An ode to ACC Volunteers
Volunteers are quite the special breed, donating one of life’s most precious assets: time. They’re there for beliefs beyond monetary reward, and we can’t thank them enough for it! They are the ACC’s heart and soul.
With several sections across Canada, there’s countless events and operations that span across these unique communities. There’s a lot going on, with so many hidden heroes, so we need your help finding out who they are!
Is there a shining member in your community that you wish would accept some darn recognition for the hard work they do? Well, this is your chance to shine some light on them - read on below to see our categories.
Deadline for our 2022 awards is December 31st, 2022.
See below to see the categories and criteria - for the full details, visit our Volunteer Awards page. Make sure to nominate anyone you know that may fit the bill! You have until Dec 31st for 2022 nominations.
Don Forest Award:
An award for distinguished service to the club in matters other than mountaineering.
Must be ACC Member (1 - 5 years)
2021 - André-Jean Desormeaux
Andre-Jean has been a leader for the Montreal section for several years. He organizes hikes in the summer and cross-country ski tours in the winter. He always oers valuable educational information to the members. He truly has a gift for explanations (he used to be a school teacher but is now retired). He is very knowledgeable in terms of equipment and techniques, which is very useful to members who are just starting a new activity. For instance, before the pandemic, he used to hold a couple of ski weekend in the Gatineau national park, and would coach beginners. He selected routes in the park based on the group's level and made sure everyone had a good time while remaining safe. During these weekends, he would give members useful tips on how to go down the slopes or on how to chose and take care of skiing equipment.
Eric Brooks Leader Award:
A mountaineering and ski mountaineering award for strong commitment to learning and applying technical and leader skill.
Must be ACC Member ( 1 - 5 years)
2021 - Grant Blanchard
Silver Rope for Leadership Award:
A mountaineering and ski mountaineering award for excellence in leadership and technical ability.
Must be ACC Member (with minimum of 5 years)
Previous Eric Brooks recipient (3 year since)
2021 - Jay MacArthur
Jay MacArthur joined the Alpine Club of Canada in 1973 while still in high school! A few years later he joined the UBC Varsity Outdoor Club while studying electrical engineering. He soon found the opportunity to share his mountaineering skills with other members.
In 1979 he started his decades long service as a member of the executives of the ACC Vancouver Section as well as the Federation of Mountain Clubs of British Columbia. In 1980 he served his first term as FMCBC president and took on the position of ACC Vancouver Assistant Chair. In the early 1980s Jay became a founding member and served as president of the Southern Chilcotin Wilderness Society. The society’s work eventually led to the establishment of South Chilcotin and Big Creek Provincial Parks.
In 2001 the Vancouver Section recognized Jay’s environmental work with the ACC Distinguished Service Award. During the decades Jay has practised safe climbing and backcountry skiing while participating in the leadership of ACC Section camps to many Coast Mountain locations.
In 2021 the Vancouver Section honoured Jay with the ACC’s coveted Silver Rope for Leadership Award. In support of his nomination Bruce Fairley wrote, “Personally, I feel very fortunate to have encountered such a steady and capable climber early in my climbing career. Jay was a great inspiration to me and a stellar role model in terms of his enthusiasm, knowledge and high level of competence.”
Distinguished Service Award:
An award for distinguished service to the club in matters other than mountaineering.
Must be ACC Member (with minimum of 10 years)
Previous Don Forest recipient (3 year since)
2021 - Catrin Brown
Catrin joined the ACC in 1994 and first joined the Vancouver Island Section Executive in 1996 as their Trip Scheduler. During 2012 & 2013 she served as the Section Secretary. Catrin has been the Chair of the Vancouver Island Section since 2016. Over the years Catrin has been an active trip leader and organized the annual ski camps in the Rockies and Selkirks. The section’s new hut, Hišimy̓awiƛ (Hi-SHIMya-wit), opened on the slopes of 5040 Peak in October 2018. This was a challenging project for the section to undertake and has been a huge success. During the building process the section facilitated discussions with the local First Nations. Catrin has also encouraged diversity in the section’s membership. Her outstanding leadership as Section Chair has increased the section’s membership numbers. Catrin received the Don Forest Service Award in 2012.
A O Wheeler Legacy Award:
For outstanding and varied contributions to The Alpine Club of Canada over many years.
Must be ACC Member (with minimum of 20 years)
Previous Distinguished Service Award recipient
2016 - Ruthie Oltmann
As Life Member Ruthie Oltmann states in her 2011 book Ruthie’s Trails she has lived a life of adventure. For over forty years Ruthie has consistently made contributions to Canadian Mountain Culture, within both the ACC and the larger mountain community, and for that the ACC is proud to award her the Club’s highest member award.
Ruthie Oltmann was awarded The Alpine Club of Canada’s A.O. Wheeler Legacy Award in 2016 and the Distinguished Service Award in 1997.
Honorary Membership:
An honour for contributions in Canadian mountaineering.
Does not have to be current ACC Member, but with 20 years of service
Previous Silver Rope for Leadership recipient
2020 - Helmut Microys
After immigrating from Austria to Canada in 1955, Helmut studied civil engineering at the University of Toronto, obtaining a PhD in 1972. He quickly became recognized for outstanding climbing and mountaineering abilities. Helmut was selected to lead the Mount Ontario climb during Canada’s 1967 centennial expedition to the Yukon. After several attempts, the team succeeded in a 40-hour epic.
During the 60s and 70s, Helmut and various partners put up no fewer than ~120 recorded first ascents along the Niagara Escarpment and at Bon Echo, many at an advanced climbing standard for the period. Helmut has climbed more than 700 summits, split roughly equally between the Canadian Rockies and the Alps. He has several Rockies first ascents to his credit, including the first recorded solo traverse of the principal peaks of the Sir Donald group in 1966.
Helmut served on both the UIAA Safety Commission as the Canadian representative and the ACC Safety Committee from 1974 to 2004, a period of 30 years – a remarkable contribution. For the early part of this period, he also represented the AAC and American mountaineering clubs. His credentials (skilled climber and mountaineer, PhD-level engineering background, fluency in German and knowledge of European culture) made him an ideal fit for these assignments.
Helmut contributed to research, testing, standards development and technical publications regarding climbing and mountaineering safety on a wide variety of topics. This included development of materiel and testing standards for climbing ropes, carabiners, helmets, ice screws, crampons, nuts and rock anchors. He took a particular interest in promotion of safe belay techniques as well as corrosion of fixed anchors in sea water environments. He published safety-related articles in the ACC Gazette, ACC Journal and AAC Journal. Beginning in 1981, Helmut also represented the ACC at many of the annual UIAA General Assembly meetings held around the globe, personally bearing much of the expense.
Helmut received the ACC Distinguished Service Award in 1990, recognizing his contributions to climbing safety at both the national and section levels. He was made an Honorary Member of the ACC in 2021 in recognition of his extraordinary life time contributions to Canadian mountaineering.
President’s Award:
A special award to recognize extraordinary services to The Alpine Club of Canada.
Does not have to be an ACC Member
2015 - Peter Aitchison
Peter Aitchison was a longtime member of the Manitoba Section. In the early seventies he helped to re-establish the Manitoba Section, serving as section president and vice-president for many years. Among Peter’s numerous contributions to the Section, he will be remembered for having mentored many, many climbers, for having discovered several new climbing cliffs in the Manitoba/Northwest Ontario area, for having made several new ascents in this area and for being the leader of the first ascent of Mount Manitoba in the Yukon. Peter died tragically on August 7, 2013, while climbing Mount Victoria.
Peter was awarded The Alpine Club of Canada’s President’s Award posthumously in 2015.
Nominate a volunteer!
The ACC Volunteer Awards are intended to recognize those of our members who have made significant contributions in furthering the aims and goals of the Alpine Club of Canada and Canadian mountaineering in general. These Awards are one small way that we hope to show them our appreciation.
