Each year, the final week of the ACC’s General Mountaineering Camp is focussed on those seeking to push their creative, rather than mountaineering, boundaries. This camp is for the artist at heart! You can expect all the good things about a regular GMC week (helicopter access, fantastic food, ACMG guides, basecamp comfort etc.) but with a few slight differences designed to tailor our camp to the artist’s tastes:
BOOKING INFORMATION
Date:
AUGUST 8TH -13TH (ARTISTS WEEK)
Price: $2,595 + TAX
MORE INFORMATION
Please try to register online before calling. If you are having issues please try to have your emergency contact information and course questionnaire filled out before calling.
OR Call: (403)-678-3200 ext 213
Our heli-accessed basecamp will be located at 1,900 metres in the Remillard range, located at the bottom of the north face of Half Dome. This central location provides access to a large variety of peaks and challenges for mountaineers just starting out as well as for seasoned veterans. Depending on participants’ level of experience, fitness, and goals, potential objectives might include:
Keep in mind that once in camp, your GMC experience will be tailored specifically to you. Each day, you decide which hike or climb or learning session you’d love to take part in. The area provides a perfect setting for our ice, snow and rock schools giving you lots of options to develop the skills you want to work on.
Beyond the climbing, the Remillard area offers extensive waterfalls, meadows, forests, boulder fields and alpine lakes to explore.
Because of the exploratory nature of the camp, various nearby high points, ridges, and alpine features will also be visited over the course of the summer. The area also provides a perfect setting for our ice, snow and rock schools, an excellent option for those looking to develop their mountaineering abilities and become more autonomous in the alpine environment.
Day 1:
Meet early in the morning at the tentative location of the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club and then convey to the helicopter staging area from where you and your gear will be flown into the remote basecamp. Upon arrival, you’ll be introduced and orientated to the camp by our Camp Manager for the week and assigned a tent. You’ll also have the chance to meet some of the week’s guides and go on a short hike to explore the immediate area.
Day 2 – 5 (a typical day)
4.30am: Early breakfast is served
5am: Rope teams leave camp for longer days/bigger objectives
6am: General Wake-up Call
6.30am: General Breakfast is served
7am: More rope teams leave camp for shorter days, cragging etc.
Through the day: In the field you will likely spend the day in a group with a Guide and/or amateur leaders. Ratios will vary depending to your chosen objective. Objectives may include prominent peaks in the area, nearby peaks and ridges, or curriculum fine-tune your knowledge and skills. Approaches to climbs may be lengthy with significant elevation gain, and will likely involve roped glacier travel. Many factors (including weather) will determine your groups’ success in reaching any summits. All-in-all the focus of the day is to have fun!
2-4pm: Rope teams arrive back at camp
2-6pm: Free time (showers, tea time, etc.), and the choice of objectives for the next day is posted
6pm: Supper is served
7.30pm: Grab your lunch and make any final preparations for the next day
Day 6:
After a final breakfast, photos and goodbyes, you will fly back to civilization via helicopter.
All Abilities!
The GMC is open to all! 16 years of age or older, novice to expert, intrepid or laid back. The large camp size (typically 31 participants, 5 guides and 4 volunteer leaders each week) allows for different groups to target a wide ranges of objectives. Each day you get to decide which group you’d like to join depending on your ability, fitness and desired length of day.
Food
Evenings will be spent enjoying great food, socializing in the dining or tea tents and resetting for the next day’s climbing. All our food is prepared by a dedicated team of chefs in a dedicated cooking tent. And all ingredients are flown in fresh each week meaning you’ll be treated to meat, fruit and vegetables (not to mention some killer desserts) through the week, no dehydrated stuff here! Have you even had a turkey dinner above 2000 meters?
Accommodation
During the course of the camp you’ll be assigned a Mountain Hardwear Trango tent with a companion of your choice or a fellow guest. The tents are large (3 or 4 person) so there is plenty of space for both of you and your gear. As there are less people during Artists Week anyone who wants a private tent can have one at no cost.
As well as your sleeping tent, there is a communal dining tent, drying tent and tea tent to hang out with your fellow participants. The camp also has two specially prepared outhouses for guests as well as two private showers (now with hot water!)
Guiding
Our ACMG certified alpine or full mountain guides will help to orientate you at the camp. Each day they will also be leading different groups to different alpine objectives. Our guides will be welcome to answering questions about the region as well as everything from crampon technique to gear recommendations.
As of 2022, we added an additional alpine guide to each week of the GMC. Along with full guides and ACC volunteer leaders, this means that participants can expect to be in small groups of 3-5 people all day which adds to the enjoyment of the experience and ensures participants can travel at a pace which is right for them and interact closely with their guides.
Our full guiding roster will be listed below as each guide is confirmed.
Beautiful location, easy access to all routes, lots of variety for trips to satisfy differing levels of motivation day-to-day.
The attitude from the guides and camp staff was infectious and they were all very inspiring.
A perfect week…I’m addicted to the GMC!
“TO STAND ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN, TO LISTEN TO THE ROAR OF AN AVALANCHE, TO SEE RAVENS FLOATING IN THE AIR AND A CASCADE OF ALPINE FLOWERS WAS SORELY NEEDED. WE WERE NOT ONLY ABLE TO DREAM, BUT MAKE MEMORIES.
AS ALWAYS THE CAMP WAS LOCATED IN A SPECTACULAR LOCATION WHERE THE WORRIES OF OUR DAY, WAS FOCUSED ON OUR OBJECTIVES NOT ON THINGS BEYOND OUR CONTROL. THE CAMP RAN AS A NORMAL CAMP, IN A TIME WHEN NORMAL HAS BEEN SO ELUSIVE.
PEOPLE LAUGHED AND JOKED, TOLD STORIES, AND WORKED TOGETHER AS A TEAM TO CLIMB MOUNTAINS. THEIR EXPRESSIONS WERE NOT HIDDEN BEHIND MASKS, BUT THEIR JOY, EXCITEMENT AND OCCASIONALLY FEAR WAS CLEARLY WRITTEN ACROSS THEIR FACES.
WE LEFT CAMP WITH MEMORIES, NEW FRIENDS AND MORE THAN JUST A GLIMMER OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.
WITH MANY THANKS, BILL SUMMERS – GMC 2021 WEEK 2″
ROGER LAURILLA
Raised in Revelstoke B.C., Roger was exposed to the mountains at early age. During his secondary education interests in mountaineering and photography grew simultaneously. “As I began to explore the mountains I saw a lot of areas and natural wonders that I wanted to capture on film”. Climbing and skiing became the means to see the mountains and photograph whatever he saw.
In the late 70’s Roger started to work for Canadian Mountain Holidays in the Bugaboos as a construction helper. From that time his skills developed and the interests in the mountains turned in a professional direction. In 1986 he became a member of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and became an internationally Certified Mountain Guide. He guided and managed the CMH Monashees Heli-Skiing operation in Mica Creek B.C. for 32 years. Currently owns and operates Battle Abbey Back Country Lodge in the Selkirk Mountains of BC. In 1976 Roger joined the Alpine Club of Canada and has guided with National Camps since 1988 as well as the GMC in 1998. In off seasons has led photo/trekking and mountain trips to the Arctic, Africa, Europe, New Zealand, South America, Nepal and in Canada.
Photography has long been a strong creative source for Roger, his images have been published in many magazines such as; Canadian Geographic, Beautiful BC, Ski Canada, Powder Magazine, Climbing, Rock And Ice, Couloir and Back Country. Some of the many books that his images have appeared in are; The Selkirks, The Bugaboos, Place Names in the Canadian Alps, Summits and Secrets, and Canadian Summits. Most of Roger’s photography is documenting outdoor sports and mountain related subjects in Canada and the US. His photography and guiding have taken him to the Artic, Antarctic, Africa, New Zealand, Europe and Asia.
PATTI DYMENT AFCA
Canmore artist Patti Dyment was already obsessed with painting when she moved to Banff in 1985. Hiking and painting the Rockies has been an endless adventure, education and inspiration since. Patti studied painting in college, university, books, classes, workshops, and the great outdoors, eventually becoming a popular painting instructor herself. She has enjoyed several artists’ residencies, instructing plein air painting, and many excursions with painting friends from alpine huts or tents.
Patti has been exhibiting in galleries in Western Canada since 1988, and once in Japan. She was awarded Federation of Canadian Artists Signature status in 2012. Her work is represented by the Elevation Gallery in Canmore, AB and Fernie, BC.
PUBLIC ART:
Canmore Utility Box Program, 2015
Art In Nature Trail, Banff Alberta 2021
KIRSTEN KNECHTEL
Kirsten was raised in Banff, AB where her passion for the mountains and mountain adventure began. Kirsten’s family were outdoor enthusiasts and by the age of 6 she began ski racing, age 10 ski touring, and by age 14 she had climbed many classic alpine routes in the Canadian Rockies. Her career as a guide was a natural step. By age 25 she was a fully certified mountain guide. 20 plus years later, Kirsten has a huge variety of guiding experiences behind her. She has worked as a manager of a catskiing operation, guided many heliskiing, catskiing and private ski touring trips and worked as an instructor on the ACMG guides training program. In the summer she has worked with the British military training, run her own private guiding business and spent well over 10 years working at the Alpine Club’s General Mountaineering Camp, Marmot Women’s camps and other ACC programs.
SYLVIA FOREST
Sylvia (Syl) Forest is a mountain guide living near Golden, BC. Syl worked as a park warden and mountain rescue specialist in Jasper, Lake Louise and Glacier National Parks for 23 years, and managed the mountain rescue program in Glacier Park for eight years. She completed her UIAGM Mountain Guide certification in 2001. Syl left Parks in the fall of 2013 in order to spend more time guiding, and to spend more time with her family.
Syl also teaches avalanche courses regularly for the Canadian Avalanche Association, and works as a heli ski guide during the winter months.
We sell Tugo® Travel Insurance suitable for both ACC Adventures and personal trips:
ORGANIZING FANTASTIC ACC ADVENTURES FOR OVER 100 YEARS
INCLUDED WITH YOUR CAMP FEE
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