John Douglas Lauchlan, 1954-1982
John Lauchlan was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on September 12, 1954. The Lauchlan family settled in Calgary in 1966 after living in both Edmonton and Saskatoon.
John attended Henry Wise Wood High School where art and music were a big part of his life. In this time he discovered mountain climbing, a passion that would soon dominate all his activities. When he graduated from high school in 1972, “…the direction of his life was well established. It would be climbing first and all other things as they fit.”
In the 10 years after high school, John was to become the undisputed leader of the mountaineering community. His climbs became more bold, and he brought new meaning to the words possible and impossible. His intensity and commitment were incomparable to any Canadian climber before him.
John was a pioneer in setting new standards both nationally and internationally. In 1978, he made the first winter ascent of the 1300-metre North Face of Mt Kitchener in Jasper National Park with Jim Elzinga. One year later, John and three others made a 16-day alpine-style ascent of the highly prized and unclimbed 3000-metre southwest buttress of Mt Logan (5959 m), Canada’s highest mountain.
In the summer of 1980, with Dwayne Congdon, he represented Canada at the Rassemblement International, a bi-annual event held in Chamonix, France, that attracts two of the best climbers from each country. John and Dwayne succeeded in making the third ascent of the MacIntyre/Coulton Route on the Grande Jorasses, a route that had defeated many of Europe’s top alpinists. John went on to climb the North Face of Les Droites and to solo the Gabbaroux Couloir on Mt Blanc.
In Canada, ice climbing was one of John’s main interests, and he led the movement towards new routes and bolder styles. His list of first ascents includes Takakkaw Falls, Pilsner Pillar, Slipsteam and Nemesis (the first free ascent).
In spring 1980, John led a four-man expedition to Nepal to establish a very technical new route on the south face of Ganga Purna, a 7454-metre peak in the Annapurna area. This was a landmark ascent, and to this day, ranks as one of the most difficult climbs Canadians have done in the Himalayas.
Climbing was not just a sport for John, it was his way of living life to the fullest; it provided a sense of understanding and a coming to terms with himself. He was constantly testing himself, pushing a little harder on the fine edge that seperates success from failure. Each time he came closer to realizing his full potential.
John was not only a world-class climber, he was a leader and a pioneer of new ideas. He was instrumental in what would evolve into today’s Mountain Equipment Coop, and he also helped develop Yamnuska Inc., now Canada’s largest mountain school.
John inspired everyone he met. He was a teacher, a climber and a leader of his generation. His death in an avalanche in the winter of 1982 left an incredible void in the Canadian climbing community. But in his lifetime he created a legend, and he gave every climber a fearless example of what they can become. This, perhaps, was his greatest gift of all.
This biography was compiled from a variety of sources including an obituary published in Explore Magazine in April, 1982.
