A community of alpine enthusiasts, sharing base camp in Edmonton.

Continuing our series of Edmonton Section historical articles this year, PearlAnn Reichwein celebrates our history of coming together in our heritage sites. PearlAnn Reichwein, PhD, is a full professor at the University of Alberta who studies the history and heritage of the Canadian West. Author of Climber’s Paradise: Making Canada’s Mountain Parks, 1906-1974, a finalist at the Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival and awarded a prestigious Canadian Historical Association Clio Prize, and co-author of Read more

Don Campbell (1920 – 2002) was a long time member of the Edmonton section, joining the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) at sixteen. He worked in Lake Louise when he was nineteen and climbed Mt. Hector, Mt. Temple, Mt. Weed, Mt. Fairview, and Devil’s Thumb the summer of 1940. He was drawn to Mt Victoria, memorizing the mountain’s details, but did not have an opportunity to climb the 3464 metre height that year. The years Read more

Don Campbell (1920 – 2002) was an enthusiastic member of the Edmonton section, and wrote about his early experiences in the club in this article. He joined the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) at the age of sixteen, adventuring out on climbs with Edmonton section founders Cyril Wates, Helen Burns, Rex Gibson, Dr Harry Bulyea, and others. He was a frequent photographer of activities and mountain landscapes on club trips. Despite a shoulder injury that had limited his climbing, Read more

I first heard of Helen Burns during my Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) Edmonton Section photo competition research this past summer and was intrigued by her climbing and club accomplishments. She was the first female Chair of the Edmonton Section, but little else was written about her. Intrigued, I set about researching details of her life as written in newspaper accounts and other sources. My research revealed that she was an integral member of the Read more