The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is our home for 2022 and is located above the town of Banff on the side of Sleeping Buffalo Mountain (formerly Tunnel Mountain) where UIAA delegates will find accommodation, meals and all meeting function rooms. (see below for room rates) The Banff Centre is located about 20 minute’s walk uphill from downtown where there are alternative food and accommodation facilities.

The Banff Centre provides world class accommodation facilities right on site, and we strongly encourage UIAA delegates to stay on site and thus avoid the need to walk or taxi from alternative hotels every day. At the same time, for delegates who wish to have low-cost accommodations, we have made a special arrangement with Hosteling International for a small block of rooms at the Banff International Hostel.

Delegates who stay at the Banff Centre have access to the Sally Borden Centre - Climbing, Aquatics, and Fitness Centres.

(All costs are in Canadian dollars. 1 CDN $ = approx .78 USD = approx .72 Euro)

Basic Fee: $120 CDN

Accommodation: Room rates at the Banff Centre start at $210.00 CDN per person per night (including room, parking, internet, recreational facilities, but excluding meal costs which vary from $23 to $37CDN).

Less expensive options exist in downtown Banff and at the International hostel. (A 20 minute uphill walk to the meeting locations at the Banff Centre)

Mountain Guides Ball (Oct 28 – see below)

• Now in its 31st year, the Mountain Guides Ball is an annual gala event of The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) and the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) that brings together the mountain community to celebrate our mountain culture and raise funds for the ACC’s Greatest Needs Fund.

Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival (Oct 29 to Nov. 5 - see below)

• As a founding partner of the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival, the ACC is the longest standing partner of the festivals. The Banff Mountain Film and Book Festivals offer adventure, excitement, and the inspiration of mountain stories.

The global situation with regard to COVID is improving – particularly in Canada. Nevertheless, as of May, 2022 travellers entering Canada (by land or air) are required to present proof of vaccination (or equivalent).

Once in Canada delegates attending General Assembly and related activities in Banff are not required to show proof of vaccination, nor to wear masks in public spaces – such as meeting rooms. In general, both the Banff Centre and the Alpine cub of Canada follow the COVID health guidelines set out by the provincial agency: Alberta Health Services.

In 2022, our General Assembly in October is extra special as it overlaps with two major events that are particularly important to the Alpine Club of Canada, that we think will be of great interest to UIAA delegates:

The Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival is a multi-day event that was started by the ACC back in 1976 and is now run by the Banff Centre. 2022 will the 46th year of the festival and UIAA delegates will have an opportunity to stay with us after the General Assembly.

In addition, each year the ACC and the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) host the Mountain Guides Ball – now in its 31st year. This event will take place on Friday evening, October 28 and UIAA delegates can purchase tickets as part of their August registration for the General Assembly.

Much has been written about the “early explorations” of Canada’s Rocky Mountains – and for the most part, this romantic history is dominated by settler cultures: Europeans, Americans, and some early Canadians. Often overlooked is just how much of Canada’s early mountaineering achievements were dependent on local Indigenous knowledge, labour, and participation.

Prior to the colonial settlement of the West, and to the creation of park lands, First Nations and Métis people were everywhere throughout the Rockies. Many had a deep understanding of the long, wide mountain range that the Niitsitapiksi peoples, for example, called “the backbone of the world.” By looking more closely at the stories we circulate of Rockies mountaineering, we begin to see faint outlines of how their knowledge and participation made the early ascents possible – and to realize just how substantially most history writers and policy makers wrote these first mountain experts out.

The relationship between early mountaineers and their Indigenous guides is today a history undergoing reappraisal, as are many of the place names that dominate the landscape. Indeed, the efforts are part of a larger national process of healing, where we recognize the many great harms that were inflicted on Canada’s First Peoples and begin to take steps to reconcile the continuing legacies of Canada’s colonial past.

Our General Assembly program provides some opportunities for UIAA delegates to learn and understand more about these issues:

1. A special Opening Ceremony on Thursday evening, October 27 that will include a local traditional welcome and land acknowledgement.
2. A display of art from the local Stoney Nakoda nation artists.
3. A special keynote lecture on Indigenous Mountain place names and of Indigenous participation in early Rockies’ mountaineering practices.
4. A day-long tour up the Bow Valley to Bow Summit on the Banff-Jasper highway, featuring the historic sites and locations where Canada’s Indigenous people lived for centuries, and who welcomed and assisted the “white man” who first explored and climbed ….

RSVP