Past Presidents

Neil joined the Alpine Club of Canada in 1994 after falling in love with mountaineering while attending university in Scotland. He became an active leader and served on the executive committee of the Edmonton Section and eventually became the Section Rep on the Board of Directors. In 2007 Neil became the ACC Treasurer and became the first elected President in 2016. He served two terms which ended in May in 2022.

Neil was a Leader at many GMC’s and has always been passionate about the outdoors and advocating for protecting our alpine environments. You can normally find him in some place beautiful!

Gord grew up in Calgary where he began hiking the Rockies with his parents. He joined the ACC in 1977 to go trekking in Nepal, then graduated to climbing. Over a period of several decades he climbed in the Canadian Rockies – usually on the easiest possible route – as well as in the United States, Europe, Africa, Mexico and South America. He served one term as Treasurer of the Calgary Section and later joined the national board where he served for 12 years, first as Treasurer, then Secretary and ultimately as President of the Club.

Cam was born in Taber, Alberta and attended his first General Mountaineering Camp in Freshfields in 1976. He served in several positions in the Calgary Section including Chinook editor, Section Librarian, Vice-Chair and Chair of the section. Before becoming President, Cam served on the National Board as the Vice President of Activities for almost ten years. Cam has also volunteered as an amateur leader at close to 55 camps and GMCs, and is still counting. Cam has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award, and is also a second generation Silver rope recipient.

A lifelong Manitoban, Pete joined the Manitoba Section in 1986 and served as Section Chair from 1991 to 1997 and again from 1999 to 2000. He was the Manitoba Section’s representative on the ACC’s national bord of directors from 1991 to 2000.

A member of the ACC’s national executive committee from 1996 to 2016, Pete held in succession the positions of co Vice-President Activities, Vice-President Access and Environment, Secretary and President. Peter received the Manitoba Order of the Buffalo Hunt in 1992 (Mount Manitoba), the ACC Distinguished Service Award in 2001 and the A.O. Wheeler Legacy Award in 2016.

David Toole was born in Winnpeg. He joined the Montreal Section in 1984 and became Chairman of the Section in 1989. He was elected as national Vice-President of Services in 1993, then as Secretary in 1994, Treasurer in 1996, and served in 2000 as both Secretary and Treasurer. In 2001 he was elected President. After his presidency he served as the Club’s first Director of Planning and Development.

Mike Mortimer was born in England but grew up in Southern Africa. He travelled and climbed around the world for seven years before settling in Canada in 1973. He was in turn Chairman of the Calgary Section and the Huts Committee where he laid the foundations of the modern huts system, (building the Bow Hut hut in 1989 and pioneered the club’s first Water, Energy and Waste Management practices for backcountry huts.) As president he led the Mt. Alberta 75th anniversary celebrations with the Japanese Alpine club in 2000. After his presidency he organized the club’s Centennial in 2006 and later served five years as the president of the International Mountaineering Federation (UIAA).

His wife, Heather was equally involved in the club’s activities, including chairing the Mountain Guides Ball committee for thirteen years. Their work for the club was acknowledged by their being made recipients of the A.O. Wheeler Award and Mike’s honorary membership. They were honoured as the patrons of the 2014 Mountain Guides Ball.

Born in Winnipeg, Doug Fox served as Treasurer of the Vancouver Section, and Treasurer and Publications Committee Chair of the Main Club, before becoming President in 1992. In 1995-1996 he served on the Club’s Finance Committee. Doug climbed throughout the Coast Range of B.C., in the Yukon, North Cascades and Europe, for more than 20 years.

Ken Hewitt was born in Edmonton in 1950 and joined the Alpine Club in 1974. He served as Chairman of the Calgary Section from 1980 to 1982, and then as President between 1988 and 1992. Under Ken’s term, the ACC was restructured to allow “section-only” members to become full members and was an active participant in the building of the Canadian Alpine Centre in Lake Louise.

Peter Fuhrmann was born in Germany and came to Canada in 1955. He made first ascents in Canada and Peru and the Himalayas. He served as the first president of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides before becoming club President in 1984. Under his leadership, the club was revitalized and able to move forward. He was instrumental in the development of the Canadian Alpine Centre at Lake Louise. Professionally he worked in the role of the Alpine Specialist with Parks Canada. He served as Honorary President of the club for the period 2000 – 2005.

Edwards (Ted) Whalley came to Canada from Lancashire, England in 1950. At the National Research Council in Ottawa he led a department investigating the behaviour of materials at ultra high pressures. One series of discoveries fittingly revealed some hitherto unknown forms of ice. His climbing career spanned 4 decades, extending into the 1970s when he organized five expeditions to unclimbed areas of Baffin Island (Sam Ford Fiord 1973, Stewart Valley 1977, Ayr Lake 1979) and Ellesmere Island (Mackinson Inlet 1976, 1978). He served as Chairman of the Ottawa Section, the Safety Committee and Eastern Vice-President before becoming President.

John Tewnion was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 1952, he came to Edmonton, as a civil engineer. He joined the ACC immediately upon his arrival. He was the first chairman of the Camps and Expeditions Committee. After managing the General Mountaineering Camp for eight years he was awarded the Distinguished Service Badge in 1976. He earned his Silver Rope on the Yukon Centennial Expedition in 1967. He was largely responsible for the successful completion of the Calgary Olympic Skating Oval used during the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Don Forest was born in Alberta. He served during the Second World War as a radio technician in the R. C. A. F.. An engineer by profession, Don only started climbing at the age of 43. He was the first person to climb all the “11, 000ft.” peaks of the Rockies and the Selkirks. At age 71, he became the oldest person to climb Mt. Logan. He also served as the President of the Calgary Mountain Club. The ACC named a service award after Don in 2002.

Stan Rosenbaum arrived in Montreal from England in 1957. He soon discovered the ACC, attended the 1957 Tonquin Valley Camp, and joined the Montreal Section. Living in Ottawa since 1961, he served as Ottawa Section Chair, Eastern Vice President, and Safety Committee Chair. His working life was in semiconductor technology, micro chip design, and bringing telecommunications into the digital era. He climbed in the Tetons and the European Alps, and made various climbing and skiing visits to Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island, the West coast of BC and the Yukon.

Dave Fisher was born in England. He was active in the re-building of the Toronto Section and served as its Chairman from 1959-1962. He climbed in the Alps, Alaska, Karakoram, Andes and the Rockies. He made a south to north traverse of Mt. Athabasca in 1963 and in 1964, he was on the first ascent of Mt. Bastisti in the Italian Military Group from the Elk Lake Camp. He acted as the Chairman of the Club Re-organization Committee from 1964 to 1966 and was the Coordinator of the Yukon Alpine Centennial Expedition in 1967.

P. J. (Phil) Dowling was born in Ontario. He was a graduate student at the Imperial College of Technology in London and made his home in Edmonton, Alberta. His career included that of building contractor, environmental advisor, management consultant and a crown corporation president. He was a member of the 1967 Yukon Centennial Expedition, assisting the coordinator, David Fisher, with equipment and the commissariat. He was a member of the team that made the first ascent of Mt. Alberta in the Yukon Centennial Range.

Born in Macclesfield, England, Roger Neave came to Canada in 1929. For most of his professional life he worked as a civil engineer for the Imperial Oil Company, in Carnia, Ontario. Roger made over 35 first ascents including Molar Tower near Mt. Hector. He climbed in all the major ranged of B.C. as well as in Peru. In 1933, he came within 500ft. of the summit of the then unclimbed Mt. Waddington. He was active in exploring the Premier Range of the Cariboo and Stikine Icefields in Northern B.C.

Born on a farm east of Edmonton, Robin (Bob) C. Hind became an electrical engineer. He was involved with the Club for almost 70 years and served in many executive positions including President and finally as Honorary President. He took a whole generation of aspiring leaders under his wing, passing on his knowledge, and techniques to this enthusiastic group. He made over 250 climbs of which 26 were first ascents. He climbed all of the “12,000 footers”, in the Rockies, and climbed in Britain and the Alps. The climbing hut on Mt. Assiniboine was named after him.

Born in Switzerland, John spent his youth in Geneva, climbing many of the peaks in the Greater Alps. He came to Montreal in 1913 and worked as a Canadian Pacific engineer. In 1928, John recognized the potential of climbing in the Laurentians and in 1932 climbed Arabesque – which opened up climbing in the Val David area. In 1942, John helped found the Montreal Section.

Born in Scotland, Harry A. V. Green immigrated to Winnipeg in 1912 where he worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway’s legal department. His favourite climbing area was Lake Louise where he climbed many of his routes with the guiding family of Edward, Ernest and Walter Feuz. After Rex Gibson’s death, Harry, the Vice-President, served as the Club President from 1957 and 1958 and elected in his own right from 1960 until 1964. In addition to climbing, he founded the Winnipeg Little Theatre and was given the Canadian Drama Award for his plays and short stories.

Born in Essex, England, Rex Gibson came to Canada in 1926 and farmed near Edmonton. He served in both World Wars and took part in the Lovat Scouts training between 1943-1944 in the Rockies. He pioneered many routes in the Jasper area, especially in the Tonquin Valley. He was an early pioneer of ski touring in the Rockies. In 1937, he became the first person to climb the four “12,000 ft.” peals in the Canadian Rockies. He made over two hundred climbs, many of them were first ascents. He died in a climbing accident on Mt. Howson in 1957.