ACMG Volume 26 Winter 2007 News Han Gmo er Inside... s s 1932 - 2006 New Code of Conduct by Chic Scott page 5 Hans Gmoser, the eminence grise of Canadian was ski touring near the Stanley Mitchell Hut in the mountaineering, died July 5th, 2006, from injuries Little Yoho Valley, near Field, BC. Here they celebrated sustained in a fall while cycling the 1A highway near their first Canadian Christmas and learned to love their 7 in 7 Banff. In recent years Gmoser had shunned the limelight, adopted country. Hans played the zither and Leo loved page 7 content to enjoy his two favourite activities – cross- to sing so the wilderness cabin was full of music. country skiing in winter and cycling in summer. But Hans’ mountaineering achievements during the fifties during the 1950s, 60s and 70s he laid the foundation of and sixties are numerous and a brief list would include President’s modern mountaineering in Canada. He pioneered rock, early ascents of Mount Alberta and Brussels Peak, two alpine and expedition climbing, he popularized ski of the hardest challenges in the Rockies; a remarkable Prattle mountaineering and was largely responsible for creating ascent of the east ridge of Mount Logan, Canada’s highest our professional mountain guides association. Through peak; the second (and possibly first) ascent of Mount page 9 his films and later Blackburn in Alaska; and through helicopter a new route on the north skiing he made the face of Denali (Mount The Devil’s Canadian mountains McKinley), North Advocate world famous. America’s highest summit. Born in Braunau, As a skier he pioneered page 11 Austria, July 7, 1932, new high-level ski Hans grew up during the traverses in the Purcell troubled war years. As Mountains and along the Multi-burial a teenager he discovered crest of the Rockies from searching the mountains and a Kicking Horse Pass to the lifelong passion was Columbia Icefield. For page 23 kindled. With his friend young Canadian climbers Franz Dopf he climbed and ski mountaineers he and skied and developed was an icon and inspired Guide- his mountaineering several generations of skills. Then, in 1951, fledgling mountaineers. speak 101 Hans and Leo Grillmair The idealistic articles he page 27 immigrated to Canada. wrote in the Canadian Life was pretty spartan Alpine Journal were music for the pair and their first to young ears looking for job was logging near an alternative lifestyle: Whitecourt, Alberta. “What were we trying to Soon they made their do?Werewetryingto way to Calgary, where show off? Were we trying they were joined by to kill ourselves? – No! Dopf. Linking up with We wanted to inhale and The Alpine Club of breathe life again. We Canada they began to were rebelling against an discover our incredible existence which human mountain wilderness. kind has forced upon During the summer itself. We were rebelling months their passion against an existence full was rock climbing, of distorted values, against pioneering new routes an existence where a man on Mount Yamnuska in is judged by the size of the front ranges of the his living-room, by the Rockies. In the winter it Hans Gmoser amount of chromium on ACMG News 2 Volume 26, Winter 2007 Continued from page 1 his car. But here we were ourselves again: simple and pure. educational mountain outdoor experience. We want our guests Friends in the mountains.” to be comfortable and to feel at home in our lodges. We want But it was as a mountain guide that he really made his mark. to keep our lodges free of the electronic noises and images He began leading ski tours for Erling Strom and Lizzie that invade our lives everywhere else. We consider ourselves News Rummel near Mount Assiniboine in 1953. Lizzie became a to be intruders into one of the few large, contiguous natural close friend and confidant, as did Fred Pessl, one of Hans’ areas left in the world. Therefore, we ask our guests that they, first clients. Hans never forgot the early friends he made in along with us, respect the sanctity, silence and the spirit of the mountains. They supported him when he needed help and these natural wonders we are privileged to share.” he repaid their trust many times over. In later years Hans Hans was also a founding member of the Association of would host ‘Nostalgia Week’ at his lodge in the Bugaboos Canadian Mountain Guides and its first technical chairman. and invite his early clients and supporters to join him for a Throughout his career he took a keen interest in guides affairs week of heli-skiing. and for a number of years was the association’s president. In 1957 Hans founded Rocky Mountain Guides Ltd. He Hans’s pioneering efforts in mountain climbing, ski touring led mountain climbers during the summer but the real bread and heli-skiing created an industry that today employs hundreds and butter programs were the ski weeks in the winter, at of guides and thousands of support staff. Mount Assiniboine, Rogers Pass and of course at his beloved Beyond all these notable achievements, Hans was simply Stanley Mitchell cabin in the Little Yoho Valley. From 1957 a remarkable man who inspired loyalty and in return would to 1967 Hans made 10 ski and climbing films that he toured be your lifelong friend. He was a man who, in the words of all over North America, from Alaska to California and east the poet Rudyard Kipling, could “walk with Kings – nor lose to Montreal and New York. One year he had 53 lecture dates the common touch”. Gmoser numbered among his friends on his schedule and attracted a crowd of 2500 people in and clients Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (who he guided up Detroit. Hans accompanied these films with a romantic Bugaboo Spire), the King of Spain and the King and Queen narration that thrilled and inspired audiences. A critic in a of Norway, but during his tenure at the helm of CMH he Milwaukee newspaper wrote, “In narrating the film Mr. probably knew the name of every guest who skied at his Gmoser offered more than entertainment… there was a simple lodges and every staff member who took care of them. lesson in philosophy.” Hans was a gifted communicator, a Hans met his wife, Margaret MacGougan, skiing at the poet in fact, and wrote in the Canadian Alpine Journal, “In Stanley Mitchell Hut and they married in 1966. They have the end, to ski is to travel fast and free - free over the untouched lived all these years in the same modest house in Harvie snow covered country. To be bound to one slope, even to one Heights (near Canmore) and have two sons, Conrad (Lesley) mountain, by a lift may be convenient but it robs us of the and Robson (who is a ski guide like his father) and two greatest pleasure that skiing can give, that is, to travel through grandchildren. the wide wintry country; to follow the lure of the peaks which Hans has been greatly honoured over the years, receiving tempt on the horizon and to be alone for a few days or even honourary memberships in The Alpine Club of Canada and a few hours in, clear, mysterious surroundings.” the International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations Although Hans loved traditional ski touring from small and an honourary doctorate from Thompson Rivers University. cabins in the wilderness, he is today known as the father of He was elected to the Honour Roll of Canadian Skiing and helicopter skiing. In 1965 he ran the first two commercial to the U.S National Ski Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the heli-ski weeks from an old logging camp in the Bugaboo Banff Mountain Film Festival Summit of Excellence Award Mountains, near Radium, BC. Heli-skiing took off, for the and, in 1987, was awarded the Order of Canada. Just a few timing was perfect: the requisite jet helicopter technology weeks ago he was a founding inductee into the Canadian was just being developed. By 1968 luxurious Bugaboo Lodge Tourism Hall of Fame. He was Honourary President of the was open, welcoming blue ribbon clientele from around North ACMG. America and Europe. Hans’ Rocky Mountain Guides Ltd. Not long ago Hans commented: “Looking back, I’ve had grew to become Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), with a good interesting life. I had my time in the mountains. I had 500 employees and a dozen lodges scattered throughout the my time as a businessman. So what more can I ask for?” interior of BC. Hans was of course in the right place at the Hans’ passing will bring to a close a large, interesting and right time, but he was also the right man for the job. He very creative era in the western Canadian mountains. developed a heli-ski industry with strong ties to the traditional mountain guiding and mountain climbing communities, and he always felt that heli-skiing was a wilderness experience. Chic Scott is a Ski Guide, author and Honourary Member of He wrote: “Our primary aim is to offer our guests a safe and the ACMG. He lives in Banff. What happened to the News? You may have noticed the ACMG News was late for this ACMG News winter issue. This was caused by the theft of the editor’s “I love opportunity. I wave to it every time it passes me by” computer and the nearly completed newsletter contained on - Captain Jack Sparrow its hard drive. Fortunately most original documents had been Managing Editor backed up but a month’s delay occurred before time was found Mark Klassen to re-do the layout.