Alpine Club starts up in Smithers in northern BC Canada

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High Climbers

by Jim Easterday

Have you ever wondered what it's like to stand on the highest peak or scale a rock wall? You are in luck. A new chapter of the Alpine Club of Canada has started in Smithers and now you have a chance to climb ice or sheer rock to the top, all with the help of very experienced mountaineers.

What is the difference between a hiker and a mountaineer from the Alpine Club? A hiker is ready for all types of weather and prepared for a long walk, but the mountaineer may wear a hard helmet to protect from rock falls, carry an ice axe to chop steps in snow and use climbing rope to keep companions from falling.

Scrambling up rock on the way to Brian Boru peak
(all photos courtesy of the Alpine Club)

Mountaineers will tackle rock and ice steep enough to discourage a hiker. They have the technical skills to avoid falls and injuries, and they have the strength for long steep climbs and the stamina to get back down.

To give you examples, the Alpine Club sponsored a four-day trip to Brian Boru peak this last summer and another long eleven-day trip from Mt Edziza to Telegraph Creek. Another trip was scheduled to Terrace for rock climbing.

Ice climbing

Next summer, plans include an assault on Howson Mountain west of Telkwa and an attempt on the highest peak in Seven Sisters Provincial Park.

Another trip is planned from the Glacier Gulch trail up across Hudson Bay Glacier and straight up the rock face at the top of the glacier to the South Peak of Hudson Bay Mountain.

Do you fit in? The Club permits non-members to join two trips before becoming a member but you must have the skills necessary. Each trip is different. One trip may require training in crossing glaciers and crevasses. Another may require rope handling on steep rock. You may qualify for one trip and not another.






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