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In December, after the province announced a 5 year freeze on commercial recreation development on upper Mt. Begbie, the ACC signed a partnership agreement with Recreation Site and Trails B.C. for the Mt. Begbie and McCrae trails. We have already received $30,000 in funding and grants for this project and our first step will be maintenance on the Mt. Begbie campsite and trails come spring.

You can read more in this Revelstoke Mountaineer article with our section Co-Founder Ben Wilkey.

From forgotten to overcrowded: The past and future of Mount Begbie

In case you missed our recently held AGM we wanted to keep you informed on some of the changes that took place among our board members. 

First of all we are sad to report that Melanie Bernier has stepped down. Karla Kuharic remains as our President, Shannon Gibson remains as Secretary, Uri Naprstek remains as Tresurer and Ben Wilkey remains as board member.

 We are super stoked however to welcome two new board members. Jake Van Allen and Bryce Schroers! 

Jake’s interest in being involved with the board of the ACC is driven mainly by his motivation for getting others out into the mountains so they can experience the joy that doing so brings to him. Jake has always loved the mountains but it was not until he joined the ACC that he was able to gain the skills / experience / relationships to really get into them. Jake would like to try and give that opportunity back to others. Jake will be volunteering to lead trips and hopes that we can push some of those trips in a direction that sets the ACC Columbia Mountains Section up as somewhere people want to join because of the exciting things they do. He thinks that much of the outside view of the ACC is that it was more of a hiking club than a mountaineering club, and he would like to see a different perception here.

Bryce has been on the ACC Saskatchewan section board for the last 4 years and has been leading and organizing trips with ACC Sask. for many years. In his time there he helped to grow the climbing and mountaineering community in Saskatchewan, hosting climbing nights at the gym, organizing ski days at the local hill and organizing rock climbing, ice climbing, and mountaineering trips to Alberta, BC, Ontario, South Dakota, Wyoming and Nepal. Beginner trips and community building is something he would like to help bring to the Columbia Mountains Section. Since moving to Revelstoke he has found its difficult for beginners to enter new sports. There aren’t many options for someone new to climbing/mountaineering to learn the skills without hiring a guide. From his experience it’s far more valuable to have a base of knowledge in the sport before hiring a guide to hone your skills.

Welcome Jake and Bryce. We are excited to see what these two will bring to the Section in the coming year. Stay tuned!

We are also pleased to announce that Katee Pederson will be taking on a monthly newsletter. In addition to her experience as an outdoor guide Katee’s background as a professional photographer and media will help our Section get monthly information our to our members. Thank you and welcome Katee!

The Alpine Club of Canada – Columbia Mountains Section, the Revelstoke Nordic Ski Club (RNSC), Recreation Sites and Trails BC (RST BC), and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure have collaborated to develop strategies aimed at preventing the parking lot from overflowing at Mt. Macpherson Recreation Site this winter. The primary goal is to provide safe access to Mt. Macpherson for the coming season. Please consider the following recommendations to ensure an enjoyable outdoor recreation experience.

• RNSC is working on installing a web cam that takes photos of the parking area at a set time interval. Standby for a link to check the status of the parking lot before driving out.
• Please try to coordinate vehicle travel with other members of the same household.
• The City of Revelstoke shuttle bus will be providing service to the Mt. Macpherson parking lot on Saturdays and Sundays.https://everythingrevelstoke.com/transport/resort-express/ (when COVID guidelines allow)
• Please park efficiently as possible. 2 meter spacing between vehicles is not necessary, however please make sure to maintain a 2 meter distance between other people in the parking lot.
• Please avoid unnecessary delays in the parking area as a courtesy to others looking for a parking spot.
• Users who plan to use the area for extended length of time, whether alpine touring, nordic skiing or snowshoeing, are encouraged to park in the further away areas of the parking lot as a courtesy to others. (seniors and families)
• Saturday mornings are the busiest time in the parking lot. Please consider visiting during less busy times on weekdays outside the noon hour time window, before 9am on any day of the week, or during the evenings on any day of the week. Other busy times may happen during the day on weekends, over the holidays and during any special events (currently on hold due to Covid).
• The trail fee for Mt. Macpherson Nordic Trails is set by RST BC at $12.00/day/person, to offset the cost to the RNSC to plow the parking lot and maintain the groomed trail network. The RNSC is authorized to collect this fee on behalf of the Province. Recognizing that alpine touring use is limited to the parking lot and Fingers access route, the RNSC voluntary offers the daily trail fee for alpine touring and snowshoe use at a discounted rate of $6.00/day/vehicle or an annual pass for $25.00/vehicle. This is a great deal!
• Please do not park on the highway or Clough Road if the parking lot is full. This impedes snow removal for the highway crews. Sec 188 of the Motor Vehicle Act (https://www.bclaws.ca/…/complete/statreg/96318_00_multi…) means no parking on Hwy 23S or in the area at the top of Clough Rd. Crossing the highway to access Mt. Macpherson presents a safety risk to recreation users.
• When on the trails please be respectful of the nordic users. Remember that we are all ambassadors of our sport. Stay outside the wands at all times up and down the trails. Do not skin up lined abreast blocking the trails for nordic users. When skiing down please control your speed. 
• Dogs are permitted if you have them leashed on the Main Loop (ascending AND descending). Dogs may be off-leash on Mountain Climb and beyond. Any dog poop must be removed from the trail, preferably with the provided trowels. The Parking Lot and Stadium Area is a MANDATORY ON LEASH area for all dogs at all times.
• RNSC & ACC-CMS are requesting volunteers to help with managing parking areas during anticipated busy times, over the holidays and on Saturdays. Thank you in particular to ACC for offering to support, as recognizing the work involved to maintain alpine access is an important leadership message to the alpine touring community. If you are interested in helping please contact Bridget at RNSC bdaughney@revelstokenordic.org

Save the Date! The Columbia Mountain Section will be holding its Annual General Meeting on November 26th at 6:00 pst. Please join us to learn more about what the Section has been up to, what our plans are for the coming year, and to elect the new executive. This year’s AGM will be held via Zoom and you will need to register in advance to attend so we can be sure we have both quorum and enough capacity to handle everyone who wants to attend.

How to Register: E-mail columbiamtnacc@gmail.com and let us know you would like to attend.

We will send you a zoom link prior to the AGM.

Call for nominations: Looking for a way to volunteer in your community? Are you passionate about the outdoors and would like to contribute to the ACC Columbia Mt Section? This is a great way to get involved and help us continue offering trips, courses, applying for grants to adopt a trail network, media (newsletter) and to bring your expertise to the section. The board positions will be of one year in duration or more if you choose. Currently our meetings have been held via zoom.

How to Apply: A short letter of intent on who you are and why you would like to be part of the Board of Directors. All members are welcome to apply.

Exciting News! Our ACC Columbia Mountains Section YOUTH Program has received a substantial grant from the Columbia Basin Trust Community Initiatives and Affected Areas Program. We would like to whole heartedly thank the CBT, the evaluation team and the City for their interest and support of this program! We will be using some of the funding to purchase youth specific climbing and hiking gear available for participants to use upon request. We will also be using some of the funding to continue offering subsidized youth courses and programs. Finally we will be using a portion of the funding to subsidize youth trip expenses such as hut fees etc. Stay tuned for upcoming trips!