ACC General Mountaineering Camp in Battle Brook

The GMC as it is known in the mountain community is the longest standing mountaineering camp of any alpine club in the world. The camp started in 1906 and has been the icon of the Alpine Club of Canada for 104 years. That is some wicked history there!

This years camp was located in a new area for the GMC which is astounding considering new locations still come up even after all these years. Battle Brook is a branch of the Imcomapluex River that drains the south west sides of Mts Purity, Wheeler and Grand and then flowing by the Battle Range, Mts Butters, Moby Dick and Proteus and out to the upper Arrow Lake of the Columbia River. Glacier National Park boundry is located all above Battle Brook camp at the Thor-Odin Glaciers.

What a spectacular spot. At around 6000'/1900m the climbs are long but not difficult to the vistas of the Southern Selkirk mountains. A cold and wet spring held the snow longer than expected which made for some good snow conditions.
The weather was thick on the the 1st day and stayed for 2 more after that as well, making another GMC first for delayed start by 2.5 days.

Once at the camp everyone was climbing with great energy seeing what we could. In the alpine we accumulated up to 1meter of snow during the days we could not fly.
This made for winter type mountaineering..

I have had the pleasure of guiding at the GMC for 12 years now and every year the camp is an amazing collection of people of all levels and skills, which come to enjoy the remote mountains of Canada and be in a rustic camp atmosphere. Just so much fun...

The climbing is the key interest, we explore the area and find the routes that will be laid out for the camp's duration. So much to see.

Climbs that were done at the GMC for the first weeks were in the Van Horne Group. They were Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Purity, Vestal and Kilpatrick.

Fresh grizzly tracks at 3000m on a glacier in the Van Horne area on Alpha peak.
Bears often wander around on the glaciers by themselves and have been known to fall into crevasses and get themselves out, with crampons like that, I would think he could too!

The GMC was an awesome experience for all that have an interest in the mountains and climbing... try it out!
Brad Harrison: Camp Manager at large,
Ron Andrew: Camp Manager Week 1.
Doug Hogg: Camp Manager Week 2.
Guides Week 1: Conrad Janzen, Roger Laurilla, and Lilla Molnar
Guides Week 2: Roger Laurilla, Peter Amann,  and Tim Haggarty
Amateur Leaders Week 1: Cam Roe, Felix Camire, and Doug Hogg,
Amateur Leaders Week 2: Dan Doll, Jeff Bullock, and Steve McCubbery
Camp Coordinator Week 1: Edie Shackleton
Camp Coordinator Week 2: Brenda Critchley

 A semipalmated sandpiper, a visitor who should be in the Arctic for the summer but stayed at the GMC.