Beginner ice climbing clinic right in the city limits! Photo: Frank Pianka
Words and photos by Frank Pianka – Thunder Bay Section Representative
The enthusiasm of a group of students from the outdoor recreation program at Lakehead University during the late seventies eventually led to what would become the Thunder Bay Section of the ACC. Along the way, hundreds of beginners have explored climbing with the TBay Section and our list of alumni includes
Sean Isaac, guidebook author, climbing guide and current editor of the Canadian Alpine Journal; Bryce Brown, and Scott Kress who are both Mt. Everest summiteers; Jaret Slip, who would go on to found the club’s section in the Yukon; and Toby Harper who has served on the club’s national board of directors.
It became evident that what our section was best at was creating opportunities for members to share knowledge and build their experience base, so we adopted the motto “Experience through Knowledge and Opportunity.”
Through the years, beginning climbers have had access to club gear for both rock and ice climbing, as well as volunteer leaders who organize events and run them in a way that puts safety above everything else.
Having a few professional educators in our core group of leaders has undoubtedly helped sustain the section. It’s hard to stop a keen teacher from organizing more structured classroom courses or workshops and our members have benefited from courses such as Field Physics, Land Navigation, Aid/Sport/Trad Climbing, Bolting Technology, and more. Where specialists are appropriate, we’ve brought them in to teach High Angle Rescue, Wilderness First Aid, and Leadership.
As is likely the case with other ACC sections, our challenge over the years has been the retention of these leaders, and the development of the next generation of leaders to mentor the next crop of newbies.
A unique experience with the Thunder Bay Section, and a learning opportunity that many have described as one of the best of their lives, was our section’s participation in “Project Peregrine.” A joint effort involving our section, The Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, the Lakehead University faculty of Outdoor Recreation, and Parks and Tourism, the project ran for twenty-one years for two weeks at the end of June. Our members worked with biologists to set up high-angle access and rappel cliffs to retrieve Peregrine falcon chicks from their aeries so the chicks could be banded, and samples could be collected from nests. The chicks were, of course, returned to their nests. This was always an exhilarating experience, and over the span of the project, more than five hundred chicks were banded.
If there is one thing that has sustained the Thunder Bay Section over the years and allowed us to maintain a cache of equipment, run events and courses with little or no cost to members, invest in leader development, and support the aims and objectives of the ACC, it has been our hosting of the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour. When this began a few decades ago, we suggested that other ACC sections follow our lead and there’s little doubt that this decision, despite the work involved, is one of the best our section has ever made.
We are excited about working with a new generation of volunteer leaders who can build on our work, as we begin to think about passing the torches in Thunder Bay.
Intermediate ice climbing overnighter at “The Royal Windsor Lodge,” (lol) Orient Bay. Photo Frank Pianka
Mountain historian Chic Scott is creating the ACC’s first official history book, a 450-page full-color volume spanning 120 years. Chic needs help to finish the book: he’s seeking photographs of key people and events from ACC members who might have rare images in their personal collections.
The Alpine Club of Canada is thrilled to announce the newest addition to its hut network – a new hut at Robson Pass. This hut has been more than two decades in the making and will serve as a gateway to the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and the surrounding area.
Peru’s Cordillera Blanca is a land of soaring granite peaks, harsh alpine terrain, and unexpected adventure. In search of new lines and untouched summits, John Lauchlan Award recipients, Tom Schindfessel, Mike Bowyer, and Aritza Monasterio set off on a month-long climbing trip, facing everything from thin air and loose rock to high-altitude fried chicken cravings. Their journey took them from the bustling streets of Huaraz to the remote faces of Hualcán and Cashan Oeste, where they battled rockfall, steep ice, and the limits of endurance. With stunning landscapes and bold objectives, their experience revealed the beauty and unpredictability of climbing in the Andes.
We appreciate that the lands known today as Canada are home to the enduring presence of all First Nations and Métis people, and the Inuit and we acknowledge the past, present, and future generations of these Nations who continue to lead us in stewarding this land, as well as honour their knowledge and cultural ties to this place. The Alpine Club of Canada’s head office is located in the traditional lands of Treaty 7, which is comprised of the Stoney Nakoda Nations of Wesley, Chiniki, and Bearspaw; three Nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy: the Piikani, Kainai, and Siksika; the Mountain Cree; and the Tsuu T’ina of the Dene people. This territory is also shared with the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. Before the signing of Treaty 7, and prior to the establishment of provincial boundaries, this region was also used by the Ktunaxa and the Maskwacis people.
General Inquiries
Phone: 403-678-3200
Email: [email protected]
201 Indian Flats Rd.
PO Box 8040 Main St, Canmore, AB, T1W 2T8, Canada
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
The Alpine Club of Canada is a registered Amateur Athletic Association and a registered Canadian charity (Registration No: 10670 4182 RR0001). The ACC’s US Foundation can accept charitable donations from donors living in the United States. We will issue a charitable tax receipt for eligible donations of $20 or more.
