Conrad Kain – Revisited

Pat Morrow – the amazing story of climbing legend Conrad Kain

Photographer/mountaineer, Pat Morrow, author of Beyond Everest, Quest for the Seven Summits, has been “preaching the word of Kain” since he became the president of the Conrad Kain Society 15 years ago. The society was created to keep the legacy of Austrian mountain guide Conrad Kain’s contribution to Canadian mountain climbing alive. Kain was the first alpine guide hired by the Alpine Club of Canada and emigrated from the Austrian Alps in 1909.

In 2009, the third edition of Kain’s handsomely illustrated bio-book, “Where the Clouds Can Go” was printed with a new foreword by Morrow who had read the book as a teen. He say he feels that the book helped him shape his worldview in terms of his approach to the mountains and mountain climbing. “There’s also an intriguing historical component to the stories about pioneer life in the Purcells and Rockies over a century ago” he said. The book sold out several years ago, and Morrow has been working with its publisher Rocky Mountain Books, the ACC and the office of the Austrian Consulate to Canada. Where the Clouds Can Go will be published as a reprint, available this spring.

The Kain Society has organized many events over the years, and taken upwards of 120 teens from the Rocky Mountain Trench on a 3-day introductory climbing program to get their hands on the Bugaboo rock that Kain and his guests explored beginning in 1916.

Check out www.conradkain.com for an in-depth overview of legendary mountaineer, Conrad Kain, and the society’s events.

Pat & Baiba Morrow
www.patmorrow.com

4 Bad Ass Women

Conquering Mountains and Barriers

On March 8, Christina Lustenberger and her frequent expedition partner Andrew McNab, climbed and skied a technical 45-degree couloir on the southwest face of Mount Niflheim in the Monashee Mountains.

Lustenberger is an ex-World Cup alpine racer from Invermere-turned-ski guide and bad ass big mountain skier. For the past several years Lusti, as she is known, has been ticking off a list of striking first ski descents, from the mountains of Western Canada to the remote granite spires of Baffin Island.

She is one of the women carrying on a tradition of female badassery in the mountains of Canada that is worth noting. And she’s doing it with, what you might call, typical Canadian understatement. Of her recent foray with McNab, she posted simply on social media, “Niflheim. Where the bad people go.”

Bad, as in “good” bad.

Georgia Engelhard belonged to a vanguard of affluent Americans who found their mountain bliss in Canada. She was also a pioneering alpinist who helped blaze a path for women on the sharp end of the rope.

The Manhattan-born adventurer visited the European Alps as a teen with her family and climbed Mount Rainier with her dad in 1926. On a trip to the Canadian Rockies that same year, she ascended Pinnacle Mountain above Larch Valley with guide Edward Feuz Jr. The Rockies was her summer home away from home for 15 of the following 25 summers. In 1929 she climbed nine classic peaks, including a traverse of Hado Peak and Mount Aberdeen. In 1931 she summitted 38 peaks, a tour de force summer that included nine trips up Mount Victoria for a 1932 Parks Canada-sponsored film called She Climbs to Conquer.

In addition to mountains, Engelhard conquered gender-defined rules. She thumbed her nose at the Victorian-era conventions of the day demanding women wear ankle-length skirts in the mountains and became one of the first female alpinists to wear wool pants like her male rope mates. A century later, it seems like a ridiculous notion, but at the time it would have taken some courage on behalf of Engelhard to withstand the withering looks of her stuffy critics.

She is but one of many women to break barriers in the mountains. Diny Harrison is among them. She broke a barrier without giving it too much thought when in 1992 she became the first internationally certified female mountain guide in Canada.

At the time Harrison was too immersed in the rigour of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides examination regime to ponder the significance of a woman dancing onto the stage of a then very male dominated show. To her it was simply the pursuit of a passion for mountains that was kindled in her teens. When she was 14, Harrison traveled west from her native Toronto for a 10-day adventure at High Horizons, a mountaineering skills camp started by legendary guide Bernie Schiesser. This experience prompted a move west.

Prior to diving into the mountain guiding life, she worked on the ski patrol at Lake Louise and was an avid backcountry skier. The idea of choosing her lines and “always skiing first” appealed to her. Friends encouraged her to knuckle down and focus on becoming a ski guide. She was used to hanging with the boys, comfortable in an outdoor locker room environment overflowing with testosterone. An energetic, engaging and assertive-as-needed personality  served her well.

After earning her guide stripes in ’92 she embarked on a 17-year career with Canadian Mountain Holidays, eventually becoming assistant manager at CMH Revelstoke. She also guided summers with CMH, Yamnuska Mountain School, Banff National Army Cadet School as well as internationally with a number of guiding outfits, while also honing her linguistic chops becoming fluent in French, German and Italian.   

Alison Criscitiello, who heads up the University of Alberta’s Ice Core Lab, is another pioneer. Not only is she a world leading scientist in the traditionally male-dominated field of glaciology, she‘s also a bad ass mountaineer whose career blends her profession with a passion for adventure.

There are so many women who have smashed gender stereotypes in the mountains and inspired others to do the same, that it seems unfair to single out just a few for mention. Climbing mountains can strip life down to its simple essentials. Assess the conditions, weigh the risk against the reward, make decisions, and move – or not. Why shouldn’t mountains also strip life of its artificial barriers?

Written by Andrew Findlay – @afindlayjournalist

The Rewind – Nourishing Nature

Welcome to our series, “The Rewind”, where we share some of our older, most-loved community content–because great stories deserve a second telling! In our latest edition of The Rewind, we’re revisiting how important it is to get out into nature, both for your mental and physical health, a blog originally posted in January, 2021.

Tuning Into the Natural World to Get Present

It’s the beginning of a new year, though perhaps with little reprieve, as much of the uncertainty of last year has carried over like a long lingering haze.

For many, the current global events have taken a toll on mental health, as we continue to follow provincial health authorities’ directives to reduce both travel and social interactions. As it turns out, an antidote to the stress and mental unrest is to spend at least two hours per week in nature. Research has shown that time spent connecting to nature can have a powerful impact on improving our mental health.

While restrictions are causing us to stay close to home, you don’t need to go far to get into nature. For the adventurers that yearn to explore this season, there are still ways to get outside and explore safely within your own community. Perhaps you’ll even develop a deeper appreciation for the environment that exists right outside your door.

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a walk in your local community. To double the impact and truly tune into the natural world, try this simple exercise using your five senses to come to presence and connect with the magnificence of nature. All it takes is an open mind and a willingness to slow down and come to presence.

Begin with identifying five things you can see in your surroundings. Maybe you notice the deep blue shade of sky on a bluebird day and the soft pillows of fresh white snow atop drooping cedar branches. Or if you’re closer to the coast, perhaps you instead take in the plump raindrops that cling to the needles of a Douglas-fir.

Next, pinpoint four things you can hear. You might focus on the natural soundscapes that surround you, like the biophonic sound of birdsong overhead. Or the familiar groans and creaks of ancient trees as the wind passes through their outstretched branches. 

Move on to locating three things you can touch. Take the time to trace your fingertips over the soft and fuzzy moss that blankets the trunk of an old tree, a stark contrast to the sensation of the wonderfully rough and rugged bark beneath your palm.

Then, discern two things you can smell, such as the earthy scent produced by rain falling on dry soil or the wintery scent of pine oils as you rub the bristly needles between your fingertips.

Finally, identify one thing you can taste. Maybe it’s the acidic aftertaste of your morning coffee or if you’re lucky, the tangy taste of a rose hip plucked straight from the bush.

This 5-4-3-2-1 grounding exercise is a powerful tool to calm an anxious mind. Plus, the practice of tuning in and acknowledging the natural setting around you may lead you to rediscovering the beauty in your own backyard.

Our Complete Monashee Traverse

A group of three skiers are attempting to traverse the entire distance of the Monashee Mountains on skis. Over 500km; up to 42 days.

Douglas Noblet, Stephen Senecal and Isobel Phoebus set out from Grand Forks, BC and aim to end their journey over a month later near Valemount, BC. The epic adventure includes planned stops at BLBCA member lodges—Sol Mountain Lodge and Blanket Glacier Chalet.

>>Follow Trip Here<<

Trip Update: Our Complete Monashee Traverse started in Grand Forks on April 1st. We travelled through the Midway Range over 5 days with unsettled spring weather and a healthy dose of forest cutblocks and roads. Caching up on food at Highway 6, two friends Mark and Emily are joining us until Highway 1.
Our highlight thus far, after waiting out rain, was through the Pinnacles and beyond to Sol Mountain Lodge. Cool conditions are lining up for great travel through the Gold Range. Thank you Aaron and Sol Lodge crew for the food cache, showers, sauna, beds, and delicious fresh food! We also appreciate the expedition support and funding from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. 

~Stephen, Isobel, Doug

Sol Mountain Lodge: The crew arrived in good time and good spirits on the sunny afternoon of April 11th. Showered, apresed, G&T’s, saunaed, ate more, drank, slept.

They left the the lodge the morning of April 12 with full bellies and full packs under clear skies at -12 with perfect travel conditions for traversing north through the Gold Range. Our son Seth, staff Jette, and friend Max joined them for the part of the day to Ledge Creek. They seem to be a good team all getting along well. 

~Aaron

Blanket Glacier Chalet – Stay tuned for updates as they make their way!

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Continue to check this post for more updates from this exciting adventure!

Enter our Epic BMFF Contest!

We’re celebrating the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival with Our Biggest Contest Yet!

The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival is underway and we’re thrilled to be a part of it again this year. These nine days are filled with awe-inspiring and evocative films and stories of adventure and exploration from around the world.

We’re honoured to once again sponsor the Best Short Mountain Film Award this year, which our very own Lynea Neilsen will be virtually presenting at the Awards Presentation on November 4.  Be sure to check out the Banff Centre’s website for the full list of winning films following the Awards Presentation, including the award we were excited to present.

Along with sponsoring and presenting the Best Short Mountain Film Award, we’re also a part of the Festival Marketplace, which features the latest and greatest from the BLBCA and other Festival Partners. If you haven’t already, come check out our virtual booth here.

And now onto the big news… We might even call it “mountain-sized” news…

We’re hosting an EPIC photo and video contest throughout the Banff Mountain Film Festival giving you and a friend the chance to win a one-week stay at your choice of any of our 32 BLBCA member lodges!

Imagine seven days of backcountry adventure, beautiful landscapes, unspoiled alpine views, home comforts, legendary cuisine, and likeminded souls. With 32 BLBCA member lodges to choose from, there is no shortage of idyllic hideaways for this getaway. Our member lodges are nestled deep within the four major mountain ranges across British Columbia: The Rockies, Columbia Mountains, Cariboo Chilcotins, and Coast Range, meaning you can experience some of the most pristine, untouched mountains in North America.

This contest is open to BLBCA Affiliate Members only. If you’re not already a member, you can purchase an Affiliate Membership directly on the contest page, then submit a photo or video from one of the three contest categories for your chance to win this epic backcountry trip to a BLBCA Member Lodge next summer.

What are you waiting for?! Head over to the contest and enter today; we can’t wait to see your submissions!

Dreaming a Life

Dreaming a Life, Boulder Hut.

Against much good, solid advice we said, “Why not?” And the choice to follow a dream and not good advice has defined our lives ever since.

It’s Why We Do This

Gain insight into the story of Canadian Adventure Company in this great look at Mallard Mountain Lodge.

The History of Assiniboine

Assiniboine is a place of soaring glacier clad peaks, alpine meadows, powder snow, turquoise lakes and remote wilderness. For generations the area was the center of trade routes and often battles among indigenous peoples.

Happy Anniversary Whitecap

Whitecap Alpine is celebrating a diamond anniversary!

Below is snippet from their look back on 10 great years:

“2005 was the birth of Whitecap. Oh, we had run commercial trips since the lodge was built in 1972, but this was the first season we ran (or attempted) to run back to back trips the entire winter.

Summer At Sorcerer Lodge

Summer is in full swing and the folks at Sorcerer Lodge are taking full advantage of the breathtakingly rugged Selkirk Mountains.

If you’re a strong mountaineer or hiker looking for a unique lodge-based adventure this is the place for you.