Alpine Club of Canada - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) is a mountain

Mountain

Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...

club with a National Office in Canmore, Alberta

Canmore, Alberta

Canmore is a town in Alberta, Canada, located approximately west of the City of Calgary near the southeast boundary of Banff National Park. It is located in the Bow Valley within Alberta's Rockies. The town shares a border with Kananaskis Country to the west and south and the Municipal District of...

that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering

Mountaineering

Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...

since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler

Arthur Oliver Wheeler

Arthur Oliver Wheeler was born in Ireland and immigrated to Canada in 1876 at the age of 16. He became a land surveyor and surveyed large areas of western Canada, including photo-topographical surveys of the Selkirk Mountains and the British Columbia-Alberta boundary along the continental divide...

, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for the Manitoba Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press

The Winnipeg Free Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Founded in 1872, as the Manitoba Free Press, it is the oldest newspaper in western Canada. It is the newspaper with the largest readership in the province....

. The club is the leading organization in Canada devoted to mountains, climbing

Climbing

Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...

, mountain culture, and issues related to alpine pursuits and ecology.

The ACC is divided into 20 regional sections 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

Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme

The UIAA or Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme, is the organization that represents several million mountaineers and climbers, world-wide, on international issues. Formed in 1932 in Chamonix, France, it now has over 88 members associations from some 76 countries, all of national...

(U.I.A.A.

Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme

), provides year-round mountain adventures and an extensive system of alpine and backcountry huts throughout the Canadian Rockies

Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...

, 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

Canadian Alpine Journal

The Canadian Alpine Journal is the yearly magazine of the Alpine Club of Canada. It serves as a worldwide journal of record for achievements in climbing, mountaineering, ski mountaineering, and exploration of mountains....

, which serves as the club's worldwide journal of record for achievements in climbing

Climbing

, mountaineering

Mountaineering

, ski mountaineering

Ski mountaineering

Ski mountaineering is form of ski touring that variously combines the sports of Telemark, Alpine, and backcountry skiing with that of mountaineering...

, and exploration

Exploration

Exploration is the act of searching or traveling around a terrain for the purpose of discovery of resources or information. Exploration occurs in all non-sessile animal species, including humans...

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.

History

In the spirit of the Alpine Club

Alpine Club (UK)

The Alpine Club was founded in London in 1857 and was probably the world's first mountaineering club. It is UK mountaineering's acknowledged 'senior club'.-History:...

created in England in 1857, and the American Alpine Club

American Alpine Club

The American Alpine Club, or AAC, was founded in 1902 by Charles Ernest Fay, and is the leading national organization in the United States devoted to mountaineering, climbing, and the multitude of issues facing climbers...

(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 Alpine Club of Canada 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 25 huts representing the most extensive system of backcountry accommodation on the continent. The ACC also publishes the annual Canadian Alpine Journal

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 alpine club huts available to both members and non-members, primarily in the Canadian Rockies, providing rustic accommodation (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

Abbot Pass hut

The Abbot Pass hut is an alpine hut located at an altitude of 2925 metres in Abbot Pass in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. It is nestled between Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy, straddling the continental divide, which, in this region, defines the boundary between Banff National Park in...

, 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

Conrad Kain hut

The Conrad Kain hut is an alpine hut located in Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada. Coordinates: NAD27 11U 516700 5620754...

(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

The Alpine Club of Canada Clubhouse located in Canmore is also accommodation. The Clubhouse facilities, (affiliated with Hosteling International), are located 4.5 kilometers northeast from downtown Canmore. Positioned on the sunny north side of the bench, it has spectacular views of the Bow Valley

Bow Valley

Bow Valley is a valley located along the upper Bow River in Alberta, Canada.The name "Bow" refers to the reeds that grew along its banks and which were used by the local First Nations peoples to make bows; the Peigan name for the river is "Makhabn", meaning "river where bow weeds grow".-Parks:Bow...

. Step out the front door to a multitude of hiking, biking trails, climbing routes and a number of other outdoor activities. Members and Non-member are able to stay at the accommodation.

Boswell Cabin (Toronto Section), for couples, families and small groups
Bell Cabin, group facility for up to 15 people
The Canmore Clubhouse, hostel accommodation (up to 32 people), event/meeting facilities.

The main building (The Clubhouse) is furnished with a fully equipped kitchen, large living room, meeting room, TV/Game room, laundry, Free WiFi, two decks and a BBQ. The Bell Cabin is a smaller version of the Clubhouse. The Boswell has private rooms.

Backcountry Huts

Hut Name	Location	Region / Park
Elizabeth Parker Hut Elizabeth Parker hut The Elizabeth Parker hut is an alpine hut located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia at an altitude of 2040 metres in a small subalpine meadow about 500 metres west of Lake O'Hara. It is surrounded by some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the Canadian Rockies. The hut actually...	Lake O'Hara Lake o'hara Lake O'Hara a lake at an elevation of 2,115 m in the alpine area of Yoho National Park, in the province of British Columbia, on the western side of the Great Divide with the province of Alberta and Banff National Park to the east...	Yoho National Park Yoho National Park Yoho National Park is located in the Canadian Rocky Mountains along the western slope of the Continental Divide in southeastern British Columbia. Yoho NP is bordered by Kootenay National Park on the southern side and Banff National Park on the eastern side...
Abbot Pass Hut Abbot Pass hut The Abbot Pass hut is an alpine hut located at an altitude of 2925 metres in Abbot Pass in the Rocky Mountains in Alberta, Canada. It is nestled between Mount Victoria and Mount Lefroy, straddling the continental divide, which, in this region, defines the boundary between Banff National Park in...	Mt. Victoria	Yoho National Park and Banff National Park Banff National Park Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
Stanley Mitchell Hut Stanley Mitchell hut The Stanley Mitchell hut is an alpine hut located at an altitude of 2060 m in the Little Yoho Valley in Yoho National Park, British Columbia. It sits in a small meadow not far from the base of a mountain called The President. It serves as a base for hiking, scrambling, ski-touring and climbing...	Little Yoho Valley	Yoho National Park
Bill Putnam Hut Bill Putnam hut The Bill Putnam hut is an alpine hut located in the Adamant range of the Selkirk mountains in British Columbia. It is set on a knoll at the edge of a high mountain meadow and provides access to a great array of mountaineering objectives, but is best known for its spectacular skiing terrain... (Fairy Meadow Hut)	Adamant Range Adamant Range The Adamant Range is a subrange of the Big Bend Ranges of the Selkirk Mountains of the Columbia Mountains in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, located on the west side of Columbia Reach, Kinbasket Lake, north of Glacier National Park.-References:...	Selkirk Mountains Selkirk Mountains The Selkirk Mountains are a mountain range spanning the northern portion of the Idaho Panhandle, eastern Washington, and southeastern British Columbia. They begin at Mica Peak near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and extend approximately 320 km north from the border. The range is bounded on its west,...
A.O. Wheeler Hut	Rogers Pass Rogers Pass Rogers Pass is a high mountain pass through the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia used by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway. The pass is a shortcut across the "Big Bend" of the Columbia River from Revelstoke on the west to Donald, near Golden, on the east...	Glacier National Park Glacier National Park (Canada) Glacier National Park is one of seven national parks in British Columbia, and is part of a system of 43 parks and park reserves across Canada. It protects a portion of the Columbia Mountains. It also contains the Rogers Pass National Historic Site, designated for its importance in the construction...
Asulkan Cabin	Rogers Pass	Glacier National Park
British Columbia
Fay Hut Fay hut The Fay hut was an alpine hut located above Prospectors Valley in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. Although the higher Neil Colgan hut superseded it as a base for climbs in the Valley of the Ten Peaks area, it still served as a convenient base for hikers and skiers doing day trips in the...	Prospector's Valley	Kootenay National Park Kootenay National Park Kootenay National Park is located in southeastern British Columbia Canada covering in the Canadian Rockies and forms part of a World Heritage Site. The park ranges in elevation from at the south-west park entrance to at Deltaform Mountain...
Elk Lakes Cabin Elk Lakes cabin The Elk Lakes cabin is an alpine hut located between the French and Italian Military Groups in the Canadian Rockies, set near the Continental Divide among massive cliff faces, waterfalls, lakes, craggy summits, and hanging icefalls in Elk Lakes Provincial Park, British Columbia...	Elk Lakes Prov. Park Elk Lakes Provincial Park Elk Lakes Provincial Park is a provincial park in south eastern British Columbia, Canada, located west of the continental divide ....	British Columbia
Kokanee Glacier Cabin	Kokanee Glacier Prov. Park Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park is one of the oldest provincial parks in British Columbia, established in 1922. The park has an area of and is located in the Selkirk Mountains in the West Kootenays region of BC...	British Columbia
Silver Spray Cabin	Kokanee Glacier Prov. Park	British Columbia
Woodbury Cabin	Kokanee Glacier Prov. Park	British Columbia
Bow Hut Bow hut The Bow Hut is an alpine hut located at an elevation of on the eastern edge of the Wapta Icefield in Banff National Park. It is the largest, best equipped, and most accessible of the four alpine huts on the Wapta Icefield, and serves as the base for a wide variety of ski tours and mountaineering...	Wapta Icefield Wapta Icefield The Wapta Icefield is located on the Continental Divide in the Canadian Rockies, in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. The icefield is shared by Banff and Yoho National Parks and numerous outlet glaciers extend from the icefield, including the Vulture, Bow and Peyto Glaciers...	Banff National Park
Peter and Catharine Whyte Hut Peter and Catharine Whyte Hut The Peter and Catharine Whyte Hut, also known as the Peyto Hut, is an alpine hut located on the northern tip of the Wapta Icefield in Banff National Park. It is nicknamed the Peyto hut due to its proximity on the Peyto Glacier. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.The hut sleeps 18... (Peyto Hut)	Wapta Icefield	Banff National Park
R.J. Ritchie Hut R.J. Ritchie Hut The R.J. Ritchie Hut is an alpine hut located at an altitude of between the southern tip of the Wapta Icefield and the northern tip of the Waputik Icefield in Banff National Park. The hut is at the half-way mark for the Wapta traverse and is usually used in conjunction with the other huts in this... (Balfour Hut)	Wapta Icefield	Banff National Park
Scott Duncan Hut Scott Duncan Hut The Scott Duncan Hut is an alpine hut located on the southern tip of the Waputik Icefield in Yoho National Park. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.The hut sleeps 12 and is equipped with propane powered lamps and stovetop...	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 Colin Range The Colin Range is a mountain range of the Canadian Rockies located directly northeast of Jasper townsite in Jasper National Park, Canada.This range includes the following mountains and peaks:...	Jasper National Park
Lloyd MacKay Hut (Mt. Albeta Hut)	Mt. Alberta Mount Alberta Mount Alberta is a mountain located in the upper Athabasca River Valley of Jasper National Park, Canada. J. Norman Collie named the mountain in 1898 after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta.Mount Alberta is the sixth highest peak of the Canadian Rockies...	Jasper National Park
Neil Colgan Hut Neil Colgan Hut The Neil Colgan Hut is an alpine hut located on the Fay Glacier in Kootenay National Park. It is situated in a col between Mount Little and Mount Bowlen, which is one of the peaks overlooking The Valley of the Ten Peaks. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada...	Valley of Ten Peaks	Banff National Park
Castle Mountain Hut	Castle Mountain Castle Mountain Castle Mountain is located within Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, approximately half-way between Banff and Lake Louise. While looking nearly impenetrable from the Trans-Canada Highway, the peak can be ascended from the backside on the northeastern slopes...	Banff National Park
Ben Ferris Hut (Great Cairn Hut)	Mt. Sir Sandford Mount Sir Sandford Mount Sir Sandford is the highest mountain of the Sir Sandford Range and of the Big Bend Ranges of the Selkirk Mountains in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the 12th highest peak in the province. The mountain was named after Sir Sandford Fleming, a railway engineer for the Canadian...	Selkirk Mountains

Section Huts

Wendy Thompson Hut, Marriott Basin, British Columbia
Tantalus Hut, Lake Lovely Water, British Columbia
Jim Haberl Hut
Jim Haberl hut
The Jim Haberl hut is an alpine hut located in Tantalus Range near Squamish, British Columbia. The hut is maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada.The hut sleeps 12, and is equipped with propane powered lamps, stovetop and oven...

, Tantalus Range
Tantalus Range
The Tantalus Range is a small but spectacular subrange of the Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in southern British Columbia, Canada. The range is well-known to travellers to and from the ski resort at Whistler as the stunning vista on the highway to the resort from Squamish.To Sḵwxwú7mesh,...

, British Columbia
Keene Farm, Adirondack Forest Preserve, New York State
Bon Echo Hut
Bon Echo hut
Coordinates: The Bon Echo hut is an alpine hut located in Bon Echo Provincial Park on Mazinaw Lake in Ontario. The hut is maintained by the Toronto Section of the Alpine Club of Canada....

, Mazinaw Lake, Ontario

External links

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