Section Profile: The Columbia Mountains Section
By Ben Wilkey, founding member Alpine Club of Canada, Columbia Mountains Section
[A detailed version of this club report first appeared in print in the October/November 2019 issue of Revelstoke Mountaineer Magazine.]
A solid day out ski touring in Rogers Pass. Asulkan Pass in the background. Photo by Nate Jones.
The Columbia Mountains Section reflects on one year under their climbing belts
An ambitious idea was hatched in October of 2018, when a handful of Revelstoke mountain locals got together and formed the 24th section of The Alpine Club of Canada. In a matter of weeks the ACC Columbia Mountains Section was official.
The Columbia Mountains include the Monashee, Selkirk, Purcell and Cariboo mountain ranges. This new section has filled a long-standing gap in the otherwise extensive network of ACC sections across the country. It’s a bit ironic that it took this many years for us to join the club, since, after all, Glacier House in Rogers Pass was the birthplace of North American Mountaineering over a hundred years ago.
Now one year after its inception, the section is really picking up momentum, with 230 affiliated members, and counting.
In its first year the section organized numerous mountain courses and volunteer-led trips including beginner to advanced mountaineering courses and women’s specific rock climbing and ski touring trips.
Unique to all but a couple of the ACC sections, the section volunteers also established a youth program targeted at kids aged 6-12. Youth from the local area took part in rock climbing, hiking, backpacking and mountain climbing excursions. The trip leaders were almost as stoked as the kids, who got to tick off their first Selkirk summit, McCrae Peak.
Also a little different, and probably a little unique to the Columbia Mountains Section, we are pleased to announce that the section will be taking on a stewardship role for many of the surrounding hiking trails, beginning this summer. Partnership agreements will be in place with the provincial government that will allow the section to maintain and upgrade the local trail network through grant funding and volunteer work parties, bringing the trails up to a standard that will sustain the increased use these trails are now seeing.
In the first week of August 2019, our section President Karla Kuharic and I had the privilege of attending the ACC General Mountaineering Camp (GMC) in the Westfall Group of the Selkirk Mountains. It was the 113th consecutive year of the GMC. We attended the coveted Summer Leadership Course presented by The North Face, which is designed to give active section leaders the opportunity to develop and practice sound mountain leadership skills. The course was in part subsidized by the National ACC organization. We would also like to recognize the support we received from the Columbia Basin Trust through their Basin PLAYS program.
With the section’s first full year behind us, we can reflect and recognize how much we have accomplished. At the section’s core, the board of directors is still just a small group of local mountain enthusiasts. We know the importance of getting people outside, of helping locals to discover their own backyard in a safe environment. Spending time in these mountains develops an appreciation and respect for our wilderness that stays with a person for life. It gives us a sense of ownership, and ultimately, the obligation to stand up for these places when they are threatened by industry and development. If not us, then who?
Ben Wilkey
Born and raised in Revelstoke Ben has been gifted inspiration among the Columbia Mountains for a very long time. Despite having lived in Revelstoke most of his life he can still find true excitement adventuring within his home mountain ranges. Climbing, skiing, hiking and biking have always been the focus. He now shares these passions with his two sons.
Inspired? Get involved with your local section!
We invite all national ACC members to get more involved with their local sections. Are you new to town and feeling motivated to meet mountain people? Are you good with social media, writing grant proposals, or have an interest in becoming a volunteer trip leader to help build your guiding resume? Do you like working with youth outdoors or are you interested in grassroots environmental activism to help protect our mountains? If you possess any of these skills and interest, most sections are always looking for volunteer help.
