With contributions from many generous donors, The Alpine Club of Canada has established funds to support mountaineering-related projects and initiatives. Support is provided in the form of annual cash grants and scholarships to individuals and groups who are judged as best meeting the selection criteria. Each year the ACC grants over $15,000 through the grants listed below. Congratulations and thanks to our grant recipients.

The application deadline for grants is Jan 31 of each year.

Apply here

Jen Higgins Grant for Young Women

This grant promotes creative and energetic alpinerelated outdoor pursuits by young women. These projects should demonstrate initiative, creativity, energy and resourcefulness with an emphasis on selfpropelled wilderness travel and should provide value and interest to the community.

Expedition 1: Exploratory Climbing in Canada’s North: A human powered expedition to the Coronation Glacier

Recipients: Amanda Bischke and Shira Biner
Amount: $2,245
Description: The Coronation Fjord and Coronation Glacier on the remote east coast of Baffin Island are lined with impressive rock faces up to 1000m high that have no records of being explored by climbers. There were three main components to their objective: 1) Establish first ascents of big wall free climbs 2) Complete an all female first ascent in the arctic 3) Complete their expedition in as human powered a way as possible, by traveling 70km by sea kayak followed by 12km of glacier travel by foot to basecamp. Read about their trip here.

Expedition 2: A First Ascent to the Great Hall of the Gods

Recipients: Sara Lilley, Isobel Phoebus and Sasha Yasinski
Amount: $2,000
Description: This year, we aspire to return to the Valhallas to attempt one or more new routes. Our specific target is to climb one of a few potential new routes on the southwest face of Gladsheim Peak, the highest peak in the Valhalla Range. We hope the learning process ignited during this expedition will inspire continued female contribution to both local and international climbing communities. The upcoming guidebook for the Valhallas, alongside most guidebooks, contains an overwhelming majority of male first ascents. We hope to strengthen the representation of the female climbing community of Canada as capable, independent climbers. Read about their trip here.

Environment Grant

The purpose of the grant is to provide support that contributes to the protection and preservation of mountain and climbing environments, including the preservation of alpine flora and fauna in their natural habitat.

Project 1: High Elevation Monitoring Project

Recipients: Heather Shaw – Living Lakes Canada
Amount: $4,000
Description: Heather works with LLC’s team of experienced advisors, hydrologists, and two professors of biology with years of experience in alpine lake monitoring. This program fosters a greater understanding of high elevation regions and alpine ecosystems, and is crucial for making science-based management decisions in the face of climate change. Read about the project here.

Project 2: East Creek Diversion Toilet Upgrade

Recipients: Marc Piché - Friends of Bugaboo Park
Amount: $2,303
Description of Project: The FOBP plans to replace the East Creek toilet (outside of Bugaboo Glacier Provincial Park) with a urine-diverting system that will significantly reduce the amount of helicopter flights required to service the site. These toilets have been tried and proven effective worldwide, including in several BC Parks. The open-air design has been used at elevations as high as 3,300m in Colorado. https://www.toilettech.ca Replacement of the barrels associated with the current “green throne” toilet system has proven difficult due to the remote nature of the site. Quite often, the weather is unfavourable for flying when the rest of the barrels in the spires are being flown out. This has resulted in overflowing barrels and occasionally running out of barrels at the site altogether. Read about their project here.

Project 3: Mountain Voices: The Mountain Legacy Project and a Century of Change in Western Canada

Recipients: Mary Sanseverino and Zac Robinson
Amount: $2,000
Description of Project: This is a book project. Mountain Voices chronicles change in Canadian mountain landscapes told by those intimately acquainted with the mountains. Powered by the largest systematic collection of historical mountain photographs, and animated by a two decade-long effort to document change with repeat photography, this book will be a beautiful and compelling display of mountain photographs, past and present.

Jim Colpitts Memorial Scholarship

The financial costs of learning, developing and certifying mountaineering skills can be substantial, particularly for young people. Through the Jim Colpitts Memorial Scholarship, we aim to help out with those financial costs.

Course Name: ACC Intro to Mountaineering

Recipient: Antje Gille
Amount: $1,056
Description: Antje is 19 years old and from Edmonton. She's starting Env Science at UofA . Antje would like to take this course in order to gain practical knowledge on glacier travel and basic mountaineering skills.

Karl Nagy

This scholarship was established in 2001 to assist aspiring guides and volunteer leaders in the development of their skills.

Recipient: Corey Woolnough
Amount: GMC Spot - $2995
Description: Training for the Alpine Guides Exam for fall of 2023. Corey’s goal in becoming a guide is to teach and help other develop thieir skills.

John Laughlan Memorial Award

The John Lauchlan Memorial Award is a cash and mentorship award designed to assist Canadian climbers. The award exists to perpetuate the bold and adventurous spirit which John Lauchlan exemplified in his climbing exploits. Specifically, the award strives to promote the development of Canadian alpinists through the support of worthy expeditions and mountainous adventures in Canada and abroad. More information is available at JohnLauchlanAward. com. The ACC assists with the award administration.

Expedition: Canadians on Mt Huntington in Denali National Park

Recipients: Zac Colbran and Grant Stewart
Amount: $5,000
Description: The main objective is to establish a new route up a buttress on the West Face of Mt. Huntington. The route follows very steep mixed terrain linking rock corners into large ice features to establish 700m of highly-technical new ground before intersecting with the upper climbing of the Colton/Leach route and reaching the summit of Mt. Huntington.

2023 ACC Financial Grant recipients