Alpine Club of Canada
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The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) is a mountain club with a National Office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for the Manitoba Free Press. The club is the leading organization in Canada devoted to mountains, climbing, mountain culture, and issues related to alpine pursuits and ecology.
The ACC is divided into 20 regional sections[1] across Canada that focus on local issues and access, and link local alpine enthusiasts to the national community. The club also maintains membership in the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (U.I.A.A.), provides year-round mountain adventures and an extensive system of alpine and backcountry huts[2] throughout the Canadian Rockies, the ACC has grown from its early inception into a full-fledged mountaineering organization with a strong foundation of volunteer, professional and corporate support. The club's goals remain the promotion of adventure, access, and environmental responsibility. The ACC publishes the annual Canadian Alpine Journal, which serves as the club's worldwide journal of record for achievements in climbing, mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and exploration of mountains.
While the ACC’s national office is in Canmore, Alberta, the core of the Club’s activities are the volunteer-led outdoor recreation opportunities offered to its over 10,000 members through the 20 regional sections across the country.
Canada Post recently issued a stamp to celebrate the club's centenary.[3]
History
In the spirit of the Alpine Club created in England in 1857, and the American Alpine Club (founded 1902), the ACC was established in Winnipeg in 1906 by A.O. Wheeler and Elizabeth Parker, with the support of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Club’s first annual General Mountaineering Camp was held in July 1906 in Yoho National Park with the idea of educating Canadians about mountain travel and instilling a sense of national pride in our mountain heritage.
Vision and Mission
The continuing mission of the ACC is to “foster alpine experiences, knowledge and culture; promoting responsible access; and supporting excellence in alpine leadership and skills”. Membership in the national organization is approximately 10,000, and the Club also represents Canada as a member of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA) - an international "organization of climbing organizations". In this way the ACC works towards its vision of “Preserving, practicing and promoting Canadian mountain culture and self-propelled alpine pursuits.”
Activities
In addition to these annual camps, which continue to be among the ACC’s premier activities, running for five weeks each summer, the Club currently operates dozens of huts representing the most extensive system of backcountry accommodation on the continent. The ACC also publishes the annual Canadian Alpine Journal, the leading publication on Canadian mountaineering, and the Club's library archives thousands of historical volumes on alpine exploration in Canada over the past 200 years. While the ACC’s national office is in Canmore, Alberta, the core of the Club’s activities are the volunteer-led climbing opportunities offered to its membership through 20 regional sections across the country. The ACC has a calendar of winter and summer programs including leadership training, technical climbing instruction and international expeditions (for example, in 1997 the Saskatchewan section of the Club held a successful trip to Cho Oyo, an 8,201m peak in Nepal). The Club is also the focal point for Canadian mountain culture through its website, publications and programs such as support of the annual Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival.
Huts
The Alpine Club of Canada operates an extensive system of huts available to both members and non-members, primarily in the Canadian Rockies, providing rustic accommodation for a total of up to 400 people on any one night (though many of these huts are accessible only by experienced mountaineers). These huts offer exceptional access to the backcountry, and a quick look at a few of these facilities and their surroundings provides a survey of the mountain recreation resources available in Canada. For example: • Abbot Pass Hut, built in 1922, is the highest habitable structure in Canada, sitting at 2,925m on the Alberta-British Columbia border (51.36406,-116.290204) between Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy. • A.O. Wheeler (51.263512,-117.489953) and Asulkan (51.211601,-117.463174) huts are in Glacier National Park, British Columbia and are popular year-round destinations for hikers and skiers. • Balfour (51.591562,-116.454921) and Bow (51.634825,-116.489611) are two of four ACC huts on the Wapta Icefield near the Continental Divide, from there water flows to the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans. • Fairy Meadow Hut (51.763257,-117.876534) in the Selkirk Mountains provides access to such popular backcountry skiing that a lottery system must be used to make a reservation there. • Conrad Kain Hut (50.738338,-116.763324), among the granite spires of Bugaboo Provincial Park, is named after an Austrian mountain guide who was the first to climb many Canadian mountains including Robson (3,954m), the highest point in the Rockies.
Most of these huts require advance reservation. Members may reserve huts earlier than the general public.
Canmore Clubhouse and Boswell Cabin
Located in Canmore, Alberta
- Boswell Cabin (Toronto Section), for conferences and event facilities
- Bell Cabin, for couples or families
- The Canmore Clubhouse, group facility for up to 15 people
Backcountry Huts
| Hut Name | Location | Region / Park |
|---|---|---|
| Elizabeth Parker Hut | Lake O'Hara | Yoho National Park |
| Abbot Pass Hut | Mt. Victoria | Yoho National Park and Banff National Park |
| Stanley Mitchell Hut | Little Yoho Valley | Yoho National Park |
| Bill Putnam Hut | Adamant Range | Selkirk Mountains |
| A.O. Wheeler Hut | Rogers Pass | Glacier National Park |
| Asulkan Cabin | Rogers Pass | Glacier National Park |
| Conrad Kain Hut | Bugaboo Prov. Park | British Columbia |
| Fay Hut | Prospector's Valley | Kootenay National Park |
| Elk Lakes Cabin | Elk Lakes Prov. Park | British Columbia |
| Kokanee Glacier Cabin | Kokanee Glacier Prov. Park | British Columbia |
| Silver Spray Cabin | Kokanee Glacier Prov. Park | British Columbia |
| Woodbury Cabin | Kokanee Glacier Prov. Park | British Columbia |
| Bow Hut | Wapta Icefield | Banff National Park |
| Peter and Catharine Whyte Hut | Wapta Icefield | Banff National Park |
| R.J. Ritchie Hut | Wapta Icefield | Banff National Park |
| Scott Duncan Hut | Wapta Icefield | Yoho National Park |
| Wates-Gibson Hut | Tonquin Valley | Jasper National Park |
| Sydney Vallance Hut
(Fryatt Hut) |
Fryatt Valley | Jasper National Park |
| Mount Colin Centennial Hut | Colin Range | Jasper National Park |
| Lloyd MacKay Hut
(Mt. Albeta Hut) |
Mt. Alberta | Jasper National Park |
| Neil Colgan Hut | Valley of Ten Peaks | Banff National Park |
| Castle Mountain Hut | Castle Mountain | Banff National Park |
| Ben Ferris Hut
(Great Cairn Hut) |
Mt. Sir Sandford | Selkirk Mountains |
Canadian Alpine Centre
- Canadian Alpine Centre, Lake Louise, Banff National Park
Section Huts
- Wendy Thompson Hut, Marriott Basin, British Columbia
- Tantalus Hut, Lake Lovely Water, British Columbia
- Jim Haberl Hut, Tantalus Range, British Columbia
- Keene Farm, Adirondack Forest Preserve, New York State
- Bon Echo Hut, Mazinaw Lake, Ontario
References
- ^ ACC regional sections
- ^ ACC huts and hostels
- ^ Canada Post stamp celebrating mountaineering last seen 2007-12-20