Mountain Film Festival - January 16, 2012

Some, but definitely not all, of the films set for the two and a half-hour show coming to Saskatoon on January 16th, 2012 , are described below. As always, there is the possibility that the lineup can change based on recommendations from the Banff Centre. We usually also include some shorter clips in the lineup as time permits. Keep in mind that our contract with the Banff Centre imposes strict limits on how many minutes of video we are allowed to show, otherwise we would probably just keep the entertainment going on all night :-)

• On The Trail of Genghis Khan (Adventure, exploration, culture)
  • People’s Choice Award
  • Australia, 2011, 46 minutes
  • Classification: General
  • On an epic journey of truly historic proportions, Australian Tim Cope, his band of horses, and his dog Tigon travel overland 10,000 km from Mongolia to Hungary, following the footsteps of legendary warrior and nomad Genghis Khan. Cope visits distant parts of the world rarely seen, places on the cusp of modernity yet proud of nomadic traditions. The Last Frontier captures the culmination of his stunning three-year journey, the crossing of the Carpathian Mountains.

• Seasons: Fall (Kayaking)
  • USA, 2010, 4 minutes each
  • Classification: General
  • Fall: Deep canyons with steep, spring-fed creeks provide Kate Wagner with a soul-session in this paddling paradise.

• Towers of Ennedi (Rock Climbing)
  • USA, 2011, 14 minutes
  • Classification: General – coarse language
  • The Ennedi Desert of Chad is a hot, sand-scoured and unfriendly place. But from its vast belly rise clusters of breathtakingly lovely spires, towers, and rock formations. Veteran climber Mark Synnott – known more for his far-flung adventures than his technical accomplishments – brings young climbing stars Alex Honnold and James Pearson to the Ennedi to explore its untouched landscapes.

Cold (Mountaineering)

• Grand Prize
• Best Film
• USA, 2011, 19 minutes
• Classification: Parental guidance – coarse language
• Experience Gasherbrum II in the middle of a deep, dark winter as seen from the raw, honest perspective of alpinist Cory Richard’s camera. This film deftly captures the interwoven roles of pain, fear, and doubt – and reveals a harrowing descent that amplifies their isolation and exposure.

Tickets should be available by mid-December. Information about prices and where to buy your tickets is available on our website.

People attending the Film Festival should be aware that some videos may be rated Parental Guidance and/or may contain Coarse Language.

Avalanche Transceivers - Recommendations from the Safety Committee

The Safety Committee of the Alpine Club of Canada recommends to the Board of Directors the adaptation of the following policy:

• Participants on all mountaineering, skiing and ice climbing trips, camps and courses of the Alpine Club of Canada in avalanche terrain are required to use a modern avalanche transceiver, as recommended by the Canadian Avalanche Centre. Recommended avalanche transceivers are digital, multi-antenna transceivers; analog and single-antenna transceivers are no longer acceptable. This policy becomes effective with the winter avalanche season 2011/2012, as of November 1, 2011.
• ACC members are advised to take note of the manufacturer’s recommendations for the expected useful service life of avalanche transceivers.
• ACC members are encouraged to upgrade avalanche transceivers to digital, three antenna models such as the Tracker 2, Ortovox 3+, Barryvox/ Mammut Pulse, Pieps DSP…;digital, two-antenna beacons (Tracker DTS, Ortovox X1…) are still acceptable.
• ACC members are also advised that the usefulness of any transceiver depends on the familiarity of the user with the transceiver. Regular practice throughout the season is strongly recommended.

Backpacking around Skoki

Skoki Mountain, carrying a 42lb backpack, scrambling, blisters and taking in the raw beauty of the mountains…this was my first backcountry adventure!

A few things I learned along the way:

 Ensure the new hiking boots are well worked in! Hikes around the Meawasin Trail in Saskatoon will not do the job…as Alicia, one of our leaders said “the words City and Hike don’t really go together!”

 Bring lots of blister bandages and tape to keep the feet in good shape! Luckily our group was well prepared and willing to share with me.

 Two hiking poles are better than one! I didn’t realize the importance of the poles and thought I’d just bring one in case I needed it…I know better for next time!

 Preparing dehydrated ‘gourmet’ meals is the way to go…it’s one thing I did right! No need to settle for processed packaged noodles!

 Scrambling means climbing to the PEAK of the mountain….I’m not sure what exactly I thought it meant, but was excited and leery to realize (while climbing) that I really was going to the top of a mountain! It was very cool! We enjoyed a break for lunch and took in the incredible sights from the top of Skoki Mountain!

 Scree….is fun! Coming down the mountain on the back of my heels, flying through the scree definitely made the climb worth it!

 A 2-person tent can actually fit 7 people in it for a game of cards!!

 You can’t bring enough bug spray! The bear spray on the other hand didn’t get used, even though we did see a cub, luckily from a distance. He looked friendly to me?!

 It’s important to have good leaders who are knowledgeable and patient and are happy to share all that they have learned from their own experiences….I was happy to have Alicia and Eric lead the way!

All in all, it was a great experience - challenging, inspiring, peaceful and breathtaking too! I am happy I found this group through the ACC and was able to take part in the adventure! Hopefully I can take away what I learned and encourage my friends to join me next time!

Lana Stark

Annual Mountaineering Camp

by Dave McCormick

From July 21 to 26, the Section held its Summer Mountaineering Camp, this year at the Peyto Hut on the Wapta Icefield.

Every imaginable weather accompanied us during the week, from rain to snow to solar furnace.

A total of 18 participants, some new to any kind of mountaineering, spent the week learning and practicing knots, rope techniques, safe glacier travel practices and putting it all to use by leading rope teams and climbing many of the peaks in the vicinity of the Hut.

We expect more stories to be posted here in the coming days and more pictures posted to the Camp's photo album, located here.

A good time was had by all.

Thrashers 2011

by Don Chodzicki

The annual Thrashers Rock Climbing trip took place during the May long weekend. Roughly 30 section members gathered in the Wasootch Creek area of Kananaskis to test their climbing skills on rock slab.

Morning of Day 1 participants started with a refresher of proper belay technique followed by warm-up climbs on "D" slab. This was one of larger groups in recent years and with an abundance of trip leaders and 10 ropes on the go plenty of climbing challenges were offered. As particular routes lost interest our leaders did a great job of setting up new routes. Throughout Day 1 other leaders shared their knowledge of setting and cleaning anchors and teaching rappel technique. Luckily the worrisome rain that had been forecast in the days leading up to the trip never materialized and the energy levels of participants was high until 5 or 5:30.

Day 2 our leaders once again headed out early to set ropes before the rest of the group arrived (thanks guys!). Wasootch was extra busy due to a climbing course being taught there that day, but luckily both groups were able to achieve what we wanted. The forecasted rain finally appeared a strong possibility around 2pm and a decision was made to start taking ropes down. As the group drove back to Canmore in the rain I think we all agreed the right decision was made to head back.

Overall the trip was a big success with 3 or 4 new ACC members and everyone looking forward to their next climb.

Backcountry Skiing Camp - February 2011

The Section just completed its second Backcountry Skiing Camp in Canmore. The camp was led by Bette Boechler with five ACC SK members attending. The camp is intended to introduce members to backcountry skiing and gear with a focus on safety and route finding, The group included two new to BC skiing and two with limited experience.

Day One (Friday) had the group meet at Bow Summit on the Icefields Parkway, about 40 kms from Lake Louise. The idea was to get used to the gear and get used to plowing through powder again. The Bow Summit area is ideal for a first day on new gear. It is easily accessible by car and there are good slopes within 2 kms of the parking area. Though there is some avalanche risk on the upper slopes, the lower slopes are gentle with good tree cover so pose minimal risk. The weather was warm with light snow flurries. The first activity was beacon practice in a small open meadow. The group spent the remainder of the day skinning up and skimming down through the lighted treed slopes. Day One ended with the obligatory stop in Lake Loiuse for pastries.

Day Two (Saturday) saw the group head up the Spray Lakes road to the Burstall Pass area. It had snowed all night continuing through the day. The wind also picked up through the day. As on Day One, the day started with practice in the beacon pit. The trudge up to the pass is about 5.5 kms starting with a narrow fire road up to Burstall Lakes then along the lake to the outlet of Burstall Creek. From here the trail winds up through the trees to the meadow below the pass. Unfortunately, the snow and wind reduced visibility to under 500 m and, given the exposure on the slopes, the group decided not to advance. A quick lunch then off with the skins and back to the Burstall Creek gully. The trail though the gully can be challenging as the ski-out can be polished smooth by all the skiers. This time there was soft powdery snow, thigh deep in places, making for a slow descent. Day Two ended with the obligatory sore toes and blistered feet. Apparently this is the price you pay with rentals.

Day Three (Sunday) again saw the group head up the Spray Lakes road, this time to the Black Prince area in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The road was an adventure as almost 300 mm of snow had accumulated over night. Despite that, an amazing number of cars were in the parking area showing the popularity of the area. The clouds moved off leaving beautiful blue skies but still lots of wind. The group split up with two members taking snowshoes to explore the surrounding slopes. The other four headed up along with numerous other groups enjoying the fresh snow. Coming down to the cirque was tricky as the snow got deeper as the trees closed in. But careful route finding and a vigilante Bette kept everyone safe. The day ended at 1:30 pm in the parking lot as the group dispersed to return gear rentals or to go off to more adventures in the Rockies.

Thanks to Bette and Bob for sharing their mountain expertise. No plans yet for next year but, blisters notwithstanding, there is strong interest to go again.

Pictures can be viewed here.

Beginners' Ice Climbing - February 2011

The ACC Sask's annual Choppers Ice Climbing trip took place in February 2011. 20 participants headed out to Nordegg, Alberta for ice climbing combined with hot tubbing as a recovery.

Day 1 had the group head out to Balfour Wall to accommodate an unexpected Adventure Race at one of our planned locations. The day started with a 1 hour drive west and a hike in minus 30 temperatures up to the wall. Thanks to our rope leaders 6 or 7 ropes were already set up for us and after a safety briefing we were able to get climbing fairly quickly to stay warm.

Balfour Wall offered a beautiful sunny exposure with excellent views, truly a treat. A number of people also explored 2 small ice caves and a few even attempted "dry tooling" and mixed climbing where climbers use their ice axes and crampons on rock. One climber unfortunately ended up with a cut on their forehead when an axe slipped off a rock and hit them.

Day 2 the group went to 2 o'clock falls, just west of Nordegg. This was another fun day of climbing, though the ice sits in the shade throughout the day making for slightly cooler temperatures so participants generally stayed bundled up. The ice was a bit crumbly on certain routes which resulted in a few people chopping a fair bit to get to the good stuff and also resulted in some significant piles of ice around the belayers.

Once again Choppers proved to be an adrenalin filled activity that left no one with regrets other than it had to end so soon.

More Reflections on the Mountain Film Festival

[comments from Myrene, our Film Festival Coordinator...]

"We had over a thousand people in the theatre (hey, we're halfway to my goal of filling it since a TCU Place staffer tells me it holds 2000). The audience comprised our usual mix of about 1/2 university/college students, with the balance a more or less even mix of young and mature adults along with families (not that many kids, but enough to know it's still popular with family groups).

This year a number of films featured somewhat different subject matter than we've seen previously, aimed more toward adventure. This is a direction the Banff Centre staff tell me they have been heading with the festival film parameters to broaden the film experience for audiences; they're including films that follow the spirit of the festival without necessarily being set or focused on mountains, and this year added an award category (Adventure or Exploration) to reflect that. One of them was Crossing the Ditch, at 55 minutes our longest film, an involving story of two young men who decided to cross between Australia and New Zealand in a custom built sea kayak. They started with no background or knowledge of kayaking, just a drive for adventure, and the film followed their efforts as well as the family dynamics. It was a hit at Banff, and equally so here in Saskatoon.

The subject of caving was covered in the shorter film Into Darkness. This was some serious caving, with dramatic shots of the cave interiors. A number of the audience were doing some real squirming right along with the cavers in some places in the film where their route was tight.

One of the mountain-themed films, The Swiss Machine, followed Swiss climber Ueli Steck who, to quote the film description on the tourhost site, "tells of his record-breaking ascents in the Alps, accompanied by stunning aerial footage that captures him racing up 2500-metre alpine faces." Our audience certainly enjoyed this one, and I can attest to the impact of both the sweeping photography of the mountain peaks and the intensity of the action (they filmed him speed climbing The Eiger, in 2 hours 47 minutes).

Our sponsors were out in full in the display area, with some great equipment there for people to see and touch. Along with the usual gear displayed, Escape Sports featured a paddle board and slow sled, Eb's had a bright red kayak (I think whitewater, but I don't know enough about them to be sure) propped up against a pillar, and Bike Doctor brought in three bikes, one with innovative fat snow tires that had everyone gathered round for a look-see. All the usual sponsors had table displays, and there was one again from Parks Canada who is one of the major film festival sponsors for the second year now. CPAWs was there this year, as well as a local Kayaking Club who will likely become full sponsors next year. In fact, I expect that next year we'll have to reconfigure the display area to make more room for set up, and they certainly are a hit with the audience who made good use of the pre-film and intermission time to circulate--the place was packed.

The venue is a hit, too, and given our numbers we had people up in the balconies this year again. Here are the 10 films they saw (although not necessarily in this order):

• Rush Hour Dream (paragliding)
• Into Darkness (caving)
• Crossing the Ditch (sea kayak adventure)
• Swiss Machine (alpine climbing)
• Kranked (humourous kids mountain biking)
• Life Cycles (an exploration of off-road cycling)
• Chimaera (photographic perspective on skiing)
• Stones Into Schools (mountain culture and humanitarian work in Afghanistan)
• Still Motion (wildlife environment)
• Dream Result (whitewater kayaking)

An excellent evening. Many thanks to our local sponsors and to everyone on the crew who worked to make this evening a success. We'll be back next year.

Another Successful Film Festival

January 17th was the day the Banff Mountain Film Festival entertained another audience at TCU Place in Saskatoon. According to our Section bean counters there were about 1000 people in the audience. Those of us who have been in on the Film Festival for many years will recall our earlier shows on Broadway with audiences of around 300. The event has certainly grown.

As usual, there were many comments about the selection of movies. Probably the most popular was the story of the kayak trip from Australia to New Zealand. The Swiss Machine also received many favourable comments.

The date for the Film Festival showing in Regina is coming up on April 28th, 2011. The date for the next Film Festival in Saskatoon, in 2012, will be announced shortly.

The Section's Film Festival Committee is already discussing plans for next year. If any readers are interested in getting involved, there will be, as always, a need for volunteers. Contact the Section at info@accsask.ca to find out how you can help.

Finally, many, many thanks to our volunteers, organizations who set up pre-show displays and, especially, to our local sponsors who have supported this event. Visit our Film Festival website to see our local sponsors; support these local businesses and organizations and tell them how much you appreciate their assistance in bringing the Film Festival to Saskatoon.