Sneak Peek: The cover of the 2021 CAJ
2021 CAJ front cover: Christina Lustenberger below the ice pitches on the first descent of Gold Card Couloir between Mount Burnham and Mount Grady, Monashee Mountains. Photo: Steve Shannon.
Today the ACC is releasing the cover photos (front and back) for the 2021 Canadian Alpine Journal. It's always an exciting time when we finalize the choice of cover photos and there is an extra reason for us to be proud of them this year: both the front and back cover feature female alpinists. We’ve only featured a woman on the CAJ cover twice before and increasing the visibility of female alpinists is a trend that I hope continues.
What follows is my editorial from this year’s journal, I hope you like it.
—Sean Isaac
Reconciling the Past
People change, hopefully for the better. In my twenties, I made some poor choices for route names that I have recently corrected. I recognize now the impact of a name and the responsibility that we, as climbers, have in getting it right. A route name is not for the first ascentionists alone but rather for a community of users that reaches far and wide, and with no room for causing offence.
The small mixed crag to the left of Hidden Dragon in the Ghost of the Canadian Rockies contains the names that needed changing. The irony is that at that time of my life, when those names first came about, I had considered myself a promoter of diversity, equity and inclusion by having featured women climbers on both front covers of my mixed-climbing guidebooks. This, of course, only illustrates how deeply entrenched a person’s biases can be—back then I didn’t think twice about potentially causing harm with a name choice. My climbing partners and I have retroactively corrected this mistake. The crag’s name was changed to Justice Wall and the routes to MLK, RBG and AOC—the initials of proponents of social justice movements, past and present (Martin Luther King, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). These route names are also a retort to naysayers who have argued that climbing culture will be watered down if we simply assign numbers or letters to routes. In this case, it’s hard to deny the meaning of those initials.
2021 CAJ back cover: Brette Harrington on the summit of Mount Neptuak after completing the first ascent of The Hammer and the Dance. Photo: Tony McLane
This year’s Canadian Alpine Journal has a significant number of stories that address questionable names, mainly with regards to colonial titles given to previously Indigenous-named peaks. In light of this and in the name of change, the CAJ will now refer to the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies, located in Mount Robson Provincial Park, by its Texqakallt Nation name of Yexyexéscen, and to Mount Rundle, the prominent massif that stretches from Banff to Canmore, by its original Cree name of Waskahigan Watchi (House Mountain).
Reconciliation is a first step in the long path to healing past injustices. To paraphrase Muhammad Ali, a person who views the world at 50 the same as they did at 20 has wasted 30 years of their life. I hope that my present-day self is a more considerate person than my past self, and that I will never again make anyone feel marginalized or degraded by a name.
The Alpine Club of Canada’s National Office is located on Treaty 7 territory and on the traditional lands of the Stoney Nakoda Nations of Wesley, Chiniki and Bearspaw; the three nations of the Blackfoot Confederacy—the Pikani, Kainai and Siksika; and the Tsuu T’ina of the Dene people. Treaty 7 territory is also shared with the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. Before the signing of Treaty 7 and prior to the establishment of provincial boundaries, this region was also used by the Ktunaxa and the Maskwacis peoples. The Canadian Alpine Journal acknowledge the past, present and future generations of these Nations who help us steward this land, as well as honour and celebrate this place. The CAJ further acknowledges and recognizes that the activities of the ACC reaches across all of the distinct First Nations, Métis Homelands and Inuit Nunangat, and for this we are grateful.
How to subscribe to the CAJ
New or existing ACC members who add the CAJ upgrade to their membership ($22 in Canada) receive the Journal in the mail. The retail price of the journal is $30). Members who add the CAJ upgrade before June 20, will receive the 2021 Journal. CAJ upgrades added after June 20 will receive the 2022 Journal next summer. To join the ACC go here.
Current members can upgrade their memberships through their online profile, or call our office at 403-678-3200 ext 222.
