Members of the Alpine Club of Canada and the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and their guests look forward to the annual Mountain Guides’ Ball to get together to renew bonds, share stories, celebrate accomplishments and recognize new ACMG Guides.

Funds raised from the 2011 Ball will support various initiatives including the Karl Nagy award for leadership development.

This event is SOLD OUT!

This year the event will take place in the Wildrose Ballroom in the Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff. Mark the date on your calendar and watch the ACC NewsNet for updates.

Rudi Gertsch

2011 Patron of the Guides Ball: Rudi Gertsch

A second generation Swiss mountain guide, Rudi Gertsch arrived in Canada in 1966 from his hometown of Wengen. After a brief stint in Toronto he headed to Banff where he serendipitously met Hans Gmoser who hired him on the spot to guide at Lake O'Hara starting the next day. Immediately captivated by the wilderness, Rudi claimed "it was so nice to be on a peak, just you and a client, by that time you couldn't do that in the Alps."

In 1969 Rudi assumed the position of ACMG technical director and began more than a decade as a guides examiner. During his tenure with the ACMG, he was instrumental in developing the ski guide training program and creating assistant guide courses, scheduled so that successful candidates could begin work the following season. In addition to his work with the ACMG, Rudi dedicated himself to teaching aspirant Canadian mountaineers to be as adept on skis as on the leading end of a climbing rope.

In 1973, Rudi attended the Union Internationale d’Associations de Guides de Montagnes (UIAGM) annual meeting in Liechtenstein where he was able to demonstrate that Canadian guiding standards were as high as those in Europe. As a result, the ACMG was accepted as the first non-European member of the UIAGM. In 1974, Rudi started Purcell Helicopter Skiing out of Golden, BC. Rudi continues to operate PHS with his son, Jeff.

Join Rudi at the 22nd Annual Mountain Guides Ball.

Wil

Best. Acoustic. Guitar. Player. Ever." Raved Chartattack in a 2008 CMW live review. Wil was recently featured in a White Iron Films, Rosie Award-winning documentary entitled, Music Is The Message: Wil, which detailed Wil’s ongoing journey within music. The doc was aired on MuchMoreMusic last September and scooped three awards at the recent ‘Rosies’, including best Best Music or Variety Show. Although he now lives on Vancouver Island, Wil frequents Calgary and the Bow Valley where he has quite a following. For those who have seen Wil perform, there's a reason you keep coming back. For those who haven't seen Wil play, you will be impressed!

Wildrose Ballroom

Mountain Guides Ball menu