Avalanche Echoes 1Vancouver Section website: www.aebc.com/acc

National Club website: www.alpineclubofcanada.ca

Avalanche EchoesAvalanche EchoesAvalanche EchoesAvalanche EchoesAvalanche EchoesAlpine Club of Canada - VAlpine Club of Canada - VAlpine Club of Canada - VAlpine Club of Canada - VAlpine Club of Canada - Vancouver Section Newsancouver Section Newsancouver Section Newsancouver Section Newsancouver Section News

VOL. 81 NO.7 SEPTEMBER 2005

Next Meeting

Tuesday, September 27, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.Floral Hall, Van Dusen Gardens, West 37th & Oak Street, Vancouver“High Altitude Medicine: Focus on Prevention”. by Michael Koehle, MD

Dr. Koehle is a sports medicine physician at the Allan McGavin Medicine Centre at UBC. Hehas a special interest in high altitude medicine and physiology, and conducts research at UBCin these areas. He also studies diving physiology. He has worked for the Himalayan RescueAssociation in Nepal on two medical and research missions, and enjoys outdoor sports. Thistalk and slide show will look at acute mountain sickness, high-altitude pulmonary oedema,and cerebral oedema, treatment and prevention.

Rescue in Nepal, by Michael Koehle.

Avalanche Echoes 2

THE AVALANCHE ECHOESis published nine times peryear by the Alpine Club ofCanada, Vancouver Section.

EDITORS:Helen Habgood 604-984-6842hhabgood@chartwell-consultants.com

Gerard Cheong 604-669-6556gerard.cheong@shaw.ca

This newsletter is the official publicationof the Alpine Club of Canada, VancouverSection. It keeps members informed ontopics of interest to mountaineers includ-ing activities within the club, equipment,techniques, access, and environmentalissues.

The club meets monthly, usually for aslide presentation, at the Floral Hall inVan Dusen Gardens, W 37th and Oak St.,at 7:30 pm on the fourth Tuesday of themonth, except in July, August and De-cember.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUESVancouver Section:Single $61.00Family $81.00Junior $34.00 (under 18)

For membership dues, renewals, andchanges of address, and booking huts,contact the ACC national office directly:P.O. Box 8040 Canmore, AB, T1W 2T8,fax 403-678-3224, phone 403-678-3200,ore-mail: alpclub@telusplanet.net, or visitwww.alpineclubofcanada.caSection Website: www.aebc.com/accFor detailed membership form includingupgrades, send SASE to:ACC-Vancouver, c/o FMCBC, P.O. Box19673, Vancouver, BC V5T 4E3; ph: 604-873-6096.

SUBMISSIONSWe encourage submissions of writing,photography, drawings, etc. If possible,articles should be submitted by e-mail(about 500 words). Photos and slides arealways needed (JPG format is prefer-able). Deadline for submissions is the lastday of the previous month.

ADVERTISINGAdvertising in the Avalanche Echoesshall be accepted at the discretion ofthe Editor. All advertising shall be forproducts or services of direct interest toour membership.

EDITORIAL POLICYSuitability for publication is at the editor'sdiscretion within the guidelines of theSection Executive. Articles may be ed-ited for clarity or to fit the available space.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThanks to Chartwell Consultants Ltd. foruse of computer space and printers.

Chair Tony Knight 604-873-2276Secretary Rand ChatterjeeTreasurer Rob Brusse 604-224-0747Membership (Voicemail) vacant 604-878-5272Editors Gerard Cheong 604-669-6556

Helen Habgood 604-984-6842Climbing Coordinators Ian McGillivray 604-988-3618

Mike Thompson 604-534-8863Camps Coordinator Richard Keltie 604-738-4583Skills Development Susan Baldwin 604-872-4562Socials vacantPrograms Susan Higginbottom 604-925-3742Access & Environment Henny Coates 604-732-4613National Rep. Fern Hietkamp 604-872-4290Promotion Jay MacArthur 604-987-1232FMCBC Rep. Richard Keltie 604-738-4583

Special Project Volunteers:Program Assistant Linda Bily 604-222-1577Skills Assistant Zoran Vasic 604-438-9066Jim Haberl Hut Liz Scremin 604-921-2651Sea to Sky Forums Mary Henderson 604-905-9151VOC Rep Antje Wahl 604-739-6057Archivist Irene Goldstone 604-689-8737Quartermaster Rob Brusse 604-224-0747Tantalus Hut Ron Royston 604-687-2711Webmaster Gerard Cheong 604-669-6556Email Administrator Richard Keltie 604-738-4583

accvanem@telus.net

Alpine Club Executive

SEEKING Power and Prestige? Join the club’s executive! The Vancouver Sectionis recruiting for the following positions on the 2005-2006 executive:

MembershipSecretarySocialsAccess and EnvironmentWebmasterCamps CoordinatorCentennial Camp Leader

Contact Richard Keltie (nominating coordinator) for further informationrichardkeltie@telus.net (604) 738-4583You only get out what you put in. If you feel strongly about our Club, then Pleaselend a hand!

2006 THE NORTH FACE / Alpine Club of Canada Winter Leadership CourseThe winter leadership course provides training for the Club’s section trip leaders,with a focus on winter skiing and mountaineering safety. Sponsored by The NorthFace and the ACC, this provides a great opportunity to improve your winterleadership skills. Similar to previous years, this course will be run by top ACMGuides and based at Golden Alpine Holidays Vista Lodge. Vancouver Sectionmembers interested in attending should submit an application to the ACCNational Office, and contact the Section Executive (call Tony Knight 604-873-2276or Rob Brusse 604-224-0747) for a letter of endorsement.

Application Deadline: October 25, 2005Location: Vista LodgeDate: Jan 7 - 14, 2006Cost: To be announced (Last year it was $600 + GST).

For more details, see: http://www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/activities/leadership.html

Announcements

Avalanche Echoes 3

by Paul Baker

It’s funny (in a frustrating kind of way) how you can randomlypick a weekend three months in advance, have almost perfectweather for two months, and then have rain forecast for yourchosen dates. The original plan for the weekend was to makethe long drive out the Hurley River road and climb the North-west Ridge of Mt. Vayu. Unfortunately, it looked like Sundaywas most likely going to be wet as the first low pressure system inweeks made a foray across the south coast. Thinking that fivehours of driving and a three hour approach through bush war-ranted a better forecast, I decided that I needed a backup plan.

Guidebooks, personal knowledge and word of mouth havebeen the traditional sources of information for planning a trip.These days, the word of mouth category has been supplementedby numerous climbing focused websites which provide up todate information on access roads, approaches and route con-ditions. While some argue that having this much information atyour fingertips diminishes the sense of adventure and explora-tion that is an integral part of climbing, my perspective is thatanything which increases the odds of having a successful andsafe trip is a good thing.

In this case, my web browsing led to the East Ridge of TricouniPeak as an objective. I found Tricouni mentioned in recentreports on both the ACMG Mountain Conditions website (http://acmg .ca/mcr/) and CascadeClimbers (http://cascadeclimbers.com/). They indicated that access to the east

Trip Report

AnnouncementsMULTI-MEDIA Mountaineering History Show Nov. 24‘The Ways to the Sky’, by Andy Selters, is a state-of-the-artdigital production with historical mountaineering imagesfrom the 1870s to the present day. This program celebratesthe spirit of mountaineering, from the explorers like JohnMuir and Conrad Kain through the tales of Fred Beckey to themodern über-climbers.Location: Anza ClubDate: 7:30 PM, Thursday November 24, 2005Tickets: to be announced

BEST OF BANFF World Tour returns to Vancouver this year,Dec. 1 - 3, 2005, at the Ridge Theatre, featuring top films ofoutdoor adventure and mountain culture. Stay tuned forfurther details.

COMING UP at club meetings:Tues Oct. 25, 2005John Baldwin: "Beyond the Tahumming: Other alpinetraverses in the Coast Mountains". John will talk about somerecent traverses above Kingcome, Toba and Seymour In-lets.

Tues Nov. 22, 2005Linda Bily: "Climbing on Mount Logan with Rescue at 18,000ft." Linda will share her experience on Mount Logan in May2005, weathering a severe storm on a northern peak at5500m, and the rescue of three North Shore Rescue teammembers on the summit plateau.

Trip ReportMt Vayu - notby Helen Habgood

I’d signed up for Paul Baker’s trip to Mt Vayu (see above), but byWednesday the weekend forecast for Vancouver and areas northdidn’t look too promising. A bit of web-trolling of weather sitessuggested better weather south of the border, so we bailed onPaul and headed for Black Peak, on the east side of the NorthCascades in Washington state. The length of the drive is stillcomparable to Vayu (4 hours) but it’s all highway. The trail startsat the Lake Anne - Rainy Lake picnic area on the North Cas-cades Highway. It is an easy grade and well-maintained toHeather Pass, where a slightly rougher trail continues to LewisLake and Wing Lake. The scenery is fantastic and the blueber-ries were ripe for picking. We camped just above Wing Lakewith a stunning view across the Highway to Cutthroat Peak,Silverstar and the Liberty Bell area. Sunday morning was clearand breezy as we made our way up talus and across the base ofa small glacier (no crampons required) to the base of the jaggednortheast ridge. The first two gendarmes, which look quite im-posing from below, are bypassed on the left. Then we gainedthe ridge proper and followed it to the summit. The climbing ismostly exposed third and fourth class, with one short step ofmaybe 5.7. We could see the stormy weather to the north, andwere glad that we had headed south. Sure enough, we gotrained on during the drive back.

Participants: Ed Fischer, Angela Muellers, Helen Habgood. Au-gust 27-28, 2005

side of Tricouni was very user friendly since the Chance Creekroad was driveable almost to treeline. A visit to the CanadianMountain Encyclopedia (http://bivouac.com/) turned up a tripreport for the East Ridge, which was attractively described as “Agood scrambling route, moderately technical”. After passingthis information onto the group that had signed on for Mt. Vayu,it was agreed to change plans in favour of the shorter drive, easyapproach and reduced chance of rain on Saturday.

As reported, we found that the Chance Creek road was indeeddriveable (with high clearance 4WD) to 1370m. From the roadend, a pleasant and well marked trail led through the forest andmeadows to the lake which is the headwaters for High Fallscreek. From the lake, it was a straightforward approach to theEast Ridge, which was mostly third class, with an exposed (butfun) bit of fourth class just below the summit. An easy descentdown the South Ridge allowed us to drop back into the easternbasin, and seven and a half hours after starting, we were back atthe trailhead having completed a fine day in the mountains.

So, the next time you’re looking for trip ideas, have a look onthe internet to see what other folks have been up to. Most likelyyou will find some useful information to help plan an adven-ture, and after your trip, don’t be afraid to share informationthat you think might be helpful to others.

Trip Participants: Paul Baker, Darlene Anderson, Marilyn Coxand Dan Friedmann. August 27, 2005

Following The Information Highway to Tricouni Peak

Avalanche Echoes 4

The Jim Haberl Hut is neatly perched on a rock rib in theSerratus-Dione Col in the Tantalus Range.

The walls are quickly erected and everyone is pleased with howthe windows frame the view.

Peter Taylor bolts together two wall panels at the kitchen windowand enjoys the fine view of Mount Dione.

Peter Norris and Andre Ike cleverly hoist the glulam roofbeam into place.

The Jim Haberl Hut Committee is pleased to report....

It's been a busy but rewarding summer building the Jim HaberlHut. Committee members have reviewed drawings, orderedmaterials, rented tools, updated the website, coordinated andbriefed dozens of volunteers, booked helicopters, prayed tothe weather gods, and ultimately flown to the site to measure,cut, drill, hammer and fit. What a wonderful experience to seethe hut become reality after so many years! Everyone is pleasedwith the siting and the dramatic views. The structure is soundand the interior will be completed to a high standard. Work willcontinue as long as the weather allows, perhaps into October. Ifyou'd like to help out, check the work schedule on the website(www.jimhaberlfund.org ; follow the links to 'Jim Haberl Hut'

Joe and Sue Baker have reason to be proud... all thewall panels are up! How wonderful to see the form of

the hut emerging

Haberl Hut Constructionand '2005 Schedule') and contact our Volunteer Coordinator,Alastair Foreman (604-904-0509, alastairforeman@shaw.ca).People are having a wonderful time, working side by side, inmemory of Jim.

Avalanche Echoes 5

The pilot for Black Tusk Helicopter idles while the crew preparesfor the lift of the last roof panel.Enjoying a much needed rest, after installing two roof panels with

manpower alone.

Receiving more plywood and lumber by slingload.

Installing the peel and stick membrane on the roof.

For more photos, visit www.jimhaberlfund.org and follow the links to the Jim Haberl Hut. One of our volunteers, Rob Ballantyne,has also posted photos from his trip at www.flickr.com/photos/ballantyne/34689828/

Avalanche Echoes 6

by Andrea MorganWhile in Yellowknife, NWT for a one year work assign-ment I thought to take advantage of being up north topaddle the South Nahanni River.

The South Nahanni River was the first site in the world tobe granted the World Heritage Site designation (in 1978)by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO). In 1987, the Nahanni became aCanadian Heritage River. Recent attention has been givento the Nahanni River with the Canadian Parks and Wilder-ness Society (CPAWS), David Suzuki, and Justin Trudeaupaddling the river in 2003 to raise public awareness aboutthe proposed mining on Prairie Creek (a main tributary tothe Nahanni).

So, why all the fuss over the South Nahanni River? Wecould start with Virginia Falls which has twice the verticaldrop as Niagara Falls. The Nahanni travels through theMackenzie Mountain range immediately east of the NWT/Yukon border. The river is glacial fed and meanders throughrock canyons, some 1200 m high, as well as boreal forestlands. These rock canyons translate into some fairly tech-nical Class 2 and 3 rapids. The boreal forest lands in thelower section of the Nahanni ensure broad river reachesstrewn with tree root wads and trunks forming sweepersand deadheads along the way. There are no rapids throughthis lower section, however it is still fairly technical withthe sweepers to negotiate through.

At the start of August 2005, David and I flew into the Parkon a little Cessna float plane with my shiny new river ca-noe strapped to one of the plane’s pontoons. We electedto do the lower section of the South Nahanni River thenpaddle out to the Blackstone Territorial Park located on theLiard River. The lower section of the Nahanni begins atVirginia Falls and immediately enters a 5 km canyon withClass 2 and 3 rapids.

Preparing to get into the canoe, with the sound of Virginiafalls resonating around us and knowing what lay ahead onthe river... yes, my heart was pounding in anticipation (ok...maybe it was fear). The Nahanni River is the secondpaddle David and I have done together in a canoe. Ourfirst trip was two days earlier on a local Yellowknife riverwhere we dumped the canoe in a short rapid (Tartan Rap-ids for those who know the Yellowknife area). Undauntedby our little swim, and with a little previous white waterkayaking experience and David’s “Learn to WhitewaterCanoe in an Evening” short course I took a deep breath,stepped into the canoe and zipped up the front sprayskirt......

That’s about all the time I had to be scared. After that, wewere into the rushing waters of the South Nahanni Riverand I was too busy paddling and having a hoot poundingthrough the standing waves, manoeuvring around the boils,and avoiding the rock walls through the canyon sections.My new little explorer canoe seemed to be made for the

The start of the trip at Virginia Falls. Photo by Andrea Morgan.

(Continued on next page)

Paddling the Nahanni River

Avalanche Echoes 7

Nahanni and was quick to scoot around obstacles and surfthe standing waves. Although you can portage around someof the rapids, we choose to paddle the whole river. And,yes….. we paddled, not swam the rapids (many thanks toDavid and a good choice in a canoe).

David and I had an awesome time on the Nahanni with a7 day window of warm, sunny weather, great campingspots and the good company of other paddlers on the river.The last day of the trip was a long flat-water paddle downthe Liard River from the Nahanni Butte to the BlackstoneTerritorial Park. From there we hitch-hiked back into FortSimpson to pick up the truck and returned to Yellowknife.

I’d highly recommend the Nahanni River to anyone inter-ested in canoeing in the NWT. My only regret on this tripis not having more time to paddle the river upstream ofVirginia Falls and to hike the upper trails, which I heardfrom other Nahanni paddlers, is spectacular.

There are a couple of outfitters that run guided trips andwould likely make the logistics for this trip much simpler.Hitch-hiking back to Fort Simpson seems to be the luck ofthe draw in getting a ride given the 170 km distance (plusone ferry crossing) and the few folks that actually travel onthe section of road between Fort Liard to Fort Simpson.

If you are interested in paddling the South Nahanni Riverand have any questions regarding our trip and logistics youare welcome to send me an email atalpineandie@yahoo.com

Kraus Hotsprings. Photo by Andrea Morgan.

Taking a break at Prairie Crrek. Photo by Andrea Morgan.

Paddling the Nahanni

Avalanche Echoes 8www.aebc.com/acc

Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to:The Alpine Club of Canada, Vancouver Section,c/o Federation of Mountain Clubs of BCP.O. Box 19673, Vancouver, BC V5T 4E3

40033734

THE ALPINE CLUBOF CANADAVancouver SectionTrip ScheduleFALL/WINTER 2005

GRADING GUIDELINESA - Less than 6 hrs travel/day

(not strenuous)B - 6 to 8 hrs travel/day

(moderately strenuous)C - 8 to 12 hrs travel/day

(strenuous)D - More than 12 hrs travel/day

(extremely strenuous)S- Slower-paced trip,

(suitable for seniors)

1 - Gentle slopes. Travel on trails over fairlylevel terrain.

2 - Moderate slopes. Travel may be off trail.Intermediate skiing ability recommended. Easyclimbing.

3 - Travel in mountainous terrain. Steep forestand glaciers probable. Backcountry equipmentand intermediate skiing experience required.Moderate climbing.

4 - Travel over difficult mountain terrain. Ad-vanced backcountry and mountaineeringexperience, ability and equipment required.Advanced ski mountaineering or moderate todifficult ice or mixed climbing. Ropes andbelays required.

5 - Technical ice or mixed climbing. Advancedclimbing experience required.

Please contact trip organizers by the Wednesdayprior to the trip or earlier to express your interest.Non-members are welcome to participate once ortwice before joining, and are accepted on a spaceavailable basis.. Everyone is welcome to attendour meetings at 7:30pm in the Floral Hall of VanDusen Botanical Gardens, W. 37th Ave. & Oak Stin Vancouver on the fourth Tuesday of everymonth (except July, Aug, Dec).

Trip organizers are required to have participantssign the ACC waiver which can be obtained fromthe cl imbing schedule organizer, or from:www.aebc.com/acc.

Completed waivers can be mailed to:Alpine Club of Canada, Vancouver Section,c/o The Federation of Mountain Clubs of B.C.47 West Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 1P1,or given to any member of the executive.

CHAIRPERSONTony Knight 604-873-2276

MEMBERSHIP 604-878-5272

CLIMBING SCHEDULEIan McGillivray 604-988-3618Mike Thompson 604-534-8863vanacctrips@hotmail.com

Date Destination Grade Organizer PhoneSEPTEMBER 20053-4 Place Glacier B2 Martin Cook 604-733-545210 Lake Anne / Fisher Chimneys C2/3 Lorne Owen 604-852-02679-11 4th Annual Lake Lovely Water Photo Workshop A2 Doug Williams 604-736-579917-18 Mt Chimai B3 Mike Thompson 604-534-886324-25 Leaders Choice B2/3 Ilze Rupners 604-222-372027 Monthly meeting and slideshow at Van Dusen Gardens

OCTOBER 20051 Limelite Peak B3 Mike Thompson 604-534-88637-10 Watercolour Painting En Plein Air A1 Liz Scremin 604-921-265125 Monthly meeting and slideshow at Van Dusen Gardens

NOVEMBER 200522 Monthly meeting and slideshow at Van Dusen Gardens

Alpine Club Trip Schedule

It’s easy to organize a trip. For details, pleasecall Ian McGillivray (604-988-3618) or Mike

Thompson (604-534-8863)

Watercolour Painting En Plein Air,with Velvet Bailes

Join the Alpine Club of Canada for another fun-filled workshop amidstmountains and meadows. Accomplished artist Velvet Bailes will be our guideto the fabulous fall colours and dramatic scenery of the Mount Baker area.The focus will be on capturing the essence of our surroundings in sketchesfor further development at home. The primary medium will be watercolour,butink with watercolour wash will also be explored. Weather permitting, we willbe outdoors each day exploring both the local trails and artistic subjects suchas composition, colour and texture. Tables beneath big picture windows areavailable for work indoors on cool days. All skill levels are welcome. Accom-modation and meals will be provided at the Mount Baker Ski Lodge, a woodsydorm-style facility operated by the Seattle Mountaineers Outdoor Club.

When: Canadian Thanksgiving weekend Fri to Mon, October 7-10,2005 (4 days)Where: Mount Baker Lodge at the Mount Baker Ski Area, Washing-ton, USAParticipants: 7 min to 12 max enthusiastic peopleCost: $290 for ACC members; $310 for non-members(The fee includes all accommodation, meals & instruction. $100 depositrequired to hold your spot. Fee may be less depending on number of partici-pants.)

For more information and to register, contact Liz Scremin at 604-921-2651or liz@pensiamo.com