Summer Activities
Alpine Climbing / Mountaineering
Section members participate in a wide range of mountaineering adventures during the Rockies summer.
Climbs on the alpine schedule range in location from Waterton Lakes
National Park north to Saskatchewan River Crossing, from Exshaw west to Rogers' Pass, with occasional
trips farther afield such as Jasper National Park and Mt. Robson. Mountaineering difficulties range
from an easy hike up Heart Mountain early in the season to the more demanding peaks around the
Columbia Icefields or many of the high peaks along the Great Divide.
Rock Climbing
At the same time as members are surmounting the high peaks, other members are out basking on dry,
steep rock. The rock climbing schedule contains a selection of
day or weekend trips on a wide-variety of rock crags generally located in the Bow Valley from
Yamnuska to Castle Mountain. Typical section rock climbs include Esgargot Corner on Mt. Norquay,
Brewer's Buttress on Castle Mountain, the NE Face of Chinaman's Peak, and Grillmair's Chimney on
Yamnuska.
Annual Rock Review
The Rock Review, held annually in early June, is a chance for section members to get together and warm
up on rock early in the season. Novice members have a chance to try out their rock climbing skills
while more seasoned members provide encouragement and support. More than anything else, it's a
weekend on the section's social calendar where members meet in the mountains and make plans for the
summer while swapping stories (or tall tales) about their winters.
National Club Leadership Training Week
To promote the mountaineering skills of trip leaders within The Alpine Club of Canada,
the National Club has inaugurated a series of week-long
leadership training courses. One week is held in the winter while a second week is held during the
summer months. These courses are designed to supplement the existing skills of a trip leader and
provide additional information and guidance on some of the less technical skills of the mountaineering
or ski leader, such as group management, pace, route analysis, subjective hazards, and guiding rope
techniques.
National Club Trips
In addition to a wide range of section trips offered each weekend during the summer,
the National Club offers a number of other mountaineering
trips into some spectacular regions of the Canadian Rockies. These trips are normally professionally
guided and managed, and provide a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a mountaineering holiday in the
Rockies with top-notch service.
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