The Arête - Association of Canadian Mountain Guides · a non-punitive way so as to provide learning opportunities and transparency with what we do as guides. This strategy must re-spect

The ArecircteVolume 46 Winter 2017

Ski Guiding in The North A World without InfoEx Page 26

A Hiking Traverse The Dolomites of Italy Page 32

Land of Fire amp Ice Ski Touring in Russia

Page 28

Near Miss in the Simpson Control Paths

Page 42

2 3 Winter 2017 Winter 2017The Arecircte The Arecircte

For ski alpinists a boot that climbs as well as it skis Precise climbing agilityand elite ski performance in the same boot The new Procline Carbon Lite boot

CLIMBSKI

Proud Partner

The ArecircteldquoMountains are the cathedrals where I practice my religionrdquo

- Anatoli Boukreev

Editor-in-Chief Shaun King

Editorial Consultants Mary Clayton Peter Tucker Marc Picheacute

Editorial PolicyThe Arecircte attempts to print every submission believed to

be of interest to the ACMG membership including items that challenge the Association to examine its actions or direction Ar-ticles containing insulting or defamatory sections will be edited or not published at all Technical articles are subject to review by the Technical Committee

Article submissions and advertising informationSubmission guidelines outlined on the ACMG members website

Submit articles and ads to newsacmgca

Cover photo Nearing the summit of Icefall Peak in the Canadian Rockies Photo Larry Dolecki

MOUNTAIN

EYEWEARPERFORMANCE

ContentsEditorialPresidentrsquos Perspective 4Tucker Talk 4

NewsCanadian Mountain amp Ski Guide Program Update 6Technical Directorrsquos Report 10Reviewing Conduct Review 12Professional Practices Committee Report 14Bylaw Changes 14Not Receiving ACMG Emails 15ACMG Partnership Program Update 16Continuing Professional Development Report 14ACMG Scholarship News 18

Spotlight on ACMG MembersACMG Member Profile - Madeleine Martin-Preney 20New Mountain Guides Honourary Members andDistinguished Service Awards 22

FeaturesSki Guiding in The North 26The Land of Fire and Ice - Ski Touring in Russia 28A Hiking Traverse through the Dolomites of Italy 32Ottalies Adventure 36Rescue at Cherry Bowl 40

Near MissAvalanche - Simpson Control Paths Kootenay Park 42Climbing - Mount Aberdeen Banff Park 45

TechnicalArcteryx Procline amp G3 Findr 102 Reviews 46Osprey Talon 33 Pack Review 48Julbo Aero Sunglass Review 50

Member UpdatesDiapers and Vows 52Changes in ACMG Membership 53ACMG Officers Directors Advisors Staff and Committees 54


When I managed Mountain Equipment Co-op one of the questions I used to ask in in-terviews for team leader positions was ldquoHow would you describe the corporate culture of the last organization you worked forrdquo Over the years the range of responses was as you might imagine quite varied but the one that stands out the most for me was ldquoKind of like a tub of yoghurt left out in the sun for a

weekrdquo After the candidate explained a little more I could under-stand why she had decided to leave

Culture is defined in a wide variety of ways everything from the collective manifestation of human intellectual achievement to the cultivation of bacteria in a nutrient-rich medium (like yo-ghurt) Tracy Rekart the amazing lady who has been providing CPDs to help ACMG members better understand and approach difficult conversations suggests that there are three interlocking principles purpose language and practices with the latter two being the ones that are most visible to the outer world What we say and how we behave are indicative of the nature of the culture we have developed

Editorial

The ACMG has a board of directors and if you go to the website you can find out who they are So who cares Really after three years on the board I am still trying to figure out what my role is at times I therefore do not expect most of the membership to be clear on it and will forgive them if they donrsquot even know who the director is that represents their membership category If you have issues or

concerns though anything at all I would urge you to contact any of us I know I have brought this up before but often we only hear about issues through the grapevine It would be better to hear directly from you as this will give us a better chance to deal with it

The famous American Express Trademark says ldquoMembership has its privilegesrdquo As ACMG members we also have privileges As professionals it is much more than just access to discounts with pro-deals andor group insurance rates Membership in the ACMG also carries obligations such as adherence to a code of conduct a scope of practice and professional demeanour that is sometimes difficult to define When your board meets in person or by email we often wrestle with how best to define and manage these obligations

At our recent board meetings this fall we spent a full day to devise our strategic plan for the next 3 years A key component

Presidentrsquos PerspectiveBy Marc Ledwidge

Talk of culture also arose in the memberboard roundtable that followed the AGM in Canmore Issues of gender equal-ity bullying impact of shift stacking and substance abuse were raised as something the guiding industry needs to shine a light on The ski guiding season is short and quality guides are in demand by employers so it makes some economic sense for members to try to pack in as many shifts as possible But what is the impact of fatigue on critical decision-making Under Heli-Cat Canadarsquos leadership the industry is beginning to ask hard questions about its cultural role in these matters Language and practices

Cultural norms develop over time for reasons both good and sinister Baseball players who hit 400 over a season are consid-ered to be legendary but they have failed to get on base six times out of ten The guiding culture however pretty much stipulates that we have to bat 1000 We tend not to speak openly about our mistakes because we are deemed to be the experts and donrsquot want the public to lose confidence in us Although itrsquos faulty reasoning itrsquos understandable Less understandable is why gen-der inequality still exists Clearly itrsquos not about a talent differen-tial ndash take a look around at the amazingly capable women at all levels in our association The inequality exists because thatrsquos the way the culture of a traditionally male-dominated industry has developed Language and practices

The problem with cultural norms is that they rarely adapt to changing landscapes on their own About a dozen years ago the ACMG embarked on a process of creating structures and tighteningclarifyingcodifying policies in order to increase

Tucker TalkBy Peter Tucker

of this is to prioritize our goals as we simply cannot achieve ev-erything we would like to in a short time frame This plan is not complete at the time of writing but we expect to finalize it by yearrsquos end or early 2017 Near the top of the list on the strategic plan will be sorting out how to document incidents in a non-punitive way so as to provide learning opportunities and transparency with what we do as guides This strategy must re-spect employerrsquos rights and the constraints that they have Also high on the list is engaging with Thompson Rivers University to deal with the ever increasing pressures for guide training courses Some of the challenges include expansion across the country to the east instructor training and the issues associated with main-taining a competent instructor pool

Lastly I would like to thank the outgoing directors for all the volunteer time they have dedicated to working for you Thumbs up to Sylvia Forest Nathan Dahl and Rich Haywood Please wel-come the new members of your board of directors Chris Kaipio (Director-Hiking Guides) James Madden (Director-Mountain Guide at Large) and Madeleine Martin-Preney (Director-Ap-prentice Guides) Please also welcome your new Vice-President and West Coast Director Ross Berg

Have a great safe winter

Marc Ledwidge is the ACMG President and lives in Banff AB

In recent weeks at our AGM at various CPDs and in di-verse conversations I and others have spoken about culture in a number of contexts The Incident Review Committee did some hard research and discussion around the ACMGrsquos role in serious incidents In terms of reporting there was talk about how the guiding culture has yet to fully embrace the notion that sharing the lessons learned from an incident only helps to improve pro-fessional practices In addition to looking at some infrastructure that would make reporting easy the board is examining the op-tion of mandating conduct reviews whenever there is a fatality or life-threatening injury in order to both learn from the incident and determine whether the member involved needs to be held accountable While these types of self-examination are standard practice in many self-regulating professions it may not be such an easy sell to all members of the ACMG We definitely lead the way in the guiding world when it comes to information sharing and we have taken some ground in learning from one anotherrsquos mishaps (CPD case studies voluntary reporting on the Infor-malex etc) but I believe the path to full transparency still has some internal landmines

transparency and public accountability Not that long ago we were a pretty CTW (circle-the-wagons) organization which likely would not have stood up to government or public scrutiny in the face of a big wreck We have certainly come a long way and from what I hear we still have some matters to tackle

So how do we continue to move forward The most powerful way is to teach ourselves to be open to seeing ourselves the way others see us First you need to believe that transparency is on balance a good thing The aviation and health care industries have demonstrated this but donrsquot take my word for it check it out yourself Next we need to learn the skills to give and take feedback gracefully and understand how to enter difficult con-versations without thinking that you somehow have to emerge the winner The ACMG is working hard to provide these and other communication training in CPDs We are also looking at developing a core course that teaches these foundation skills early in onersquos guiding or instructing career We are also introducing new and innovative ways of helping one another learn ndash things such as the memberboard roundtable and the Wisdom Council Finally we need to constantly hold the mirror up to ourselves and inquire whether our cultural norms are healthy or if theyrsquore start-ing to resemble that bucket of fulminating yoghurt

Up for the journey I hope yoursquoll walk with me as therersquos lots more to come

Peter Tucker is the ACMG Executive Director living in Bragg Creek AB


News

2016 Guide Exam and Climbing Instructor Pass RatesPass rates are posted below to allow ACMG members to monitor how effectively the CMSG Program is preparing students to meet ACMG standards

Ski Guide StreamBruce Miller (Lake OacuteHara Lodge)Charlie Locke (Lake Louise Ski Resort)Revelstoke Mountain Resort Sutton Place HotelWhistler Heli-skiingWhistler BlackcombSelkirk Tangiers Heli-skiingGreat Canadian Heli-skiingCMH Revelstoke Adamants BugaboosAlpine HelicoptersSilver King HelicoptersArrow HelicoptersRWDI Engineers (Environmental Services)

Incident Reporting on CMSG CoursesThe Adventure Studies Department at Thompson Rivers University is responsible for the delivery and conduct of courses and exams at standards set by the ACMG In this context the CMSG Program strives to follow an ldquooperational approachrdquo during the conduct of courses this includes how incidents (or near misses) are reported In the CMSG the goal of incident reporting is to model best practice for similar types of guiding operations Key aspects of incident reporting in the CMSG Program are listed here

bull Once the incident has been dealt with the instructor shares relevant information with other CMSG groups (and guides) operating in the region

bull The instructor or course leader reports the incident to the CMSG Co-ordinator or TRU supervisors as soon as practical

bull All course participants are briefed on the incidentbull Relevant information is forwarded to instructors and students on other

CMSG courses operating in other regions (usually this is done by the CMSG coordinator)

bull Recommendations and (when necessary) changes to operating proce-dures are implemented as soon as practical

bull Incidents in the Ski certificates are reported to industry platforms such as the Infoex

bull If there is an injury or significant potential for injury the instructor and or student submit a detailed report to the CMSG Coordinator

bull Notable incidents are recorded on guides meeting forms and course reports

bull After each course students are also invited to anonymously report incidents

bull The CMSG program maintains a data base of notable course incidents bull Bi-annual summary of notable incidents and changes to operating pro-

cedures submitted to the TRU Adventure Department facultybull A summary of notable incidents is included with the annual CMSG

report to the ACMG

Challenges and Opportunities Historically incidents on CMSG courses have not often been reported on ldquoexternalrdquo platforms (such as the Informalex) Nor have ldquolessonsrdquo and changes to course procedures necessarily been well communi-cated to the guiding community Several factors contribute to this

bull Instructors are expected to maintain the integrity of the assessment process

bull Instructors are required to ensure student privacy in terms of the stu-dentrsquos exam performance and evaluation

bull Like many other guiding companies or institutions the CMSG has an internal incident reporting process reporting on external platforms like the Informalex is not a ldquostandardrdquo procedure

bull The CMSGrsquos first responsible is to the wellbeing of students and in-structors given limited time and resources the needs of others agencies or groups are not necessarily a priority

bull After each guiding assignment (and especially after an incident) instruc-tors have limited time to complete multiple duties and tasks Hence reporting or posting to other platforms can become a lower priority

Despite these challenges it is appropriate for the CMSG to seek ways to enhance how it communicates incidents and ldquooperational lessonsrdquo to the guiding community and the ACMG membership Especially as most CMSG courses take place in relevant terrain and situations and because the ACMG membership has a vested inter-est in how guide training is conducted Potential improvements include

bull Creating clear guidelines for when and how incidents from CSMG courses are shared

bull On the Informalexbull As case histories to the ACMG membershipbull In publications such as The Arecircte

bull Making incident reporting a higher priority topic when reporting to the ACMG

bull Providing more information about ldquooperational lessonsrdquo or changes to CMSG course content or procedures that result from incidents

bull Inviting ACMG members to comment on how the CMSG responds to incidentsEnhancing how the CSMG reports incidents will support a pro-

fessional and open attitude towards incident reporting and sharing the critical lessons that have been learned and it will benefit the CMSG Program by exposing the Program to more solutions from the guiding community

Eastern Hiking Guide CoursesA hiking guide course was held in Lake Placid New York from May 24-June 1 2016 The instructors found the Adirondack Mountains provided excellent terrain for meeting the course objectives An Assistant Hiking Guide course has been scheduled for Lake Placid from May 23-31 2017 dates for an eastern Hiking Guide exam are still pending

CMSG InstructorsThe Canadian Mountain and Ski Guide Program would like to thank and acknowledge the following individuals for their roles in the following programs

Rock Ski and Alpine CertificatesChris Miller Matt Peter Kirsten KnechtelGreg Golovach Marc Picheacute Dan MadellKeith Reid Helen Sovdat Marc LedwidgeJasmin Caton Scott Flavell Conny AmelunxenLarry Dolecki Jeff Relph Mark BenderTodd Craig Rich Marshall Sylvian HebertHias Ahrens Andre Ike Sarah Heuniken Grant Meekins Craig McGee Jesse de MontignyEvan Stevens Mike Adolph Steve HolecziTodd Guyn Derek Wilding Colin MoorheadRoss Berg

Hiking Guide CertificatePeter Amann Matt Reynolds Helen SovdatSylvia Forest Steve Ludwig Peter OxtobyBjarne Baek Feacutelix Camireacute

Climbing Gym Instructor ProgramMount Royal University Climbing Gym ndash Calgary ABBoulderz Climbing Centre ndash Toronto ONThe Rock Oasis ndash Toronto ONElevation Place ndash Canmore BCThe Boulders Climbing Gym ndash Victoria BCWilson Climbing Centre University of Alberta ndash Edmonton BCClimb Base5 Climbing Gym ndash Coquitlam BCThe Calgary Climbing Centre - Calgary ABJunction Climbing Centre ndash London ONGround Up Climbing Centre ndash Squamish ONNorthern Rockies Recreation Centre - Fort Nelson BC

2016 2015 2014Qualification Candidates Pass Rate Candidates Pass Rate Candidates Pass Rate

Apprentice Ski Guide 27 82 24 87 27 85Ski Guide 33 82 21 76 36 67

Apprentice Hiking Guide 32 97 31 93 16 100 Hiking Guide 14 93 9 89 15 100

Apprentice Rock Guide 22 82 15 67 9 100 Rock Guide 4 25 6 100 1 100

Apprentice Alpine Guide 6 83 6 50 12 83 Alpine Guide 9 67 8 75 5 40

Top Rope Climbing Instructor 32 100 31 100 16 100Climbing Gym Instructor 1 85 (ytd) 85 117 96 80 90Climbing Gym Instructor 2 11 91 75 11 100

Total 275 (ytd) 275 235

The above totals are for exams only and does not represent participation on training courses

ThanksThe listed individuals and businesses provided operational support for the Ski Guide certificate and the listed climbing facilities generously provided their venue for at least one Climbing Gym Instructor course over the past year This sup-port is critical to the successful conduct of Guide Training Skiing courses Ski Guide exams and the Climbing Gym Instructor Program

Canadian Mountain and Ski Guide Program Update

By Dwayne Congdon


Climbing Instructors (TRCI CGI)Scott McKay Andre Ike Sarah HuenikenKinley Aitken Chris Adshade Andrew KarlowskyJustin Dwyer Cort McElroy Andrew McBurneyLloyd King Chris Miller Sebastian PowellDerek Wilding Colin Moorhead

New CMSG InstructorsThe following ACMG members are being developed as CMSG in-structors The development process includes observing on courses and demonstrating instructional and coaching skills with supervi-sion from an experienced instructor

Darek Glowacki (Ski Guide Certificate)John Furneaux (Rock Alpine and Ski Guide Certificates)Mike Trehearne (Alpine and Rock Guide Certificates)Evan Stevens (Rock Alpine and Ski Guide Certificates)Fred Amyot (Hiking Guide Certificate)Sylvia Forest (Hiking Guide Certificate)Jane Whitney (Hiking Guide Certificate)Jeremy McDougall (Climbing Gym Instructor program)Kinley Aitken (Top Rope Climbing Instructor program)

Movement Skills Screening Students are required to demonstrate minimum movement stan-dards during Guide Training (Rock Alpine Ski) These standards provide an important measure of safety during courses and exams and ensures the student is ready to learn and apply guiding tech-

niques and client care on all types of terrain Students who fail the movement screening are not allowed to attend an apprentice exam until the standard has been demonstrated and in some cases may have to repeat part of their training This can be a frustrating situ-ation - it delays the studentrsquos development as an Apprentice Guide and result in higher training costs

Unfortunately it is not practical for the CMSG Program to confirm applicant movement standards prior to being accepted into Guide Training (Rock Ski Alpine) Hence applicants who are unsure they meet the movement standard are strongly encouraged to screen their movement skills prior to applying

Movement screening only takes place during scheduled Guide Training courses hence early movement screening for rock and al-pine is done a year before starting Guide Training

Guide Training Skiing applicants can typically screen 5-6 months before applying Interested GTS applicants can screen their movement skills on Jan 20 2017 at Whistler or Kicking Horse Resorts

Of note to GTS applicants once accepted applicants who have successfully ldquopre-screenedrdquo in the same year are not required to screen again during GTS-Mechanized Contact the CMSG pro-gram office for further details

CGI and TRCI students who failed the movement assessment still complete the exam but are required to have their movement skills re-assessed at a later time

Dwayne Congdon is an ACMG Mountain Guide and coordinator of the CMSG Program at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops BC

GENUINEGUIDEGEARCOMLESSONS

Indulge in fabled Kootenay cold smoke through the eyes of Jasmin Caton (ACMG) and Evan Stevens (AMGA) earning

every turn with the new patented SCALA climbing skins

STEPOUTSIDE

ASK QUESTIONSTRY SOMETHING NEW

EXCEED EXPECTATIONS


News

Via Ferrata Training and Certi-fication ProgramWe sent our draft proposal to all established via ferrata operators last spring Due to the busy operating season feedback was slow to come with the last operator having replied at the end of October We will review all of the

feedback and revise our proposal as necessary Once this is done it will be reviewed by the rest of the technical committee before we send it to the board for final approval Once this is approved we will work with Thompson Rivers University to establish the curriculum and desired learning outcomes This should put us in a strong position to be able to run a beta course next spring

Technical ManualsAfter much discussion about the delivery format the Climbing Gym Instructor manual is now complete Having weighed many different formatting options it was decided that the manual should be made available in two different ways CMSG students will receive a branded thumb drive with all of the various manual files included There will also be download options of various sizes some of which will have the videos embedded and oth-ers will have links to the videos online in order to keep the file size smaller This allows for the greatest variety of options with regards to type of device being used and storage capacity Deci-sions remain to be made regarding ease of access and payment structures for members and public

We are currently working towards completing the Top Rope Climbing Instructor manual this winter Efforts towards the completion of the Mountain Guide manual are ongoing

Apprentice Guide TimelinesThis policy continues to keep us busy with numerous requests for extensions and the management of a handful of cases where members did not meet the timelines

Executive Director Peter Tucker and I revisited all of our ini-tiatives to remind alert and warn members of their upcoming deadlines and I believe the ACMG is being fair and diligent on this matter At this time we have only one member who did not meet the timelines for the Alpine Guide exam and we are cur-rently working with three members to extend their Ski Guide exam deadlines to spring of 2017

VariancesThere have been no new variance requests for this coming win-ter For details on existing variances please see the previous re-port and check the variance page on the ACMG website

Technical Directorrsquos ReportBy Marc Picheacute

Thompson Rivers University Canadian Mountain amp Ski Guide ProgramThe ACMG is continuing to look at ways to support the CMSG program towards continuing improvements in instructor hiring training management and retention We are looking at a vari-ety of options and hope to roll out some new programs in the next year

Arcrsquoteryx Mountain Conditions Report AppThe MCR app has been in use since last February and has been quite successful I am waiting on an updated set of analytics for the summer from Arcrsquoteryx It has recently been launched in the US by the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) and Arcrsquoteryx is currently negotiating a launch with the British Mountain Guides

Avalanche Canada Arcrsquoteryx and the ACMG have been working together in an effort to make posting simultaneously to both the Mountain Information Network (MIN) and MCR easier for our members There should be a mechanism in place to automatically share relevant MCR posts to the MIN before the new year

ACMG Partner Avatech (soon to be Mountain Hub) has developed a similar albeit much more feature filled and com-plex year-round product that was set to launch on Novem-ber 1st Arcrsquoteryx Mountain Hub Avalanche Canada and the ACMG will be meeting during the AGM weekend in an effort to determine if collaboration will be possible in the future

Russian Mountain Guides AssociationThis project continues to grow despite funding challenges due to the failing economy in Russia Keith Reid recently ran a restruc-tured climbing training course in the Mount Elbrus area and we are hoping to run another avalanche training course this winter

HeliCat Canada (HCC)The HCC AGM was held in Nelson BC this September Some of the main topics included worker safety fatigue and substance abuse in the guiding world These are issues that we have been talking about for quite some time in our industry and it was made clear at this meeting that employers are looking to the guiding organizations (ACMG and CSGA) to include these topics in their training programs

Peter Tucker and I continue to work closely with HCC on a variety of projects They represent the largest employers of our members and it has been exciting to see this relationship grow

International Snow Science Workshop (ISSW)The ISSW was held in Breckenridge Colorado at the beginning of October The conference was a great success with over 1100 practitioners and researchers in attendance

In recent years the ISSW organizing committee has worked hard to align the event more closely with its mission of Merging Theory and Practice Several ACMG Members either presented or were involved in panel discussions this year from the practi-tionerrsquos perspective

All papers and proceedings from previous ISSWs can be found at wwwisswnetindexphp I assume the proceedings from the 2016 ISSW will be posted soon

The next ISSW will be held in Innsbruck Austria in the fall of 2018 followed by Fernie BC in 2020

Marc Picheacute a Mountain Guide and the ACMG Technical Direc-tor lives in Canmore AB

L ndash R ACMG guides Alex Geary MB Board Marc Picheacute and Daren Vonk on the summit of Bugaboo Spire on August 29th - The 100th anniversary of the first ascent by Conrad Kain Self Portrait


News

Recently I have heard some complaints about the ACMG conduct review process Given that our membership has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years I have come to the conclusion that it is long overdue to try to spread the word about what the ldquoconduct review processrdquo is all about I am setting a goal for myself to share something with all of you

twice a year in The Arecircte This is at least a starting point to help us all understand the process and its goals

Process GoalsConduct review is one of the cornerstones of being a professional organization The public and our clients expect it and we as mem-bers of the ACMG should demand it As professional members we should hold ourselves to a set of high standards and expect our fellow members to do the same

The fact is we are all human and because of that mistakes can and do happen occasionally At other times we just ldquodidnrsquot know wersquore not allowed to do this or thatldquo Because of this we need a transparent but confidential process for assessment and learning That is the most fundamental concept of the conduct review pro-cess to educate Although the end result may be punitive educa-tion is the primary goal Through this process we become better professionals

Who is the Conduct Review CommitteeThe committee is made up of people just like you and me Some are seasoned ACMG members some are less experienced mem-bers and some are members of the public Just as with our board of directors public oversight is critical to ensuring our decisions are non-biased and well-reasoned Our committee is a bit different in that we donrsquot meet every few months to talk shop Rather we are a pool of volunteers who make ourselves available as needed when a complaint is received As a requirement we have all under-gone legal training and retrain every two years We are all bound by confidentiality regarding information learned in any conduct review You can see a list of committee members on the ACMG website or at the end of each edition of The Arecircte

The ldquoCoderdquoThe ACMG code of conduct is the key to this process It outlines the breadth of accepted professional behaviour Without the code there would be nothing to use as a yardstick against which to mea-sure an alleged breach

The code is a living document and from time to time it does change There are some proposed changes to the code before the board currently In a nutshell the committee can only compare alleged behaviour against our code and its preamble PERIOD While this is a simple statement it is not always easy for committee

members to decide what is or is not within the scope of the code and its preamble That is where our training becomes vital

The code applies to members ONLY when they are acting in their professional capacities While we may disagree with what theyrsquove said or done on their private time it isnrsquot within the scope of a professional association to sanction people for their behav-iours when they are not acting promoting or representing them-selves as members

How Do I File a ComplaintFirst I would recommend reading the code of conduct and com-paring it to the behaviour you will be alleging in your complaint If you still feel your complaint is valid then I would recommend running it by someone like Executive Director Peter Tucker or another trusted confidante Peter is not only the process advisor for the committee as a non-member he doesnrsquot ldquohave a dog in the fightrdquo and is one of the most level headed men I know He has helped me too many times to count If after that you still want to move your complaint forward send it in writing to the chair of the conduct review committee at conductacmgca The com-plaint should include who you are who the complaint is against details of the allegations which point of the code you feel has been breached and contact info for any witnesses

Here are a couple of points to note Once you file the com-plaint you will be notified of the receipt of the complaint That may or may not be the last time you are contacted until the review is completed However it is critical to know that you the com-plainant are the only one who can stop the process once it has started This is done by notifying the chair that you want to with-draw the complaint Once the notification is received the review stops the necessary parties are notified and the matter is closed

What Happens After a Complaint is ReceivedOnce a complaint is received by the chair a preliminary review committee (PRC) is struck The pool is notified (without any de-tails) to determine who may be available Remember everyone is a volunteer and with jobs families etc and although there are many in the pool only certain people are available at any given time The PRC is usually made up of three people two ACMG members and one member of the public On occasion for simple issues it may consist of only one

Once the chair has narrowed the pool that group receives more information about the complaint to determine if there is any conflict of interest or bias Once that is determined the final three are notified a chair is designated and the PRC gets underway

The PRC first reviews the allegations and must determine whether there has been in their opinion a potential breach of the code The word ldquopotentialrdquo is critical as they are not actually deciding whether a breach has taken place If in their consensus opinion there is NO possibility of a breach then the complaint is dismissed The complainant is notified of this decision and the

Reviewing Conduct ReviewBy Rod Gibbons

bull During those 11 years the committee has received and reviewed 33 complaints All of them have been resolved at the preliminary level

bull You can find more information on this process on the ACMG public website under Public AccountabilityBecause of the work of the Incident Investigation Committee

the Board is currently examining the possibility of holding manda-tory conduct reviews whenever a member has led a group where there has been a fatality or life-threatening injury Stay tuned for more on this

Rod Gibbons an ACMG Mountain Guide and the Conduct Review Committee Chair lives in Invermere BC

rationale and the matter is considered closed If on the other hand it is determined that a potential breach DOES exist the member being complained of is notified through what is called an ldquoInvitation to Respondrdquo Along with a complete copy of the complaint this document lets the member know a complaint has been received who filed it who is on the PRC which point(s) of the code are in potential breach and a timeline by which they must respond with their side of the story

Once the response is in the hands of the PRC they begin their investigation looking at both sides of the story witness accounts if any ACMG poli-cies and procedures the code etc When the PRC has reached a consensus one of three things can happen

1 They may dismiss the complaint if all the evidence clearly indicates there could not have been a breach of the code

2 They may determine that a potential breach of the code has taken place and propose a remedy to the member being complained of Historically these remedies can cover many things including but not limited to letters of apology stopping the behavior that got them there and sensitivity train-ing If the member agrees to the proposed remedy the matter is considered closed once all the con-ditions of the remedy have been met However if the member does not agree to the remedy or has not complied with it within the required timeline all parties are notified that a full hearing will be convened

3 They may determine that the serious nature of the complaint warrants a full hearing immediately

Although I have just hit the main points clearly this is a complex process that follows the principles of natural justice In the next edition I will talk about formal hearings The members of the com-mittee take this task very seriously and do it on behalf of all members and the public I would ask that when you or someone else complains about this process please consider a few things The fact that the outcome of a review was not what you or they hoped for doesnrsquot make the whole thing bo-gus Please consider that there are three other level headed people trying to look objectively at all sides of the issue not just yours Also remember that the process and the code are constantly evolving and as such please feel free to send recom-mendations for changes if you believe something is wrong or miss-ing If you have a question concern or complaint about the code or process please email the chair or Peter so we can continue to make this process better

A Few Facts bull The ACMG has had this more modern conduct review process in

place for 11 years


Professional Practices Committee ReportBy Nathan Dahl

Avalanche Canada courses Interpretive Guides Association courses) there is no single method for maintaining or enhanc-ing the currency of onersquos knowledge in a specific area of prac-tice The required technical skills are unique to onersquos practice and can only be adequately determined by the individual If you are uncertain whether a course meets the ACMG CPD requirements for your membership stream consult the Con-tinuing Professional Development document on the ACMG website wwwacmgca02membergovernancecpdasp or send me an e-mail and we can discuss if it seems appropriate

I would encourage all members to familiarize them-selves with the Professional Practice document which can be found online at the ACMG member site With the help of the Executive and Technical Directors we recently revised the document to clarify some ambiguities and make the style con-gruent with other ACMG documents Furthermore under the lsquoDownloadsrsquo tab on the ACMG member site you will find the Professional Practice recording form that is sent to members when they are selected for an audit It is good practice to down-load a copy of this Excel spreadsheet and update it as you at-tend CPD sessions and take work This practice will keep your records accurate and eliminate potential hassle should you be selected for an audit in the future

If you have any questions or comments about the audit process dont hesitate to get in touch with me at pro-practic-esacmgca

Nathan Dahl Chair of the Professional Practices Committee is an ACMG Hiking Guide living in Canmore AB

This spring the Professional Practices Com-mittee delivered its third audit to another 20 randomly selected members and is cur-rently conducting its fourth audit As previ-ously the selected members were asked to submit records of their professional practice and continuing professional development for the past two years as well as a copy of

their current First Aid certificate Each file was then reviewed by two members of the Professional Practices Committee If all conditions of membership were met the member received an Unconditional Pass If one or more of the conditions of mem-bership were not met the member received a Provisional Pass If a provisional pass was issued the committee worked with the member to bring their CPD Professional Practice or first aid training up to standard

To date 59 members of the association from all streams have been audited At the completion of the fourth audit this winter that number will reach 79 members Of the 20 members who were selected for the audit in the spring 17 passed without conditions two chose to become inactive members and one re-ceived a provisional pass

There are several reasons that one might not pass an audit Failure to provide a valid First Aid Certificate insufficient professional development insufficient professional practice or sufficient but inappropriate professional practice are all valid grounds for not passing There is also some confusion as to what can count towards CPD hours While some training is relatively straightforward (ACMG refreshers CMSG training programs

Bylaw ChangesBy Peter Tucker

In the months preceding the Annual General Meeting the Board of Directors ratified two special resolutions This kind of resolution is proposed when it involves a change to association bylaws and according to our existing bylaws may be voted on only by Mountain Guides

One month prior to the AGM the resolutions were sent to all ACMG Mountain Guides for an electronic vote Below are the two resolutions their rationale and the voting results Note that electronic voting allowed for more than twice as many Mountain Guides to vote than if we had just voted at the AGM

Special Resolution 1 ndash Associate Membership

Resolved that Bylaw 26 be repealed and replaced by

Associate Membership 26 A non-profit or not-for-profit organization that in the

opinion of the Board shares the goals and values of the Associa-

tion may apply for and be granted admission to the Association as an Associate Member

Rationale The previous bylaw opened Associate Member-ship to all organizations or individuals which created some un-clarity between Associate members and potential partners The new bylaw ensures there is no overlap between this membership category and our partnership program It is our intention to offer non-profit organizations such as the CAA ACC AvCan Wilderness Tourism Association Backcountry Lodges of BC Heli-Cat Canada etc free Associate membership

Electronic vote sent to all Mountain Guides on September 15Resolution passedIn favour 66Opposed 0Abstain 1

Special Resolution 2 ndash Good Character Attestation


Conditions of Membership

28 All members are deemed to have agreed to abide by and be bound by the provisions of the bylaws and the regulations rules and policies of the Association and a a new applicant for membership or an applicant for reinstate-

ment in the Association must provide evidence of having good character and reputation by submitting i a statement by the applicant as to whether the applicant has

previously been disciplined by a regulatory body responsible for the certification of mountain guides or climbing instruc-tors and

ii a statement by the applicant as to whether the applicant has ever pleaded guilty or been found guilty of a criminal offence in Canada or an offence of a similar nature in a jurisdiction outside Canada for which the applicant has not been par-doned and

iii any other relevant evidence required by the Association b an applicant at the time of membership renewal must disclose to

the Association whether since the previous membership renewal i the applicant has been disciplined by a regulatory body re-

sponsible for the certification of mountain guides or climbing instructors or

ii the applicant has pleaded guilty or been found guilty of a criminal offence in Canada or an offence of a similar nature in a jurisdiction outside Canada for which the applicant has not been pardoned and

iii any other relevant evidence required by the Association

Rationale All self-regulating professions do some due dili-gence around ensuring their members are of good character

This gives confidence to the public that we are exercising some care regarding who may be a member of our association We will establish guidelines around which criminal activities would preclude membership

Operationally existing members would just need to check a box at dues time that says that they havenrsquot been convicted of a felony or sanctioned by a professional association that deals with activities similar to ours since the last time they paid dues New and reinstating members will need to send an affidavit stat-ing that they have never been convicted of a felony nor been sanctioned by a professional association that deals with activities similar to ours So we are not looking into the past of existing members but we are asking for historical affidavits for new or reinstating ones

Resolution passedIn favour 62Opposed 4Abstain 1


Not Receiving ACMG Emails

Members Are you feeling left out Excluded Yoursquove learned af-terward about an ACMG event that you missed or your fellow guides received pro deal info or an invitation that you did not There must be something wrong with the ACMG email system

Well herersquos the thing the ACMG gets emails bounced back fairly often due to outdated member email ad-dresses The only way your email address gets updated is if YOU DO IT So please take a minute sign in to the member website at httpacmgca02membermemberloginasp and make sure your primary email address and other contact info is accurate

This is also important if you want to post to the MCR ndash both email addresses must match exactly Finally please check your ldquoJunkrdquo email box If you find ACMG emails there tell your email program to add ldquoacmgcardquo to your ldquosaferdquo list

Thanks and happy communicating -Elaine PowersACMG Administrative Assistant


ACMG Partnership Program UpdateBy Ken Beacutelanger

News

In 2016 the ACMG partnership program should bring in six-figure revenue to our association for the first time These funds allow us to offer increased services and ben-efits while controlling dues

The ACMG and its members are power-ful centres of influence in the international outdoor recreation world particularly in the

winter arena The ACMG partnership program seeks to lever-age this influence by creating partnerships with leading brands These partnerships involve cash products co-branding and cross-marketing to help the ACMG reach its mandate of Pro-tecting the Public Interest in Mountain Travel

An incredible benefit of these partnerships and relationships is the expanding the pro purchase (PP) program Lately there have been a few incidents of misuse We will take a hardline on this behaviour and may suspend PP privileges for blatant or repeat offenders Or maybe Irsquoll just publish their names for all the members to seehellip Like driving your car PP is a privilege and can be revoked

NEW PARTNERSHIPSPlease welcome the newest ACMG partners

DMM Climbing has proudly manufactured safety hardware in North Wales since 1981 During that time theyrsquove established a reputation for innovation and the production of premium quality equipment Their high standards of quality control are reflected in the fact that every day thousands of people around the globe rely on DMM products to safeguard their lives dmmclimbingcom

GuideBase is a robust and beautifully-designed booking platform made uniquely for outdoor guiding and instruction Itrsquos free for ACMG members to list their services and trips you pay only when a customer books This will be a great way to expand the reach of your company internationally guidebasecom

The Norseman is an independent specialty store supplying XC ski hiking and climbing gear When yoursquore in Calgary drop by and say hello Theyrsquore happy to help ACMG members and your guests source gear and with expert fitting and advice norsemanoutdoorspecialistcom

Lifestyle Financial has been an insurance provider for ACMG members for several years They provide accident amp sickness insurance services for high risk activities and individu-als ndash thatrsquos you ACMG member Wersquore working with them to expand their insurance options at rates that would be unattain-able elsewhere lifestylefinancialca

PARTNERSHIP NEWS2016 was the fourth year of the G3 Early Bird ACMG Giveback Program $7011 raised from the special advance pro purchase pricing were donated to the ACMG for development of the CMSG instructor development program and other initiatives

Arcrsquoteryx ACMG Gore-Tex Pro JacketWe still have some Arcrsquoteryx ACMG Gore-Tex 3L jackets for sale in every size except medium in both menrsquos and womenrsquos Purchase in person only at ACMG events for only $150 + tax

Arcrsquoteryx ACMG Gore-Tex Pro jacket

Arcrsquoteryx ACMG technical cap

Retail price on this hat would be $61 but thanks to our Lo-gan ACMG partnership with Arcrsquoteryx wersquore able to offer this for only $30 including tax to ACMG members

Available in nautic grey in two sizes S-M (55-57cm) amp L-XL (58-60cm) Arcrsquoteryx hat sizing chart

Limited quantities and only available for purchase at ACMG events

EVENTS

2016 Annual General Meeting and EventsWe debuted a new concept this year running a used mountain gear sale on the day before the AGM 18 ACMG partners dis-played products to a couple hundred people and ACMG mem-bers In the afternoon our partners ran clinics highlighting new products and advancements that help ACMG members better do their job It was a lot of work for the administration team but wersquore pleased with its success and plan on expanding the event for 2017

Our president recognised six new ACMG Mountain Guides with their IFMGA pins We awarded a plethora of scholarships and grants from our partners and funds

Once again we ran our silent auction during the evening so-cial All products were donated by our partners We raised $1545 for the association and members scored some unbelievable deals too

Although we had many members at the AGM events we should have even more This is a fun event to see colleagues and friends attend CPD sessions network get great deals on gear free food and drinks and most importantly ndash better understand YOUR association and have a voice in its direction

2016 Banff Mountain Film amp Book FestivalFor the second year the ACMG was the sponsor of the Best Guidebook award The exposure we received from our participa-tion is fantastic Our high-profile booth location in the lobby

area of the Eric Harvie (main) theatre saw lots of folks Thanks to the ACMG members who staffed our booth and got to see some films in re-turn Our logo and sup-port will be displayed at the festival tour over the next year in thousands of locations around North America

A huge thank you goes out to our Logan Partner MEC for rec-ognising the ACMG as one of their three ldquoAlpine Alliesrdquo at the MEC Mountain Mixer

By the time you read this the ACMG will have attended the MEC Snowfests in Edmonton Calgary and Vancouver We have a space reserved at both the Banff and Lake Louise Staying Alive avalanche nights and Kananaskis Countryrsquos Avalanche Awareness Day in January

Increasing the publicrsquos awareness of the ACMG is one of our key strategic goals This serves to educate the public on what we do and the high standards at which we operate Ultimately this translates into more recognition and opportunity for ACMG members

We couldnrsquot do these events without help from you ndash the members If you have an idea for an event that yoursquod like to attend to represent the ACMG then drop me a line at partner-shipacmgca

The ACMGrsquos list of partners can be found on the back cover of this issue of The Arecircte

Please support our Partners as they support the ACMG

Ken Beacutelanger is an ACMG Ski and Hiking Guide and the ACMG Partnership Coordinator living in Canmore AB

ACMG exhibitor booth Photo - Ken Beacutelanger

The ACMG Technical Cap The Escapa hat from Arcrsquoteryx is a technical trucker hat con-structed of breathable nylon fabric with a stretch mesh back The laminated brim is pliable so it can be rolled or folded easily The reflective Arcrsquoteryx logo is offset by the stylish silk screened ACMG logo on the opposite side


News

ACMG Scholarship NewsBy Derek Wilding

Congratulations to the following individuals for being awarded these scholarships in 2016

Centennial Scholarship ($1000 TRU course subsidy) Darren Farley (Apprentice Ski Guide)

Niccy Code Memorial Scholarship ($1000 cheque) Madeleine Martin-Preney (Apprentice Ski Guide Assistant Hiking Guide)

Arcrsquoteryx Scholarship ($1500 $1000 and $500 TRU course subsidies) respectively to Carla Demyen (Ski Guide Apprentice Rock Guide) Connor Hurley (Apprentice Ski Guide Apprentice Rock Guide) Rupert Davies (Apprentice Rock Guide)

Arcteryx Mentorship Fund ($1500 in funded training per recipient) Alison Cardinal (Apprentice Ski Guide Hiking Guide) Samuel McKoy Apprentice Ski Guide) Mark Herbison (Apprentice Ski Guide Apprentice Alpine Guide)

Arcteryx Equipment Award ($2000 Arcteryx equipment credit per recipient) Alison Cardinal (Apprentice Ski Guide Hiking Guide) Patrick Lindsay (Apprentice Alpine Guide)

Brian Ebert Memorial Fund (Two private exam training days per recipient) Rupert Davies (Apprentice Rock Guide) Monte Johnston (Apprentice Ski Guide Apprentice Alpine Guide Assistant Hiking Guide)

Gougeon Training Fund ($500 TRU course subsidy per recipient) Jonas Hoke (Ski Guide Apprentice Rock Guide) Maarten Van Haeren (Apprentice Rock Guide Top Rope Climbing Instructor)

Julbo Scholarship ($500 TRU course subsidy per recipient) Eirik Sharp (Apprentice Ski Guide) Mark Criddle (Apprentice Rock Guide Climbing Gym Instructor 2)

A big thanks to all our Scholarship providers and committee members For more info on scholarships and to apply visit wwwacmgca02membermembersscholarshipsasp

Derek Wilding an ACMG Rock Guide and Climbing Gym Instructor 3 lives in Calgary AB

CS14112016_TNF_ARETE_SUMMIT SERIES SIZE 75 X 955CS14112016_TNF_ARETE_SUMMIT_SERIES_COLORindd 1 2016-11-14 222 PM


Spotlight on ACMG MembersACMG Member Profile - Madeleine Martin-Preney

By Lenka Stafl

Editorrsquos Note Madeleine Martin-Preney is currently an ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide and Assistant Hiking Guide and the new Director-Apprentice Guides from Revelstoke BC She is the newest recipient of the Niccy Code Award and has inspired the following words from a fellow guide

Madeleine is an inspiration Her beautiful blend of mountain bad-assery and boundless energy paired with her ability to con-nect in a real way with those around her make her a rare tal-ent She represents everything that is good about our ACMG community and is a brilliant role model for the young and old alike Last spring Madeleine realized her dream of completing the first ever Selkirk Ski Traverse but for her I know thatrsquos just the start of a long list of accomplishments

Madeleinersquos formidable mountain skill and appetite for shar-ing her love of adventure with others is legendary Her guests colleagues and students can attest that undertaking outdoor pursuits with this lady is sure to be unforgettable Whether shersquos carving down a ski slope or cracking a joke to lighten the mood on a rainy backpack trip Madeleine instills a sense of joie-de-vivre that is un-paralleled Over the years Madeleine has worked

Previous page - Madeleine all smiles and crushing it on Serpentine Arecircte Dragontail Peak Washington Photos Lenka Stafl

Above - Madeleine overlooks the large terrain surrounding Grand Mountain on the 36 day Selkirk Traverse Photo Sam Mckoy

with numerous organizations including Outward Bound Can-ada Great Canadian Heli-skiing and Selkirk Mountain Experi-ence to name just a few

Madeleine is a unique soul She speaks from the heart and encourages real dialogue about what it means to live through and have courage to speak about backcountry accidents In the shoulder season she has been known to teach avalanche aware-ness courses in grade schools and bravely shares her own close call in an avalanche to promote awareness and learning

I will never forget her first alpine climbhellip I phoned on a whim and invited her to climb Serpentine Arecircte in the North Cascades car to car in a day ldquoSurerdquo she says ldquono problemrdquo At pitch 16 I yell down as an afterthought ldquoHey have you ever chimnneyedrdquo I hear a high pitched far-away reply ldquoNope but Irsquoll figure it outldquo I can hear her smiling Her Can-Do positive attitude has literally carried this lady to new heights in her career in the outdoors

If you ever need a bit more meaning and spark in your life I would encourage you to share a cup of tea in the mountains with Madeleine I am delighted to celebrate Madeleinersquos glow-ing presence in our community and feel honored to be able to call her a friend I look forward to watching Madeleinersquos career unfold

Lenka Stafl is an Apprentice Rock Guide living in Canmore AB

7-14 x 4-38

NEW AETHER AGTried-and-true elevatedFor backpacking thru-hikes and alpine expeditions the AetherAriel AGtrade Series has a pedigree like no other pack This season wersquove put the bar out of reach by combining Anti-Gravitytrade technology with customizable fit and innovative features to create a more capable and comfortable pack for long-haul load carrying on any multi-day excursion ospreypackscom


Spotlight on ACMG MembersNew Mountain Guides Honourary Member

and Distinguished Service Awards

The ACC-ACMG Mountain Guides Ball returned to the Chacirc-teau Lake Louise (one of the birthplaces of Canadian moun-taineering and guiding) for 2016 ACMG Honourary Member Chic Scott was the Patron of the Ball

Of course the highlight of the Ball is the recognition of the newest ACMG-IFMGA Mountain Guides This year we had six members reach the highest standard of guiding in the world

Canadarsquos 10th woman to achieve Mountain Guide status - Merrie-Beth Board stepped up to the podium to deliver this heart warming speech

ldquoThank you very much Itrsquos a great honour to speak on be-half of the graduating class of 2016 and to share the stage with Chic Scott This is a stand up crew of individuals and Irsquom very proud to be a part of them

The road to certification is one where we all on our journey share a lot As you all know we share sun we share rain we share fresh snow (the highlight) and we share the joy of each otherrsquos success and the challenge of each otherrsquos stress The road

to certification can at times feel a little isolated It can feel like yoursquore out there on your own trying to go for this big precipice and reach this end goal Then you realize when you finally get there that it was never a sole journey and itrsquos not an individual journey anymore because we are part of an association

Our journey is now about the people we share the moun-tains with the people we educate the people we mentor who are on a similar path and about bringing our experience and our knowledge to the table with as much grace as we can

So whether you are a newly certified Mountain Guide [applause] whether you are a seasoned wise elder whether it is your first time seeing the mountains or whether you have shared in the commitment and passion for many years (as I know many of you have) thank you for helping us celebrate this momentous timerdquo

MB was greeted with warm applause in a standing ovation while she hugged each of her fellow new Mountain Guides on the stage

L to R Chic Scott (ACMG Honourary Member amp this yearrsquos Patron) Marc Ledwidge (ACMG President) and new MGs Jeff Mitchell Alex Geary Todd Anthony-Malone Mike Caswell and Merrie-Beth Board Not pictured Brent Phillips Photo Jordy Shepherd

Jon Bezzoli (aka Colani) ndash Honourary MemberNominated by Jeff Boyd and voted unanimously in favour by your Board of Directors

Colani came to Canada in 19741975 in search of the white gold with CMH Not long after that in 1978 he was tasked by Hans Gmoser to run the New Bobbie Burns operation and in 1980 when the new Bobbie Burns Lodge started construction he became a permanent fixture in the Columbia Valley He and his wife Margrit settled on the McMurdo bench south of Golden and raised a family

Colani has been more than just a leader in the heli ski industry After he left the manager position in the Bobbie Burns he became the mountain safety manager for CMH The work he did during that tenure shaped the future of not only CMH but the whole helicopter skiing industry in Canada In a nutshell he can be credited with the processes and systems that are in place today that have made the industry much safer He really is a leader - ACMG President Marc Ledwidge

James Blench ndash Platinum Distinguished Service AwardJames was awarded the Platinum Distinguished Service award (highest level) for his more than 26 years of work on the ACMG Technical Committee His many contributions to the Canadian guid-ing community have come in many forms - educator mentor consultant curriculum developer and many more Most ACMG and CAA members have benefited directly from Jamesrsquo hard work

James continues to serve the membership by sharing his wisdom as an active and engaged member of the Technical Committee

- ACMG Techincal Director Marc Picheacute

Sylvia Forest ndash Silver Distinguished Service AwardSylvia was the fifth Canadian woman to become a Mountain Guide and has faithfully served on your Board of Directors since 2012 For personal reasons she is now stepping down from the board but during her tenure as the Interior Director she has been engaged as a board member and has also served as the Vice-President for the past two years She will be dearly missed on the board

- ACMG President Marc Ledwidge

Nathan Dahl ndash Presidentrsquos AwardNathan has been on the Board of Directors as the Hiking Guide Director and is also stepping down for personal reasons As I mentioned last year at our AGM Nathan has also taken on the chair of the Professional Practice Committee and plans to continue He leads a committee that developed the process by which we perform professional audits on our members This is a difficult and thorny job as no one cherishes receiving the email announcing that they are being audited I know because I just got one of those This is a very important component of a self governing association and we thank Nathan for getting us there


Linda Heywood - Special Recognition AwardMany people have contributed to the growth and development of the ACMG mostly volunteers working on our Board of Directors or on committees However for nearly 20 years Linda Heywood has been toiling away behind the scenes creating and evolving the administrative structure without which the ACMG would not have become anywhere near as successful as it has

On the eve of her retirement from the ACMG we thought it fitting to recognize the value of her many accomplishments with a Special Recognition Award As the bookkeeperaccountant she helped ensure our financial strength As the member services manager her uncanny attention to detail ensured timely service response and near perfect records But perhaps most importantly as the long-time first person responder to members and non-members alike Linda has been a key face and voice of the ACMG This award is so well deserved - ACMG Executive Director Peter Tucker


Spotlight on ACMG Members

ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide Stephen Senecal lowers Douglas Noblet on the last of the Deville rappels during the 36 day Selkirks ski traverse Photo Sam Mckoy

Sunrise on the Bugaboo Glacier as the moon sets behind the Pigeon Feathers Photo Lyle Grisedale ACMG Mountain Guide Rich Prohaska leading the group in the midst of the Kingrsquos trench between Queen and King Peak Photo Sam Mckoy

Guest Jean Francois Bisaillon enjoying some prime powder at Hilda Ridge in the Canadian Rockies Photo David Lussier


FeaturesSki Guiding in the North

A World Without InfoEx Guidesrsquo Meetings or Nearest NeighboursBy James Minifie

One of the the most striking things about the North is the sheer scope of the terrain Everything (valleys glaciers crevasses) seems bigger and in most cases probably is Photo James Minifie

In the far northwest corner of British Columbia at the BCAlaskaYukon borders there exist two mountain roads that find their way through the northern Coast Mountains to the Pacific Ocean below Before a person leaves Canada and drops down to Haines or Skagway Alaska one will find some of the best snow-mobile access ski touring in the world Rolling terrain crosses alpine lakes and soon gives way to big northern tiger country Giant faces rolling glaciers steep couloirs itrsquos all therehellip

Sounds like the Selkirks or southern Coast Mountains or Cariboos or Rockies right Well kind of Except for one small detail itrsquos remote No nearest neighbours no relevant neigh-bouring operations at all actually save some intermittent heli-skiing There is no mountain search and rescue response and no Parks Canada Public Safety Specialists In fact if I were to call a helicopter in for a rescue the nearest machine is 150km away in Whitehorse A handful of highly capable northern recreation-ists occupy this landscape but they never see each other The only evidence of their activities is a lonely looking pickup truck stashed on the edge of the highway Itrsquos a big beautiful lonely place No searching for a parking spot no up-track to follow

My family and I moved to Whitehorse in 2008 My wife Sa-mantha and I had been back and forth between the Yukon and our home in Fernie BC for a few years When she was offered a job in Whitehorse we made the move In my head I thought

wersquod do three years in the North make a dent in the student loans and settle back below my beloved Fernie Mountain in the Elk Valley Eight years and four kids later wersquore not going any-where The North has us in its grip

When we moved up I wasnrsquot a Ski Guide yet but I was working on it Multiple trips down south to take courses pursue practicums and fulfil my apprentice supervision requirements made for some interesting times All the while I continued to ski White Pass and Haines Summit and the urge to guide there and show people the place burned in me It wasnrsquot until I landed a job with Avalanche Canada (then the Canadian Avalanche Centre) as a field technician for the Yukon forecasting region that I really started to realize the potential of the place Our field team covered a lot of ground 120km days on the sleds werenrsquot uncommon While gathering information for the Public Ava-lanche Bulletin we explored every inch of that place Although I was an Apprentice Ski Guide by then I couldnrsquot guide there yet because the nearest supervising guide was thousands of kilo-meters away and probably knew little about that small corner of British Columbia

A guide based north of the 60th parallel still has to come south for a good portion of their winter From December through mid-February the days are short and it gets dark fast The magic doesnrsquot really start to happen up here until March Working this

The author investigates the entrance to another remote line Maybe its been skied maybe (probably) not Poten-tial first descents and uncharted territory are some of the

virtues of skiing in the North Photo Chris Milner

double life so to speak between southern and northern Canada has opened my eyes to the value of tools like the InfoEx am and pm guides meetings and coffee shop or downtown pub information exchanges Sources of information that are so integral to our success as guides but things many of us take for granted I know I did

Ok I know what many of you who havenrsquot worked in remote environments are thinking ldquoSo if you have no InfoEx to check no colleagues to meet with in the morning no neighbours to call on the radio no reliable weather forecast to read then what the hell are you doing all morningrdquo Well good question For a while I often asked myself the same thing I was so reliant on InfoEx workflows and am guides meetings that I really had to make an effort to determine how my mornings would go What does the only Ski Guide north of Terrace do in the morning to pre-pare to keep his clients safe for the day I felt naked at first I even felt irresponsible at times questioning whether I should even be operat-ing under such circumstances Was I meeting the standard of safety set by my colleagues and the ACMG Was I meeting the expectations of my clients by working alone without support and an obvious shortfall of information as compared to my southern counterparts I still struggle with this challenge but I also relish it

I solve this dilemma in a touchy-feely sort of way I explore my feelings literally The key I find when one is working alone and without support is to fully acknowledge the situation and their vulnerability I still wake up early and do a full hazard analysis but one thing I try to always focus on are the obvious but unknown weaknesses in that analysis The holes that would otherwise be filled by experienced colleagues feeding informa-tion to me via the InfoEx or delivering it to me during an am meeting So when I go out and guide for the day I donrsquot focus so much on the things I know I focus rather on my awareness of my elevated level of uncertainty because of the situation Irsquom in I admit this often leads to more conservative decision mak-ing but I think that is prudent when you work alone My safety briefings are more detailed because I have to know for sure that my clients can execute an effective companion rescue in my absence Not just call for help because there is no one to call My emergency response plan differs greatly from one you might see in the SAR and helicopter-rich south it involves trusted and accomplished recreationists and personal relationships with lo-

cal helicopter pilots The nearest cel-lular or WIFI signals are hours away so satellite communication devices are backed up in triplicate Just pro-gramming my SPOT InReach and Satellite phone to make the appro-priate connections is a full-time job sometimes

A rapidly growing interest and demand for backcountry skiing up here makes guiding in the North a great and welcome challenge Now donrsquot get me wrong there are sourc-es of support up here The Yukon Avalanche Association is filled with experienced individuals who work tirelessly on the public safety front There are a handful of avalanche professionals Hector and Colin MacKenzie Mike Smith Kirstie Simpson and Eirik Sharp to name a few who are active in the commu-nity And the recreationists up here are a self reliant lot like Irsquove seen nowhere else They understand the consequences of getting it wrong in a remote place and are constantly looking out for one another A ve-hicle thatrsquos been parked on the side of the highway a little too long does not go unnoticed in The North

In reference to the North and the Yukon specifically I think Rob-ert Service said it best His words

still ring true with many who roam the wilderness up here I know they do with mehellip

No Therersquos the land (Have you seen it) Itrsquos the cussedest land that I know From the big dizzy mountains that screen it To the deep deathlike valleys below Some say God was tired when He made it Some say itrsquos a fine land to shun Maybe but therersquos some as would trade it For no land on earthmdashand Irsquom one

Therersquos a land where the mountains are nameless And the rivers all run God knows where There are lives that are erring and aimless And deaths that just hang by a hair There are hardships that nobody reckons There are valleys unpeopled and still Therersquos a landmdashoh it beckons and beckons And I want to go backmdashand I will

James Minifie is an ACMG Ski Guide living (obviously) in Whitehorse YT


The Land of Fire and Ice Ski Touring in Kamchatka Russia

Story and Photos (where not specified) by Grigory Mintsev

If you simply draw a line west from BC across the Bering Sea you are sure to notice a massive peninsula resembling a fish and as it happens Kamchatka is one of the worlds largest wild Pa-cific salmon spawning grounds The waters around the peninsula are also rich in halibut flounder giant grenadier and dozens of species of marketable fish as well as Kamchatka king crab and squid Fishing is clearly the main industry here

But let us move away from the fish and have a closer look at this place We will see that two-thirds of the peninsula are covered with moun-tain ranges and dozens of volcanic cones are scattered around From November to July these mountains and volcanoes are covered with several metres of snow

The peninsula mea-sures about 472000 km2 which is bigger than many European countries like Italy or Germany Letrsquos take into consideration the fact that only 300000 residents live in Kamchat-ka 75 of whom live in three cities - Petropavlov-sk-Kamchatsky Yelizovo and Vilyuchinsk The rest of the territory is a sparse-ly populated land with absolutely wild moun-tains Along the central part of the peninsula the Sredinny Range stretches 1200km with a width of up to 120km In the east-ern part of the peninsula lies the Eastern ridge 800km long and up to 100km wide

All these mountains are of volcanic origin created hundreds of thousands of years ago but volcanism is still happening in the peninsula There are about three hundred volcanoes in Ka-mchatka 30 of which are active Volcanoes of Kamchatka are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List and the place has

been named ldquoone of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the worldrdquo The Kluchevskaya Sopka volcano with an altitude of 4835 m is the highest active volcano in Eurasia and probably in the Northern Hemisphere

Kamchatka is also the most extensively glaciated region of north-eastern Asia with glaciers covering more than 900 km2 Thats why Kamchatka Penin-sula is also known as the Land of Fire and Ice

Mountains and vol-canoes are not the only attractions of Kamchat-ka Here rich flora and fauna can be found as well as the Valley of Gey-sers hot mineral springs the stunning Pacific Coast Aboriginal cul-ture history and devel-opment of Kamchatka and Russian America

Skiing in KamchatkaSki touring and ski mountaineering started here in the 90rsquos with very few enthusiastic alpinists and skiers The ldquograndfatherrdquo of Kamchatka ski moun-taineering is local Mountain Guide Fedor Farberov (currently the technical director of the Russian Mountain Guide Association) He made almost all the first descents of the most in-teresting volcanoes and mountain ranges many

of which are still not repeated Heliskiing started there in the mid 90rsquos using big Russian

machines MI-8 and MI-8MTV Compared to Canada the heliski industry is still pretty small about 400-450 guests per season in all operating companies (and it was much less just a few years ago)

The Kamchatka Penninsula from space Photo International Space Station

Airplane view on Viluchinsky volcano (2173m) mid-June

Ski touring is even less popular as not many locals get up into the good terrain and only about 100 foreign guests visit the penin-sula each season This means that you usually donrsquot run into other skiers in the ldquopopularrdquo ski touring places let alone the ldquounpopularrdquo ones Besides the backcountry skiing infrastructure is very rudimentary There are very few moun-tain huts with snowmobile or snowcat access and in many areas you must stay in tents

Ski touring season lasts from the end of March until the end of June Before March it is too cold and windy on the volcanoes but skiing is good on the lower mountains cov-ered by beautiful Ermans birch trees There are very narrow bands for Below Treeline and Treeline elevations as the Alpine zone starts about 700-800 m above sea level Most of the skiing (especially in April-June) is in the Al-pine Fortunately the weather in the second half of spring and the beginning of summer is generally stable and there are not many whiteout days Sure bad weather happens but usually systems last 2-3 days and then go away

The snow conditions here are variable Powder skiing on volcanoes lasts until the end of April but sometimes you can make good powder turns in May or even early June (right after snowfalls) From mid-April you can generally expect corn skiing and May-June is perfect for this There is usually only one thing that can change your ski plans ndash wind As with other volcanic areas Kamchatka is a windy place especially because of its proxim-ity to the Pacific Ocean and Okhotskoe Sea Strong winds during the winter months offer very little chance of good skiing but closer to spring and summer it gets less windy Even if some places are wind affected you can always change aspects to get better snow conditions I can only remember a few days in past 3-4 seasons when we had hard snow and uncom-fortable skiing The terrain always gives you choices

However there is a benefit to the wind As with many coastal regions Kamchatka gets huge amounts of snow during the winter and spring months (especially the southern part of the peninsula) Thanks to the wind the snowpack on the volcanoes gets quite com-pressed so that by the end of May there is 3-5 m of very dense snow in places Aided by mild summers the snow melts very slowly (even at low altitudes) and stays there until August giving us perfect corn skiing until July

Koryaksky volcano 3456m This giant and beautiful volcano greets you at the airport of Petropavlovsk You will see its amazing triangular cone as soon as you step off the plane This stratovolcano is a fantastic place for ski mountaineering dozens of couloirs and lines leading from the top down almost every aspect with vertical drops of up to 2700m

Mutnovsky lcano 2322 m This voluminous volcano consists of several cones joined together as one massif Thou-sands of years ago the main cone collapsed inside the volcano and formed a huge crater with glaciers fumaroles and boiling mud volcanoes inside You can get into the crater through a huge crack in the side wall or ski down from the top edge of the crater Near this volcano are some of the worlds largest hydrothermal deposits providing energy to the Mutnovskaya geothermal power station

Couloirs of Koryaksky in mid-May

Crack in the side wall and fumaroles of Mutnovsky volcano

Features


Ganalsky Range Situated 100km from Petropavlovsk (relatively close to the road) this is one of the most scenic non-volcanic areas of Kamchatka The average height is 1500 - 1750m with some peaks reaching 2000m This range provides interesting and chal-lenging terrain for ski touring and ski mountaineering

Kluchevskaya group of volcanoesThese are the most active and biggest volcanoes of Kamchatka The volume of volcanic rock at this site exceeds that of all the Japanese islands combined There are nine big volcanoes and four of them exceed 4000 m

Kluchevskaya Sopka is a huge volcano with a current altitude of 4835m (which changes due to frequent eruptions) In 1786 the world celebrated the beginning of the Alpinism era with the first ascent of the Mont Blanc However few people know that just two years later explorer and guide Daniel Gauss and two partners took the first step on the summit of this volcano in Kamchatka No one climbed this amazing mountain over the next 143 years until 1931 It is still an absolutely wild place and while climbing you can feel the spirit of the 18th century

Kamen volcano 4585mAt 4585m this is the second highest vol-cano in Kamchatka One side of the vol-cano consists of a sheer wall of 2 km and on the other side there is a huge glacier from the top to the very bottom Research has shown the top of Kamenrsquo volcano has one of the lowest average temperatures in Russia

Sredinny Range This is one of the least explored areas of Kamchatka This giant range is just slightly smaller than the Alps but unlike the Alps only a few villages can be found in these mountains The southern part welcomes occasional heliskiing groups but on the remaining territory very few ski expedi-tions take place The highest point is Ich-inskaya Sopka volcano at 3621m which is located on the western part of the range It is the only active volcano in the range and is now showing weak fumarole activ-ity The first descent from this volcano was

Ganalsky Vostryaky massif

View on the Kluchevskya group from the Ostry Tolbachik vlc L-R Ushkovsky and Krestovsky (one massif) Kluchevskaya Sopka (erupting) and Kamen (they look like one

volcano but just in a line) Bezymyanny (little erupting volcano to the right from Kamen) and Zimina Just to understand the scale the ldquolittlerdquo Bezymyanny volcano is 2882 m

Photo SRomanenkov

North face of Kamen volcano Plosky amp Ostry Tolbachik massif on the backside

done in 1992 and the second time only in 2016

There are many more interesting places to be and to ski here itrsquos just impossible to put all of them into one article One week in Kamchatka is better than a thousand words If you wish to visit the Kamchatka Peninsula one day feel free to contact me Irsquoll be glad to share the local knowledge and help to organize your trip gmintsevclimbtoskicom

Detailed descriptions of the areas some ideas about trips and itinerary travel tips and other useful information can be found at skiinginkamchatkacom

Grigory Mintsev is an ACMG Ski Guide dividing his life between Kamchatka and Chamonix

Airplane view on the middle part of Sredinny Range Kluchevskaya group of volcanoes far away Photo IKozlov

2-way text messaging 2-way SOS Navigation and tracking 100 global coverage

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Features


Features

Hiking through the rocks near Corvara South Tyrol

A Hiking Traverse through the Dolomites of ItalyStory and Photos by Andrea Petzold

For any guide who has been to Europe on a ski traverse you will know what I mean when I say there is a certain cultural feel at their backcountry lodges Not only are there probably three languages spoken at the dinner table along with a variety of beers or wine but chances are you had a lift into the alpine by a gondola and before long you will meet someone who knows someone you know And so it was with us in the Dolomites

I have been inspired to take in these international trips for all these reasons There is simply nothing quite like it in Canada Beyond the hiking the nature and personality of these lodges are exactly what sold this September trip to my summer hikers

Our hiking trip started in the town of San Cassiano in Val Badia and finished up in Cortina Cortina is best known as the site of the 1956 Winter Olympics It has a population of 6000 people that swells to 50000 in mid August Itrsquos for this reason that I chose September

We were blessed with clear skies and 20degC My guests are most-ly women in their mid 60rsquos and although they are physically and mentally strong we all have our limits as to what is an enjoyable hiking day I promoted my trip with the idea that many hikes will start with a chair lift into the alpine and finish with a cold glass of beer Irsquom convinced that this novelty is as attractive as the hiking trail

I arrived in San Cassiano 4 days before the guests and then met my group at the airport in Venice I visited this hiking area a year earlier to do a reconnaisance My plan was to research the

transportation and accommodation and gain local knowledge Our trip began and ended with a half day hike The first day was a lift assisted hike to Rifugio Pralongia and a comfortable descent into the valley above Corvara Needless to say the trails in Italy are well maintained and well marked I hired a taxi service to take us to the trailhead every day and then pick us up in a different valley

Our second day was again lift assisted as we marched to our first overnight at Rifugio Puez Althought it is one of the more basic rifugios the group enjoyed the well attended happy hour and fantastic family style meal The bunk bed set up was not ideal for these folks but it was just one night and we made up for it at the next place

Our daily hiking distances were about 9-12 km with elevation gains of 900-1100 m We spent about 5-6 hours a day hiking over the 7 day trip

The highlight of the week was our trip from San Cassiano to Cortina by way of an overnight stay at the Rifugio di Fanes Built in 1928 it has a long history of welcoming alpinists and ski tour-ers and is widely considered to be one of the nicest rifugios in the Dolomites When we arrived it was hard to believe that on the sunny deck with Tyrolean music we were miles from nowhere I chose my hikes from researching the Cicerone guide ldquoWalking in the Dolomitesrdquo by Gillian Price

Due to the size of my group (we were 14) I decided to hire a second guide from The Dolomites I thought this would add some local flavour and give folks a variety of hiking options In addition

Image wwwaltabadiaorg

I visited the guidersquos office in Corvara where I found out about some hidden gems that are not written in any guidebook

My original idea was to hike from hut to hut in Switzerland Mountain Guide Jorg Wilz and I had a beer in Golden at a CPD social and he suggested that I head to the Dolomites instead The terrain is not as steep the huts are not as crowded and it is less expen-sive Jorg also connected me to a local hiking guide who in turn introduced me to the taxi service and plenty of lo-cal beta Many good ideas begin with a glass of beer

So thank you to Jorg for suggesting the Dolo-mites and ldquoGrazie tante Dolomitirdquo

Andrea Petzold is an ACMG Hiking Guide living in Can-more AB


EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

1 Mountain Guide Alpine Guide Apprentice Alpine Guide Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is currently accepting applications for the summer of 2017 for the Rocky Mountain Cadet Camp Glacier Program Guides will be responsible for instructing and guiding Cadets on glacier mountaineering courses in the Wapta and Little Yoho areas The contract runs from early July through mid-August Work opportunities exist on either side of these contract dates Applicants must be in members in good standing of the ACMG and provide a clean RCMP Vulnerable Sector Check Fluent French and basic French writing skills are an asset but not required 2 Apprentice Rock Guide Rock Guide Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is currently accepting applications for the summer of 2017 for the Rocky Mountain Cadet Camp Rock Climbing Program Guides will be responsible for instructing and guiding Cadets on single and multi-pitch climbs in the Bow Valley area The contract runs from early July through mid-August Work opportunities exist on either side of these contract dates Applicants must be in members in good standing of the ACMG provide a clean RCMP Vulnerable Sector Check have a Class Four Driverrsquos License and a clean driving record Fluent French and basic French writing skills are an asset but not required 3 Mountain Guide Alpine Guide Apprentice Alpine Guide Rock Guide Apprentice Rock Guide Part time and full time positions for the summer 2017 season are available for guides certified in the alpine and rock streams Work involves both instruction and guiding on public and private programs Guides will be responsible for guiding within their Scope of Practice Applicants must be in members in good standing of the ACMG A Class Four Driverrsquos License is an asset 4 IFMGA Mountain Guide Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is currently accepting applications for a full time permanent position for an IFMGA Mountain Guide Work involves both instruction and guiding on public private and military programs The successful candidate will also be responsible for supervising Apprentice guides and contributing to the continued improvement of Yamnuskarsquos programs and risk management system Applicants must be members in good standing of the ACMG or their member countries association A Class Four Driverrsquos License is an asset Wage range is between $300-320 with 2 weeks of paid vacation Access to a group health and dental plan is also available Apply with resume by emailing guidescheduleyamnuskacom

(It Disappears)Patagoniarsquos Houdinireg

Jacket

It RunsIt RidesIt Climbs

copy 2016 Patagonia Inc

patagoniacomopportunist

PAT_S16_Houdini_ACMGArete_HPindd 1 52716 448 PM


FeaturesOttaliersquos Adventure

By Paul Ledet (and Iain Stewart-Patterson)

ldquoIt is good to have an end to journey toward but it is the jour-ney that matters in the endrdquo - Ursula K LeGuin

Stellyrsquos Secondary School on Vancouver Island has a history of offering rich and diverse educational experiences to its students Our Outdoor Pursuits 11 program focusses on an introduction to self-supported backcountry hiking and snow camping in the Forbidden Plateau area of Strathcona Park while our OP 12 programs offer three unique trips to the West Coast Trail the Nitinat Triangle and the Sayward Lakes canoe chain

In 2000 Ryan Heuman a grade 11 student with cerebral palsy saw a great dream come to fruition when a team of 10 adults and 20 students helped him climb to the summit of Mt Albert Edward in Strathcona Park It took a great deal of planning strat-egizing and hard work to get the team there and it was tremendously rewarding The sto-ry of his inclusion in our Outdoor Pursuits program has been shared countless times both locally and around the world

When another of our students with cerebral palsy Ottalie Garvin asked if it would be possible to do the same trip I had my reservations Unlike Ryan she has no mobility in her legs and no control of her arms which would make an already chal-lenging endeavour even more so After considerable discussion we decided to give it a shot but made it clear that a successful trip would be defined not by the goal of summiting but by the quality of the experience we could provide Ottalie and her sup-port team

To give her the experience of travelling with a group of peers we put the call out to our grade 12 students from previous OP programs and asked them to submit letters detailing their desire to participate and how they could make this a better experience for Ottalie We received 20 quality submissions and decided to take them all

While I had been to the area over 60 times in the past 22 years this time we were going a month early in May so the

snow would likely be significantly different from what I was used to I contacted Mountain Guide Iain Stewart-Patterson for his expertise in assessing snow conditions and rope hauling sys-tems for the sled on the steep slopes While Iain could not join Ottaliersquos trip due to prior commitments the MEC ACMG Adventure Access Grant enabled him to join us on the same trip with another group 10 days earlier where he could assess the conditions and terrain

After seven months of prepa-ration including fundraising over $5000 collecting gear donations so-liciting a medical team and consult-ing the ACMG we finally found ourselves with a very happy excited and nervous girl in the mountains surrounded by 20 of her peers and a hand-picked crew of caring adults Even though we had chosen stu-dents who had done the Mt Albert Edward trip before it was still a chal-lenge and it took

a few hours for them to get their ldquosnow legsrdquo especially with a heavy load on their backs We travelled relatively quickly from the beautiful Raven Lodge (the base of cross country ski opera-tions at Mt Washington) along some of their snowcat trails to Lake Helen MacKenzie Once we reached the shores of the lake I went ahead with probe in hand checking the condition of the snowpack that covered the lake We wanted to avoid going around if at all possible for expediency and because we antici-pated the forested slopes around the lake would be punishing for Ottalie Thankfully the snow and ice on top of the lake was consistently good all the way across

We headed up towards the saddle connecting Mounts Brooks and Elma This was where we first had to break out the ropes slings and pulleys and use the skills that we had prac-ticed with Iain The ability to move Ottalie uphill was gener-ated in two ways A team of six people pulled and pushed to provide the majority of the force needed On the steeper slopes they were assisted by a counterbalance team of 4-5 teens pulling downhill on a 50m rope tied to the sled and redirected through pulley clutch tree anchors The counterbalance team was so

Ottalie Garvin and friends at Raven Lodge Mt Albert Edward in the background Photo Jackie Cunningham

effective that the teacher and students keeping the sled steady and level had a hard time keeping up Ottalie loved the ride and we gained confidence and experience in our ability to move her up the steeper slopes

Throughout the day I had been evaluating the condition of the group and making plans for where we would stay the night Upon reaching the Forbidden Plateau Ranger cabin we decided to push on to Kwai Lake It took a little route finding and was longer than anticipated but we made it and set up camp with a stellar view of Mt Albert Edward After a much needed rest in the tent Ottalie joined the rest of the students for dinner and much laughter ensued

Early morning light on Mt Albert Edward Photo Daniella Ledet

On day two of our four day trip we made short work of the approach to Albert Edward We ate lunch at Circlet Lake and climbed up to the plateau leading to the long ridge After a number of smaller climbs and one longer one requiring the pulley system again we reached the base of one of our more daunting climbs At this point on the year 2000 trip we cut steps across the slope at a fairly shallow angle and one of our teachers carried Ryan all the way up We then used similar pul-ley and clutch systems to haul the empty sled up behind them

Start of the climb to Albert Edward Photo Jackie Cunningham

This time Ottalie would stay in the sled Getting her up there would take time and a lot of work I sent the rest of the group ahead to ferry their packs up while I told Ottalie how I foresaw us climbing this hill and then I joined the others Near the top we came to a point that had given Iain pause the previous week There was a big hole in the snow on a short steep face that had grown even larger over the last 10 days

The large snow hole at our turn around point Photo Paul Ledet

At this point we had to assess the potential risk and the consequences if something went wrong Though I had taken hundreds of students through this area over the last 20 plus years doing so with a fragile student strapped into a sled was a different story I was most appreciative of Iainrsquos help in our preparations for the trip where the thought process we had talked about previously guided the current conversation We discussed whether we should try to get around this obstacle and keep going how we might do it what would happen if things went wrong and how Ottalie would be impacted Ultimately the decision was made to turn around and focus more on the journey than the destination When I spoke with Ottalie she said she was quite happy to not be going up the steep slope and that the trip wasnrsquot about the summit anyway One of our stu-dents suggested a different way back to Circlet lake that would allow Ottalie to have a beautiful view of Cruikshank Canyon It was a great idea and even after 63 trips to area I had a chance to travel in a new direction and share this unique view with the group for the first time

On our third day after a great camp at Circlet Lake we made our way towards Croteau Lake for our last camp Trav-eling with Ottalie in a sled created a new experience for me Whereas I usually have the students take charge of navigation while I help them with route finding this time I was usually off ahead of the group on my own or with a few other students scouting routes that would have the gentlest slopes the flattest contours and the minimum number of obstacles At this point the physiotherapist and Ottaliersquos caregiver let us know that she was in more pain and suffering from the constant jostling in


the sled As we travelled towards Croteau Lake I instructed the team to keep her as smooth and level as possible while we scout-ed further and further ahead looking for the best combination of smooth snow gradual slopes and shade from the sun

At some points things would get steep or bumpy and though we knew Ottalie was suffering she kept up the banter and joked the whole way When we got to the base of the trail that would take us up to the south end of Croteau Lake we stopped for lunch took Ottalie out of the sled to stretch her out and scouted the best way up to the lake Snow conditions and deadfall across the summer trail made it non-negotiable with the sled Eventually we made our way to the lake and looked for the best way beyond which was clearly straight up the side of a steep hill As Ottalie enjoyed her rest most of the teachers headed up to pick the best lines and anchor points while a number of students armed with avalanche shovels did their best to carve out a smooth(ish) path for the sled It took about an hour to get everything set up but it was time well spent as the climb with went off without a hitch The students who werenrsquot helping with the sled did a number of trips up and down the hill ferrying packs and equipment

When you get to the top of that climb you can head North but we turned South and climbed a little bit more to enjoy one of the best views of the trip

One of my favourite moments on the trip occurred at Cro-teau Lake Once we had set up camp and changed into warmer clothing one of the students quietly came over and asked if we thought it would be possible for all of the students to take Ott-alie away to the afternoonrsquos lookout point to watch the sun set over the mountains We talked over the plan where they would go what they would do to keep her warm and safe and after dinner they all took off back across the lake

Watching them head off tears running down my face I real-ized that this was what the journey had been all about how cool it was that Ottalie was able to have this special opportunity to experience the backcountry in a way that might not have been possible otherwise with a group of her peers that that had cho-sen to come and experience the journey with her That was what mattered in the end

Features

Making our way down from Mariwood Lake towards Mount Elma Photo Andrew Irwin

The Guiding PerspectiveBy Iain Stewart-Patterson

When Paul asked me to provide some technical direction for this trip I was glad to help As I learned the details both the concept and the challenge of the task intrigued me It was not a standard or ldquonormalrdquo guiding challenge I approached this with many questions in my mind as I was unfamiliar with the terrain the needs of the ldquoguestrdquo and the abilities of the support group

The advanced scouting mission allowed us to assess the ter-rain and the hazards It became apparent that there were two aspects of safe travel in this terrain the group membersrsquo technical and movement skills and the management of Ottalie and her sled while providing an enjoyable experience

Travelling with this group of energetic teenagers took me back to the ten years I spent as an Outward Bound instructor There was much laughter smiles boundless energy and some inevitable tears and fears This group accentuated the guiding concept of providing an exceptional experience by creating a journey for someone who would not normally have access to the mountains It also reinforced the concept of service There was nothing normal about this guiding challenge

Iain Stewart-Patterson is a Mountain Guide living in Kamloops BC

On the last day we made it out and back to Raven Lodge in record time following snowcat trails most of the way Not needing to make too many route-finding decisions gave me lots of time to think of the many contributions that made the trip so successful There was no doubt in my mind that the trip was an unqualified success No we did not reach the summit like we did with Ryan in 2000 but once the decision had been made to turn around all our attention had turned to providing Ottalie with wonderful experiences and memories Our success was evi-dent in the laughter and smiles of Ottalie and this special group in a special place

Paul Ledet is a teacher from Stellyrsquos Secondary School on Vancouver Island

What a view Mounts Frink Albert Edward Regan and Jutland Photo Andrew Irwin


Features

Story-telling is one of our oldest forms of communication and one of our highest forms of education So when we at Avalanche Canada heard the story of an amazing backcountry rescue we knew we wanted to tell it to a wider audience We also knew we wanted to try telling it a new waymdashusing a digital approach that would allow the viewer to read watch and interact with the lessons being taught

Rescue at Cherry Bowl is an online interactive website that tells the story of how a group of four backcountry skiers were saved after they were hit by a size 35 avalanche in an area known as Cherry Bowl near Shames Mt just outside of Terrace BC One of the group had miraculously managed to stay on the surface by grabbing a tree but when the dust settled his three friends and all his rescue gear had been swept away leaving him alone with just his transceiver

But another group of four skiers had witnessed the avalanche from the ridge With many years of backcountry experience be-tween them they had only weeks previously taken a Companion Rescue Skills course to hone their accident response as a group They leaped into action and within 20 minutes all three vic-tims had been dug out of their deep burials alive and virtually unharmed

In addition to this amazing story we also had the good fortune of a production crew in the area shortly after the accident This film crewmdashTin House Creative from Crested Butte COmdashknew of our interest in doing something with this story They shot long interviews with everyone involved and each individual told their story with honesty and emotion This compelling footage gave us a great start to building this site

With the help of MEC as a title sponsor we were able to start work on this project in the spring of 2015 But develop-ing a multi-media site was a bigger task than we had envisioned especially for a small organization with an IT team of one Our original plans for launching in the fall of 2015 fell by the wayside Work continued through the winter and we were very pleased to be make the site live in early November of this year

You can find Rescue at Cherry Bowl here wwwavalanchecacherry-bowl

Mary Clayton is the Communications Director for Avalanche Canada and lives in Revelstoke BC

The interactive website walks the viewer through the journey of the story and lessons to be learned Images avalancheca

Rescue at Cherry BowlBy Mary Clayton

This Is A StoryThat Needs To Be Told

RESCUE AT CHERRY BOWL

START YOUR JOURNEY

Screenshot of rescuers from Chapter 1 - Burried Alive

Phot

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ark

Fis

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Fis

her

Cre

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Cod

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TUumlV CERTIFIED ndash EXPERIENCE A NEW LEVEL OF SAFETY AND LIGHTNESS

RADICAL2

WE GUARANTEE THE PERFECT BOOT BINDING COMPATIBILITY WITH DYNAFIT CERTIFIED INSERTSreg INCORPORATED BY SCARPA FISCHER SCOTT ROXA HAGAN MOVEMENT AND DYNAFIT

20150910_dyn_az_radical2_us_finalindd 1 140915 0831


Near Miss

Avalanche - Simpson Control Paths Kootenay ParkBy Ian Jackson

On March 14th 2016 my colleague Grant Statham and I were on a forecasting field trip to the Simpson Study plot near Vermil-lion Crossing in Kootenay National Park This area is adjacent to the Simpson control paths which are regularly monitored as part of the Banff Yoho amp Kootenay (BYK) avalanche control program

We followed the regular uptrack through the trees to the es-tablished study plot at ~ 2050 m where we did a full profile and saw no alarming test results We decided to skin to the ridgeline and investigate a loop skiing down Simpson 3 (one of the high-way control paths) and onto the ridge between Simpson 3 and 4

We did some ski testing with small cornices on the way up Simpson 1 and got no results and then skied a short steep north facing run into the hanging valley above Simpson 3 We uptracked onto the ridge and were skiing along the corniced ridgeline towards the entrance to our proposed run to do some more testing with cornices when I triggered a truck sized cornice at my ski tips

The cornice landed on the slope below and triggered a size 3 avalanche in the Simpson 3 slide path This failed on a sun crust layer down 50 ndash 100 cm that had not been a layer we were

tracking The fracture line was ~200 ndash 300 m wide and ran for ~1200 m taking out much of our intended ski route Nobody was involved in the avalanche We were obviously surprised by this and momentarily concerned about the open highway below Upon further investigation the avalanche had stopped ~400m from the road

Analysis This event was significant as it was a near miss with a large avalanche that was not forecast by our hazard assessment and occurred in terrain that we were planning on skiing that day Additionally this avalanche occurred in a path above an open highway

It identified an avalanche problem that was not being tracked and showed that our forecasting team was more out of touch with the conditions than we thought The following factors con-tributed to our near miss1 Operational Pressuresbull The morning forecasters meeting was rushed to get out the door

for a bigger field day We didnrsquot spend much time discussing cur-rent conditions or looking at the terrain we were planning on go-

Simpson 3 avalanche and intended ski route Photo Grant Statham

ing to as we were busy getting out the door and on the roadbull The field day was rushed as we had to move quickly to make it

back for a forecaster meeting that was planned for the end of the day

2 Snowpack Observation Gapsbull Both forecasters felt out of touch with the snowpack as they hadnrsquot

been in the field much recently especially in the Simpson area bull No surface instabilities were noticed with ski testing while

up tracking and variable but not alarming results in the snow profile gave us confidence and confirmed our incorrect hazard assessment

bull The February sun crust layer was not being tracked well and its presence was not known in the Simpson Paths This layer did not show up in the study plot profile and we had not seen many avalanches failing on buried sun crusts it caught us by surprise Although in hindsight it seems obvious that a sun crust would have formed during the warm weather of the preceding weeks we had been intentionally staying off solar aspects due to ski quality so didnrsquot have direct observations of this crust

bull Cornice growth since previous visits was talked about multiple times but the uptrack wasnrsquot adjusted enough to give the cornices an extra margin and the connection to the wind loading of new snow into the start zone wasnrsquot made

3 Biasesbull We hadnrsquot solidified our trip plans in the morning but had the

trip in the back of our minds as a possibility if conditions looked favorable at the study plot and on the tour up The ski quality was excellent the tour made for a good loop with fall-line skiing in terrain that we didnrsquot visit often and we had pre-placed a bike shuttle on the highway These factors created a motivational bias to complete the more aggressive loop

bull I had done the same trip three times earlier that year and was familiar with the terrain I felt that the deep persistent problem was not present as it had been cleaned out by avalanche control earlier in the year and the wind slab would be no bigger than size 2 and manageable with cornice testing from the ridgeline This familiarity with the terrain from earlier in the year became a bias pushing me into more aggressive terrain than I otherwise would have been comfortable with Despite all of this we made a critical snowpack observation

that influenced the decision to do avalanche control in the fol-lowing days Forecasters added a layer to the avalanche hazard assessment and triggered many large avalanches during control over the next three days

SummaryNear miss incidents are often the result of many small errors that alone would be inconsequential but when added together create an accident or a near miss In the case of Simpson 3 the biggest of these errors was that the forecasting team that day never had a good discussion about the terrain they were planning on travel-ling into before they were there

The group terrain discussion which occurs in the form of a lsquorun listrsquo discussion at most ski guiding operations was not pres-ent and may have prevented this near miss Given the geography and operational constraints of the BYK Visitor Safety program it is improbable to use a run list for all the possible terrain that we may access as in a typical guiding operation

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Near MissHowever we have identified this lack of group terrain dis-

cussion as a gap in our risk assessment and are working on ways to improve this such as adopting the strategic mindset as a tool to guide a general terrain discussion creating a modified lsquorun listrsquo of popular areas and working on ways to streamline the rest of our morning meeting tasks to enable us to spend more time on the important terrain discussions

Additionally we have decided to adopt a new study plot location near the Simpson control paths that will better repre-sent sun crust problems and help fill the gap in our snowpack observations there

Given that we accidentally triggered a large avalanche in a path above an open road our team had a discussion on whether we should implement a protocol to guide when and how we ac-cess terrain above open roads After some discussion and given that many of our paths have a long runout before they affect the road we decided the benefits of gaining information from field trips to the start zones outweighed the potential risks of trigger-ing an avalanche onto the open road and didnrsquot create any new policies Instead we are using this incident as a reminder to our team of the high consequences of terrain above the highway

Reflecting on this near miss and reading near miss reports from other operations it seemed that there were a higher than usual number of professional near misses and incidents in 20152016 This raises some important questions Are profes-sionals having more near misses now than in the past Is there a trend Are this seasonrsquos high number of professional near misses due to unique snowpack conditions Is there just a better cul-

ture to share these events Or am I simply biased by my recent near miss

Many of these near misses were shared openly amongst the professional community Whether through the InfoEx Infor-malex or a companyrsquos internal email system it was great to see that professionals were open to sharing and learning from each otherrsquos mistakes Often there is not a big difference in actions and decisions between a near miss and an accident so sharing and learning from these near misses is critical

Based on the near misses of winter 20152016 we decided to make some changes to the way we keep track of and share near miss incidents in BYK Visitor Safety We gathered ~10 years of historical near miss data to create a baseline database of incidents in our program and improved our near miss recording protocols going forward to ensure all future near misses are recorded and shared amongst the entire Mountain Parks Visitor Safety Pro-gram These changes will allow us to share notable events and track trends more easily

I think near miss tracking and recording is a critical step to increasing the safety of the guiding and avalanche profession I hope that my sharing of this incident inspires other ACMG guides to share their near misses going forward and I am interest-ed to see what new developments will come from the ACMGrsquos new committee responsible for near miss reporting Have a safe winter

Ian Jackson is an ACMG Mountain Guide and Visitor Safety Tech-nician for Banff Yoho amp Kootenay National Parks

dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom

Climbing - Mount Aberdeen Banff ParkBy Brent Peters

Location ndash Northeast Glacier East Slope Mount Aberdeen

Time of Year ndash October

Situation ndash A new client is interested in doing an alpine style ascent in the Canadian Rockies The client claims to have done numerous guided alpine ascents in Europe and claims to be pro-ficient with moderate alpine terrain He is looking for an ascent that involves glacier and snow travel

Description - The weather is mediocre with some new snow forecast for the climbing day Temperatures are cold minimizing rock fall hazard Aberdeen offers the opportunity to climb until a turnaround time is reached or conditions prove too adverse with the ability to reverse the route

On the approach there is up to 10cm of new snow that is blown in to lee aspects of the approach trail making trail break-ing tedious and slow It is already mid-morning when the toe of the glacier is reached The glacier has a layer of new moist snow pasted to the ice The guide leads the first pitch and belays the client up to an ice anchor The client decides that he is happy with the day and ready to retreat The guide builds a v-thread anchor and threads the rope for a half rope rappel The guidersquos intention is to conduct two rappels to return to the toe of the glacier He puts the client on a stacked rappel prior to leaving the anchor Because of the bulge in the ice it is impossible for the guide to see the client until the client is at the midpoint of the rappel When the client becomes visible the guide sees the client descending the rope hand over hand The client reaches

the guide without incident When asked why the client did not rappel the client explains that he couldnrsquot get the rope to move through the belay device so he unclipped his harness from the rappel The guide builds an anchor for the client ascends the rope to retrieve the belay device and free the rope rappels back to the client and lowers the client to the toe of the glacier before down climbing

Site Review ndash After discussing the incident with the client it becomes apparent that the client has done very little technical climbing where the client has been responsible for any of the rope systems Even though the guide demonstrated to the cli-ent how to rappel with the belay device the client did not fully understand There was both a lack of systems knowledge and miscommunication due to a language barrier

Self Analysis ndash Because the guide and client chose to retreat after one pitch the guide could have lowered the client back down the entire pitch This would have ensured the safe descent of the client to the toe of the glacier The guide could then have either down climbed or rappelled In situations where communication is unsure skills are unproven and the ground is only one pitch away lowering is the safest and quickest solution Attempting to provide the client with an experience provided an opportunity for error If adequate training or screening of training has not been completed defer to the safest solution

Brent Peters is an ACMG Alpine Guide and Apprentice Ski Guide living in Canmore AB

Mt Aberdeenrsquos Northeast Glacier Photo Kendra Stritch

Near Miss


Technical

Arcrsquoteryx Procline Ski Touring Boot amp G3 FINDr 102 Ski - Gear Reviews

By Marc Picheacute

I will start by clearly stating that I am an ambassador for both G3 and Arcrsquoteryx While there is no expectation by them that I sugarcoat any reviews Irsquom keenly aware that this assumption can be made

While working on the coast in mid February I received a pair of G3rsquos ldquonew for next yearrdquo all around touring ski the finder 102 as well as the new Arcrsquoteryx Procline ski touring boot My job was to put them to the test prior to them becoming commercially available for the 201617 winter season I managed to put about 55 days of ski touring on this set-up in all types of conditions ranging from knee-deep powder to knee-deep slush with a bit of great corn snow skiing in between

It is also important to note that both the skis and boots were pre-production models and that although performance should be similar numerous improvements have been made to both due to feedback from testers

In recent years I have offered my services as a gear guinea pig quite frequently but never have I been compelled to write a review I believe that both of these products represent signifi-cant steps forward in performance and functionality that will be greatly appreciated by people who spend a lot of time ski touring

G3 FINDr 102 SkiThis is a fairly traditionally shaped ski with a little bit of early rise tip The 102 mm waste is not very lsquofatrsquo by any modern standard but is certainly sufficient in most deep snow conditions Where

I felt this ski excelled was in variable conditions where all types of snow could be encountered It was narrow enough at the waist to break trail on hard snow stiff enough to deal with crud light enough to walk all day for weeks in a row but not so light that they chattered on hard snow

Ill admit to being a bit of a gear junkie and I surprised myself a couple of times this winter when I caught myself thinking that Id be happy if this was my only ski for touring Yes it can be nice to have a slightly narrower ski for late spring conditions and a slightly wider ski for midwinter but if you can only have one-this would be a good one

I am 6rsquo3 and about 185 pounds I found these skis to be stiff enough to perform well even while carrying a heavy overnight pack They turned easily in all conditions and the tips were only grabby in thin breakable crust

The only downside I experienced with the skis was the fragile top sheet It chipped easily along its edges and the skis quickly looked well used I have spoken to the engineers at G3 and they told me that they have taken several steps to address this issue in the production model

Skis are such a personal taste and I am always reluctant to recommend All I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed these every day I had them on my feet

Arcrsquoteryx Procline Ski BootWhile I donrsquot expect to see many guides using these for heli-ski-ing nor will competitive freeride skiers be lining up to buy them

Procline Carbon boot amp Findr 102 skis Images wwwarcteryxcom and wwwgenuineguidegearcom

for most of the touring work I do these boots make a lot of sense

The designers focused on creating a boot that could be used for both skiing and climbing Pic-ture doing the approach to Nemesis climbing it and skiing down All while wearing one pair of boots that performed well at every stage This might seem like more of an advantage in a place like Chamonix but I found the weight and dex-terity to be very appealing for more traditional touring and ski mountaineering as well

In typical Arcrsquoteryx style these boot are like nothing else on the market the upper boot is comprised of a few pieces of plastic and carbon fiber wrapped around the liner that only has a thin gaiter over it I havenrsquot explained it very well but what this creates is a very light boot with un-believable ankle mobility Walking in this boot whether you have skis on or not is a dream At one point I went back to my other reasonably flexible boots for a day and I felt as though I was walking with cinder blocks attached to my feet

I used these boots for a lot of skiing and clas-sic mountaineering a couple of nights of winter camping but due to the mild temps this winter I never had them below -15 C The liners were a bit on the thin side and I was concerned about cold feet but I think the freedom of movement they allowed my feet helped keep them warmer than expected

In an age where touring boots are becoming stiffer and stiffer the downhill performance of these boots is probably closer to the (relatively) old Scarpa Spirit 4 The flex does take a little getting used to because all of the stiffness comes from the back of the boot rather than the tongue

The buckle system uses cables and pulleys so that only a few quick adjustments are necessary to switch from walk to ski mode and back

Most testers found that the durability of the built-in gaiter and the gaiter zipper were a sig-nificant issue after only a few weeks of use My zippers failed after about three weeks of use ren-dering the gaiter more or less useless I managed to continue using them for several more weeks with a few modi-fications to help keep the gaiter closed Although I expected to see some wear and tear on the buckle cables they remained intact throughout Finally about 200 m from the end of my last run of the season the metal hinge pin holding the cuff onto one of the boots either broke or fell outhellipArcrsquoteryx said this was the only case of this happening they had heard of and it would have been a relatively easy field fix with a bit of wire

The design team has been working hard to address the issues found by testers this winter As far as I know the zippers have been upgraded and some changes have been made to the buckle system Unfortunately I was not able to get a detailed list of the

Natural PerformaNce

changes they will be making before writing this They definitely had some issues to resolve and hopefully theyrsquoll get them sorted before this coming season

These boots will not be for everyone Some people will defi-nitely find them to be not stiff enough and the effectiveness of their durability upgrades has yet to be tested but I have a feeling these boots will become popular within the guiding community once the kinks have been ironed out

Marc Picheacute a Mountain Guide and the ACMG Technical Director lives in Canmore AB


Technical

Osprey Talon 33 Hiking Pack ReviewBy Ken Beacutelanger

OverviewOsprey Packs is an ACMG Partner and make some of the best backpacks in the world I had been looking for a better pack for hiking guiding so picked up an Osprey to try it out

Model testedThe Talon 33 is marketed as a minimalist overnight backpack-ing or day hiking pack There is a wide range of volumes in the Talon series from a 6 L fanny pack to the largest size at 44 L The equivalent womenrsquos model the Tempest has the same features and similar volumes I wore the Talon 33 for a number of guided day hikes a couple days of cragging a few alpine rock climbs and an Italian via ferrata

FitThis pack is made to be light which is apparent as soon as you pick it up The back panel shoulder straps and hip belt are lightweight die-cut foam with oodles of ventilation When you put this pack on you can feel it contouring to your body which creates a very comfortable fit Irsquom not very tall at 175cm how-ever I do have a long torso so I extended the Velcro adjustable back panel to its longest positon on my ML pack and it was long enough (but only just)

I like the ErgoPull hip belt closure system you pull forward to tighten the hip belt which makes snugging the waist belt secure and easy when moving through technical terrain

PocketingThe minimalist moniker doesnrsquot apply to this full-featured pack but rather to its relatively small size if you used it for an over-night There are a lot of pockets here and I found pretty much all of them useful

The lidrsquos cavernous exterior pocket is great for often needed bulky but light items and therersquos a mesh pocket on the inside with a key clip The lid is removable It was ingenious to use continuous cord instead of webbing for the lid buckle attach-ments When the lid is buckled down the cord cinches and makes a tight seal over the side of the pack body

The two side pockets have been perfectly sized for one litre Nalgene bottles but if you need to stow something smaller in them there are compression straps

The mesh front panel pocket is slick you can access an extra layer quickly or store wet raingear without worrying about wet-ting the inner contents There are even a couple of drain holes that could double as a lash attachment or blinker light

An external hydration sleeve allows access to a water bladder without opening the pack ndash very convenient You can route your hose through bungees on either shoulder strap the left one has a pocket for stashing the bite valve and tube I use this external sleeve to store my foldable splint too

The comfortable moulded hip belt has a zippered pocket on each side for sunscreen lip balm a few snacks compass and your inReach device

Image wwwospreypackscom

FeaturesI wasnrsquot sure how much Irsquod use the hiking pole attachment system but I found it really useful on alpine approaches when encountering 3rd and 4th class terrain Normally Irsquod slide my pole(s) horizontally between my back and the back panel but they stick out the sides mak-ing chimneys annoying and the poles easily shift Instead I found stowing them quick easy and secure using the vertical Stow-On-The-Go system Once Irsquod returned to lower class terrain it was quick and easy to pull out the pole again to continue

Just like the the Kamber 42 I used last spring (reviewed in the Summer 2016 issue of The Arecircte) the bottom ice axe loops (2) are just simple webbing Theyrsquore quite long and tools flop around a lot on these so I twist them before clipping in the shaft When not in use you can tuck them away out of sight to create a clean profile

A nitpicky point but Irsquod prefer to see the over the top compression strap (under the lid) sewn to the opposite (back side) of the pack I rarely use this strap on a hiking pack so it constantly falls and hangs onto the outside of the pack unless buckled

I never encountered heavy rain but in light showers the fabric was water resistant enough But with all of the seams I would want a rain cover for real precip Unfortu-nately there isnrsquot a built-in rain cover but Osprey makes one to fit

Of course this pack isnrsquot made for climb-ing so loading it up with a rope and a rack isnrsquot really a fair test However it did allow me to realise that heavy loads are not its forteacute There isnrsquot enough suspension to effectively transfer the load to your hips Also the hip belt is bulky and wide so it needs to be folded back-wards for wearing with a harness The light-weight material wouldnrsquot withstand tonnes of abrasive abuse But this isnrsquot a climbing pack so probably not best to use it for that

ConclusionAs usual Osprey has thought through every detail on the Talon 33 pack Itrsquos easily one of the best hiking packs Irsquove worn and Irsquom looking forward to many more days in the mountains with it

Osprey is available on Pro Purchase to all active ACMG mem-bers We work with the Canadian distributor so all pricing is in CAD and shipped from their Canadian warehouse As always ordering and pricing details are found on the Pro Purchase page of the ACMG member site

Outdoor Research is a proud supporter of the ACMG

SARAH HUENIKEN AT HOME ON ICE AT JOHNSTON CANYON BANFF NATIONAL PARK | PHOTO BY JOHN PRICE

OR_ACMG Ad_Full_052616indd 1 53116 1154 AMKen Beacutelanger is an ACMG Ski and Hiking Guide and the ACMG Partnership Coordinator with a base in Canmore and outdoor of-fices all over the world


Julbo Aero (Zebra Light Photochromic) ReviewBy Jeff MacPherson

OverviewDesigned for fans of intense effort such as vertical kilometer racing Aero is uncompromising when it comes to performance and comfort The photochromic lens guarantees a wide obsta-cle-free field of vision regardless of light levels The suspended construction adds outstanding ventilation by encouraging air to pass between the lens and the frame Last but not least the Air Link concept and its shock absorber insert at the end of the temples offers even better grip and lightness

CommentsFirst I would like to thank Julbo for their support of the ACMG and its members I have had the opportunity to wear a few pairs of Julbo glasses over the years and I have been happy with every pair After testing the Aero sunglasses with Zebra light pho-tochromic lenses I feel that the overall performance its quite good The one thing to note is that this lens is not suited to all conditions you will need to have a few options depending on the lighting

Function PerformanceThe fit seems to be pretty generic in that it should fit most faces The Aero glasses are super lightweight and have a nice soft nose piece along with soft grippy arms so they do not move at all dur-ing any activity I would call this a performance fit I found with this great fit there was enough space to let the air flow through limiting fogging but still providing maximum protection for the

eyes I did get some fogging on a damp cold day when I slowed down to recover after hammering up a hill but other than that they have been good and never fogged during activity

LensThe Zebra Light Photochromic was the lens in the sunglasses that I tested I was amazed by how well they worked in a variety of conditions I fell in love with the lens during my first moun-tain bike ride in the trees I never had to take my glasses off This was the first time ever that I was able to wear sunglasses throughout an entire ride

I personally found the lens adequate in most light even brighter days but I think people with sensitive eyes would not find them dark enough I never had a chance to test these lenses out on the snow but I am sure they would only work in flat light

One con would be the durability of the lens I do have some scratches already after about two months I think the fact that they are such a light lens with a reflective coating means the scratches show up easily However these scratches did not affect my vision

OverallI would recommend these glasses for any activity

Jeff MacPherson is an ACMG Ski Guide Apprentice Rock Guide and Day Hiking Guide living in Canmore AB

Photo Jeff MacPherson

Technical

BlackDiamondEquipmentcom

The Sharp End Shell Constructed with lightweight and durable GORE-TEXreg Pro for waterproof breathable protection

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is a premier provider of mountaineering ice climbing rock climbing backcountry skiing avalanche training and trekking experiences in the Canadian Rockies For nearly 40 years we have hosted clients from Canada and all over the world As one of Canadarsquos best mountain schools and mountain guide companies we run trips programs and courses from beginner to expert level

Current positions are available for Cross Country Ski Instructors to deliver 5 day training courses Courses run starting Mid-January through early April and will be based from Canmore Interested candidates require a minimum of CANSI level 2 CAA Operations level 1 and an 80 hour first aid course

Wage will depend on certification and experience

For more information or to apply please contact guidescheduleyamnuskacom


Member Updates

Diapers and VowsBy Lilla Molnar

Top Kitt amp SethWescott with Kitts son Thoren

Right Micah Loewenstein

Bottom Right Maverick Thumlert

Congratulations to everyonehelliphere are the most recent Diapers and Vows submissions

Apologies for a late submission for Larry Dolecki (Mountain Guide) and his wife Mette who had their third little one in the spring Annika Hoegh Dolecki was born on April 26th

Will Woods (Hiking Guide) and his wife Allison had their first child Henry Woods in April

Dani Loewenstein (Mountain Guide) and his wife Kristen had their little guy Micah on May 17th They just wrapped up their first trip abroad surfing in Nicaragua

Eric Ostopkevich (Mountain Guide) and his partner Nancy had their baby girl Ivy in June

Scott Thumlert (Ski Guide) and his wife Violet had a second little family addition Maverick was born on September 13th

Kitt Wescott (Ski Guide previously Kitt Redhead) was mar-ried to Seth Wescott on October 2nd in the US state of Maine Kittrsquos son Thoren was the ring bearer on their magical day They are all now living in Whistler BC

Lee Johnston (Ski Guide) and his wife Monika added a little baby girl to their family Neveacute Oriah Johnston was born at their home in Nelson BC on Oct 9th Both Monika and Neveacute are perfectly healthy and happy and ready for some adventures

Roddy McGowan (Mountain Guide) did not fill his diaper at the ACMG general meeting but on October 16th he celebrat-ed his 17th year wedding anniversary with Saint Keiko Suzuki It is a CMH intro to Heliskiing Romance and a modern miracle

Diapers and Vows is a regular column brought to you by Canmore AB Mountain Guide Lilla Molnar

Mountain GuideAnthon-Malone ToddBoard Merrie-BethCaswell MichaelGeary AlexMitchell JeffPhillips Brent

Apprentice Alpine GuideBoschman Cory SG ARGBouliane Jesse ARGFlick Dean RGHerbison Mark ASG ARGJohnston Monte ASG ARG

Apprentice Rock GuideDe Panicis DrewDemyen Carla SGGraham Lorne ASGHoke Jonas SGLatimer Forest ASGMacfarlane RuariMaguire Daire HGNixon BrentRoderick TuckerSanchez RobertoSchalles Brad ASGTaborszky Sebastian

Hiking GuideBastien Renee-ClaudeBergeron NicholasBernas Igor SGBlake MikeBleau Francois-XavierEaton-Loken DerekKerr ValerieKirouac EricLebitka PeterLeBlanc Jean-PhilippeLevesque ClaireLiang KaiNodding JennaWeiss Nathan

Assistant Hiking GuideBaker LynneaBennett KyleBrazier MichelleChrystie HeatherCossette Marc

Drotar NathalieDumas LaurieGoulet-Boucher AmelieGray JamesGroeneveld EricHicks KendraKroesen LauraKurihara JunkoKusnierz PeterLemphers RyanMcLellan Cameron SGNadeau JocelynNearingburg BenNowatschin Christine (Tina)Olfert CourtneyPatterson MattPaule MichaelaPhipps MarkReimer RachelSemborski Robert (Bob)Vanderkam MarkWilliams Valerie

Climbing Gym Instructor 1Ho Raymond

Climbing Gym Instructor 2Cuthbert KoriFerri RebeccaLilley SaraWohlers BrendanAbbott McGregor (Mac)Furlotte Eric

Top Rope Climbing InstructorPitura FreyaHolland AvilaPoirier LeahRieberger RyanVenn KevinWallis LindseyRaurell AlejandroBrophy Mark CGI 1Foulger GeoffreyFriesen JakeLew Pei YinMaly JiriOrr DougProvost TrevorYun Heesu

Changes in ACMG Membership1 June to 30 November 2016 Compiled by Member Services

Joined ACMG for the first time (not through course during above period)Mintsev Grigory SGBanwell Damian ASGCunningham Dylan ASGInman Greg ASGRobbins Hayden ASGSigurjonsson Gardar ASGTracz David ASGBertram Katie CGI 1Bransfield Tyler CGI 1Chan Lucas CGI 1Dufresne Daniel CGI 1Gabayet Jorge CGI 1Grinde Aidan CGI 1Harden Gaye CGI 1Hemsworth Chloe CGI 1Herman Jan CGI 1Hroza Libor CGI 1Jensen Kye CGI 1Kim Bong Hyun CGI 1Kudelka John CGI 1MacPherson Scott CGI 1McKay Kristine CGI 1Pidgeon Thomasina CGI 1Rigsby Willow CGI 1Robinson Jenna CGI 1Shannon Melissa CGI 1Sigurdson Solvin CGI 1Swart Jessica CGI 1Systad Christopher CGI 1Van Weelden Carmen CGI 1Vanderpyl Daniel CGI 1Vielfaure Sofie CGI 1White Ryan CGI 1Willison Rick CGI 1

Reinstated to the ACMGKemkes Ben ASGTuffin Josh CGI 1Steinbrenner Cole TRCI

Resigned from the ACMGGreico Joel CGI 1Frid Teige CGI 1Caputa Peter AHG

The following list of changes in the ACMG membership includes new members and their certification level as well as qualifications achieved by ACMG members dur-ing this specific time period Due to Thompson Rivers University privacy concerns it is not a list of all candidates who have been successful on CMSG-TRU training programs nor is it necessarily a complete list of ACMG member qualifications Always check wwwacmgca for up-to-date current status Please do not hesitate to contact acmgacmgca if you have any queries or if there are any errors omissions or you have been missed Italicized names indicate new ACMG members


ACMG Contact Information

Board of Directors - Officers of the BoardVice-PresidentRoss Berg Director West CoastSquamish BC vpacmgca

President Marc LedwidgeHarvie Heights ABpresacmgca

Secretary-TreasurerKevin Dumba Director at Large PublicCalgary ABstacmgca

Board of Directors - Elected Directors

ACMG Administrative SupportThe Administrative Support Group led by the Executive Director is responsible for matters relating to membership member services accounting IT sponsorship and promotions The ED reports to the President

ACMG CommitteesCommittees are groups of volunteers who assist the Board of Directors and Executive Director with some operational work and decicion making for the Association As a member-driven organization with limited resources the ACMG looks to its committees for insight and energy Board members typically but not necessarily chair each committee and the President and Executive Director are ex officio members of all committees If you would like to join one of the committees please contact the President presacmgca

Director Specialty GuidesDerek Wilding Calgary AB derekiwildinggmailcom

Director RockiesJordy ShepherdCanmore AB jordypeakalpinecom

Director Apprentice GuidesMadeleine Martin-PreneyRevelstoke BCmadoalpinegmailcom

Director InteriorKirsten KnechtelGolden BCkirstenknechtelgmailcom

Director Climbing InstructorsScott McKay Canmore AB scottmckayshawca

Director Eastern CanadaPhilippe Gautier Montreal QCeophilgmailcom

Director Hiking GuidesChris KaipioWhistler BC adventurezoneemailcom

Director at Large PublicRick CowburnCalgary AB rcowburnvidyaca

CommunicationsKimanda JarzebiakAscent Public AffairsVictoria BC

FinanceJohn GillettCanmore AB

LegalG W Kent ScarboroughScarborough Herman BluekensNew Westminster BC

Executive DirectorPeter TuckerBragg Creek ABedacmgca

Editor-in-ChiefShaun KingCanmore ABnewsacmgca

Permit Manager Assistant to EDJanet MillerCanmore ABpermitsacmgca

Web Graphics and IT CoordinatorChris MillerCanmore ABwebmasteracmgca

AwardsChair Chris Miller -awards_commacmgca Brad White

Climbing InstructorChair Scott McKay -scottmckayshawcaChris AdshadeJustin DwyerKimanda JarzebiakLloyd KingSebastian PowellDerek Wilding

CommunicationsChair Lisa Porter - lisalouihotmailcom Emily GradyPaddy JeromeJeremy MackenzieOlivia SoferIan Tomm

Conduct ReviewChair Rod Gibbons - conductacmgca Committee members added as necessary Pool includesCaroline Marion (public)Paul BerntsenBarry BlanchardGillian Calder (public)Nathan DahlGeorge FieldNeil Haggard (public)Jeremy MackenzieDave StarkLarry StanierLeslie Taylor (public)Marni Virtue (public)Rupert Wedgwood

GovernanceChair Rick Cowburn - rcowburnvidyacaSteve Blagbrough

Pierre HungrKent Scarborough (legal advisor)Paul Vidalin

MCRInformalexChair Larry Stanier -laristantelusnet Steve HolecziSarah HuenikenConrad JanzenTom Wolfe

Membership ServicesChair Ben Firth - benfirthmountain-solutionsnetChristoph DietzfelbingerJorg WilzDerek HoltvedJanet MillerMike Welch

Professional Practices Chair Nathan Dahl - pro-practicesacmgcaJames BlenchAlison CardinalBrent GoodmanSteve HolecziMatt PeterVeronika Vackova

ScholarshipChair Derek Wilding - scholarshipsacmgcaJason BillingJordy ShepherdSharon Wood

TechnicalTechnical Director Marc Picheacute - tdacmgcaJames BlenchDwayne CongdonTodd Guyn

Partnership CoordinatorKen BeacutelangerCanmore AB partnershipacmgca

Member Services ManagerLaura YoungCanmore ABacmgacmgca

Board Advisors

Director at Large Member MG Cecelia MortensonRevelstoke BC ceceliamortensongmailcom

Director at Large Member MGJames Madden Canmore AB madden_jcyahoocom

Administrative AssistantElaine Powers Rossland BC elaineacmgca

The Arecircte NewsletterThe Arecircte is a semi-annual publication focusing on the relevant technical and political issues and member news for the professions of mountain guiding hiking guiding and climbing instruction

Subject to change for current information see wwwacmgca gt Contacts

Technical DirectorMarc PicheacuteCanmore ABtdacmgca

The TD chairs the Technical Committee oversees all matters relating to technical standards and reports to the President

Continuing Professional Development CPD CoordinatorAlison DakinGolden BCcpdacmgca

Organizational ContractorsThe ACMG has a variety of independent contractors who fulfill the required administra-tive functions of the association

Kirk MauthnerCraig McGeeHelen Sovdat

Incident InvestigationChair Mark Klassen - qa_commacmgcaTroy KirwanBen FirthKent Scarborough (Legal Advisor)Larry StanierIan TommBrad White

PUBLICATION ACMG Print PDFSIZE 75rdquow x 95rdquoh BLEED NA SAFE NACOLOURS CMYK

P1MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT CO-OP 1077 GREAT NORTHERN WAY VANCOUVER BC V5T 1E1 604 707 3300

PROOF DOCKET 16_SPCI_0018PROJECT ACMG adCLIENT CampM Jaime Jacquard-Sowa PROOF DATE October 28 2016 1050 AM

ITEM PRINT AD ACMG Print PDF (back cover)IMAGE _MG_7710jpg _MG_7159JPGDESIGNER Fiona fi onachengmeccaFILE NAME 16_SPCI_0018_ACMG Print Ad_75x95_FAindd

ACMG Print PDF included into email version of publication

D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED

In April 2016 Madeleine Martin-Preney Stephen Senecal Douglas Noblet Sam McKoy and Mark Grist became the first team to ski traverse the entire Canadian Selkirk Range 16 months of prep 8 food caches 520km and more than 30 self-propelled days resulted in a new Canadian expedition benchmark

By supporting innovative outdoor exploits across Canada and around the world MEC Expedition Support helps Canadians turn ambitious goals into inspiring realities

Want to know more meccaexpeditions

56 Winter 2017The Arecircte

PartnersThe following companies contribute financial support to the ACMG and its membership at the highest level We would like to thank these outstanding companies for their excellent support and their commitment to professional guiding in Canada

The Arecircte is printed on 100 recycled FSC paper paper using vegetable based inks and Digital Print On Demand technologies that minimize chemical use and overall waste Please be responsible and recycle after reading

Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


For ski alpinists a boot that climbs as well as it skis Precise climbing agilityand elite ski performance in the same boot The new Procline Carbon Lite boot

CLIMBSKI

Proud Partner

The ArecircteldquoMountains are the cathedrals where I practice my religionrdquo

- Anatoli Boukreev

Editor-in-Chief Shaun King

Editorial Consultants Mary Clayton Peter Tucker Marc Picheacute

Editorial PolicyThe Arecircte attempts to print every submission believed to

be of interest to the ACMG membership including items that challenge the Association to examine its actions or direction Ar-ticles containing insulting or defamatory sections will be edited or not published at all Technical articles are subject to review by the Technical Committee

Article submissions and advertising informationSubmission guidelines outlined on the ACMG members website

Submit articles and ads to newsacmgca

Cover photo Nearing the summit of Icefall Peak in the Canadian Rockies Photo Larry Dolecki

MOUNTAIN

EYEWEARPERFORMANCE

ContentsEditorialPresidentrsquos Perspective 4Tucker Talk 4

NewsCanadian Mountain amp Ski Guide Program Update 6Technical Directorrsquos Report 10Reviewing Conduct Review 12Professional Practices Committee Report 14Bylaw Changes 14Not Receiving ACMG Emails 15ACMG Partnership Program Update 16Continuing Professional Development Report 14ACMG Scholarship News 18

Spotlight on ACMG MembersACMG Member Profile - Madeleine Martin-Preney 20New Mountain Guides Honourary Members andDistinguished Service Awards 22

FeaturesSki Guiding in The North 26The Land of Fire and Ice - Ski Touring in Russia 28A Hiking Traverse through the Dolomites of Italy 32Ottalies Adventure 36Rescue at Cherry Bowl 40

Near MissAvalanche - Simpson Control Paths Kootenay Park 42Climbing - Mount Aberdeen Banff Park 45

TechnicalArcteryx Procline amp G3 Findr 102 Reviews 46Osprey Talon 33 Pack Review 48Julbo Aero Sunglass Review 50

Member UpdatesDiapers and Vows 52Changes in ACMG Membership 53ACMG Officers Directors Advisors Staff and Committees 54





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By Dwayne Congdon
















STEPOUTSIDE


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Features










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Features


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START YOUR JOURNEY


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Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca





Editorial




















News















report to the ACMG

























Total 275 (ytd) 275 235




By Dwayne Congdon
















STEPOUTSIDE


EXCEED EXPECTATIONS


News























News



























place for 11 years













































News

















EVENTS

















News
















By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


News















report to the ACMG

























Total 275 (ytd) 275 235




By Dwayne Congdon
















STEPOUTSIDE


EXCEED EXPECTATIONS


News























News



























place for 11 years













































News

















EVENTS

















News
















By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca
















STEPOUTSIDE


EXCEED EXPECTATIONS


News























News



























place for 11 years













































News

















EVENTS

















News
















By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


News























News



























place for 11 years













































News

















EVENTS

















News
















By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


News



























place for 11 years













































News

















EVENTS

















News
















By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca













































News

















EVENTS

















News
















By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca



News

















EVENTS

















News
















By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


News
















By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca



By Lenka Stafl











7-14 x 4-38













































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca












































































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca



















































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca














































Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca
























Features










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca










Photo SRomanenkov








inReach



CONNECTED



Features


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


Features






















Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca





Jacket


































Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca






























Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca







Features











Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


Features












START YOUR JOURNEY


Phot

o M

ark

Fis

her

Fis

her

Cre

ativ

eA

thle

te

Cod

y B

arnhill


RADICAL2




Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


Near Miss
























adidascomeyewear


ANYTHING












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca












dmmclimbingcom

Chrisdmmwalescom












Near Miss


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


Technical


By Marc Picheacute





















Natural PerformaNce





Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


Technical



































Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca













Technical








Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca


Member Updates

































































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca





































Board Advisors

















D

oug

las No

blet

GETFUNDED







Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca




Logan

Robson

Columbia

Assiniboine

Athabasca

Documents

The Arête - Association of Canadian Mountain Guides · a non-punitive way so as to provide learning opportunities and transparency with what we do as guides. This strategy must re-spect