The 23rd Section of the ACC: Great Plains
“... at the hundredth meridian where the Great Plains begin...”
Welcoming our newest section
The “mascot” of the new section is represented by the bison – a tough, sturdy, tenacious, sometimes shaggy animal that can survive and thrive long winters, capable of traveling long distances, and peacefully living in the landscape of the Great Plains.
During the ACC's 2018 Annual General Meeting, ACC board members unanimously voted for the creation of our newest section: Great Plains. The new ACC section will serve the "Treaty Four Lands of Great Plains" which encompasses the majority of Southern Saskatchewan with its operating centre in Regina. The new section will provide a great opportunity for who live a little too far away from Saskatchewan Section headquarters in Saskatoon but still want to take part in the ACC community.
With that said, it is with great pride that we welcome the Great Plains Section to our ACC family!
A little history...
The history of the Great Plains Section goes back to the roots of the Saskatchewan Section, originally operational between 1921 to 1946, and then re-formed in 1995. The community gathered and trained around small bouldering walls for the bigger ranges - most recently in a double door garage bouldering cave. With a tight-knit community, it makes sense that it cultivated a strong sense of stoke to get after bigger objectives outside of the immediate surroundings.
With the most recent development of the Regina Climbing Centre climbing gym in 2018, a new opportunity has opened up for a new ACC section.
Mountain People in All Places Across Canada
While the Great Plains is perhaps best known for its expansively flat terrain, the territory has managed to produce many who love for the hills. With long winters and the willingness to drive great distances, perhaps it's only natural.
The arrival of a new climbing gym in Regina provides a perfect hub for the community to gather and train before travelling to other provinces or to warm crags down south.
Members of the section come from various professional backgrounds but all share a love for skiing, hiking, climbing (obviously) and a love for the outdoors.
Section commitment
Distances to major climbing destinations seem far and wide from Regina, but the section members are well versed with these commutes. As we all know, Canada's climbing areas are not evenly spread out across the country. And as our members in the Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal sections (and many other areas) well know, climbing and long distance long weekend drives just go hand in hand.
Distance from Regina to...
- Devil's Tower .................................. 730km
- Waterton Lake National Park ....... 752km
- Castle Mountain Resort ................ 775km
- Spearfish Canyon .......................... 780km
- Yamnuska ....................................... 838km
- Kananaskis National Park ............ 874km
While many adventures will take place outside of the province, basic training and advanced skill courses will be available locally, including AST1/2 courses, map and compass navigation, first aid, intro to ski/rock/ice courses and leadership training.
The ACC Continues to Grow
Left to right: Toby Harper-Merrett (ACC VP Sections), Frank Spears (ACC VP Activities), Neil Bosch (ACC President), Mike Wild (Great Plains Section President), Isabell Daigneault (ACC Secretary) Lael Parrott (ACC VP Environment), David Foster (ACC VP Services), Keith Sanford (ACC Treasurer)
The ACC continues to grow and to represent Canada's growing mountaineering community and we're stoked to see our members taking on the initiative to help develop it across Canada. We look forward to supporting the Great Plains Section and can't wait to hear about the exciting adventures and courses in store for the future.
Welcome Great Plains!
Join the Great Plains Section or add the section to an existing ACC membership.
