Living Lakes Canada: Collecting Data From Alpine Peaks to Valley Streams
High-elevation headwaters are the lifeblood for people and ecosystems alike. They provide the freshwater that pours through taps, supports the growth of food, and nurtures a diversity of freshwater species, including the iconic Kokanee Salmon.
John Lauchlan Award Trip Report: Peru 2024
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.
First Ascent to the Great Hall of the Gods – A Jen Higgins trip report
In the late summer of 2023, Isobel Phoebus, Sasha Yasinksi and Sara Lilley established a new route on the southwest face of Gladsheim Peak in the Valhalla Mountain Range, supported by the Jen Higgins Grant for Young Women.
Connecting About Change
Katie Reeder, Rikke Foss, Lauren Ryckliski and Brooklyn Rushton document the impacts of climate change in the Tonquin Valley with support from the the Jen Higgins Grant for Young Women. Trip report provided by Brooklyn Rushton.
Exploratory Climbing in Canada’s North: A Trip Supported by the Jen Higgins Grant
Shira Biner, Amanda Bischke, Noah Besen and James Klemmensen spent five weeks in the summer of 2023 on a paddling and climbing expedition on the east coast of Baffin Island on a trip partially funded by the Jen Higgins Grant for Young Women. They were able to navigate an unusually late sea ice break-up, kayak 120 kilometres, slog heavy loads for days along a glacier and put up four first ascent climbs, including an all-women first ascent in the Arctic.
Living Lakes Canada: High Elevation Monitoring
High-elevation headwaters are the lifeblood for people and ecosystems alike. They provide the freshwater that pours through taps, supports the growth of food, and nurtures a diversity of freshwater species, including the iconic Kokanee Salmon.
Sustainable Waste Management in the Bugaboos
By using a revolutionary urine-diverting system, Marc, alongside the volunteer group Friends of Bugaboos Park (FOBP) and the climbing community, the team significantly reduced the amount of helicopter service flights to this site and contributed to the longevity of East Creek Camp.
2021 Logan Expedition: A Trip Supported by the John Lauchlan Award
Maarten van Haeren, Ethan Berman, Peter Hoang and Alik Berg were one of two teams who received the support of the 2020 John Lauchlan Award to have a exploratory trip to the east end of Mt Logan.
After spending six weeks on the glacier, the team completed several new routes, summitted Mt Logan via the East Ridge, and attempted I-TO on the southeast face of Logan.
JLA Trip Report: Kitchatna Spires
Grant Statham and Tim Pochay were one of two teams who both received the first John Lauchlan Memorial Award in 1997 to head into the Kitchatna Spires in Alaska.
This particular piece from Grant Statham explains the importance of the John Lauchlan Award, the character that was the man himself, and the value of exploratory climbing.
