. But the volunteer base is so strong, and we have an incredibly supportive Executive Committee. Th e leadership of the Executive Committee is incredibly encouraging. I think from the Club’s perspective the change will be relatively seamless, with the excellent support structure and networks already in place. I think that speaks volumes about Bruce’s leadership too.” Passing his desk on to White, Keith also said he felt White is the right person at the right time. “Lawrence is exactly what the Club needs in an Executive Director,” Keith said. “An ability to see the big picture, together with a willingness to roll up his sleeves and get the job done. Th e ACC is fortunate to have him. I think he’s got all Lawrence getting the job done at the Fay Hut reconstruction site the qualities and potential the Club needs as it enters its second century. Great energy, new ideas, great sense of humour and commitment.” Th at energy and commitment is a two-way street, White said, something he aims to reveal to younger mountain enthusiasts who for the most part seem reluctant or disinterested in joining clubs or volunteering their time and skills. “Maybe they just don’t realize how much you can get out of belonging to an organization and volunteering – especially one that does such cool things,” White said. “You really can get a lot out of the ACC, depending on what you put into it. I’ve put a lot in, and I know you can get a lot out of it. Th e challenge is appealing to a broader demographic. Th ere are no easy solutions, but the electronic media off ers lots of potential. I have no magic bullet, I hope people in that demographic can look to me as a role model – as a professional, a volunteer and a mountaineer.” Reprinted with permission from the Rocky Mountain Outlook. Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● SUMMER 2007 5
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Page 23 and 24: Discover Places of Silence PACKAGE
Page 25 and 26: ACC salutes the BCMC’s centennial
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Summer 2007 - The Alpine Club of Canada

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