A brief note in recognition of International Women’s Day 2026 (Sunday, March 8, 2026).
Left to Right: Jean Davidson leaving the summit; Doris Campbell crossing the glacier; Sylvia Evans on the way to Tonquin 1952.
The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) was founded in 1906 when Victorian ideas of appropriate activities for women were being replaced by more modern ideas of feminine capabilities. Most European mountain clubs were still segregated by gender, but the ACC was established with full membership for women. Elizabeth Parker was instrumental in the founding of the ACC, becoming its first secretary. Although starting her alpine career later in life, Parker attended the General Mountain Camps every summer and encouraged her daughter to climb actively. Women were expected to dress for GMC activity in pants (knickerbockers or bloomers) from the start, even if they were still wearing long skirts in camp. The Canadian Alpine Journal of 1909 published Dr. Mary Crawford’s support for “Mountain Climbing For Women” with the recommendation “She is going to know herself as never before—physically, mentally, emotionally. And so she starts out, gains confidence with every step, finds the dangers she has imagined far greater than those she encounters and arrives at last upon the summit to gaze out upon a new world. Surely not the same old earth she has seen all her life? Yes— but looked at from on top—a point of view which now makes upon her mind its indelible impression.”
Dr Crawford’s words resonate through the years, with women in the ACC active participants and leaders in rock climbing, hiking, skiing, and alpine mountaineering trips.
Women continued to contribute to the leadership of the ACC, especially at the section level, where women generally comprised 30-40% of the membership. At the national level, women often filled the Secretary position. Women led in other national positions as well, notably, Margaret Fleming, an enthusiastic climber from Winnipeg, as the editor of the Canadian Alpine Journal, starting in 1942 until 1953. Phyllis Munday, who climbed over a hundred peaks including Mount Robson, then took over as editor from 1953 to 1969.
In Edmonton, women have served in section leadership positions throughout our history, as well as leaders for many trips. A quick review across selected decades shows the first women who served as section chairs were Harriett Inkster, Doris Campbell, Sylvia Evans (RCAF) and Gladys Hartley in the late 40’s and early 50’s. From the 70’s into the 80’s, section chairs included Margaret Tewnion, Eve Turner, Alison Dinwoodie, Monique Robitaille, and Ursula Maydell. Renee Polziehn was chair in the 2000’s. Today, of course, women continue to share leadership in the ACC, from Isabelle Daigneault as the first woman President of the ACC in 2022, to current members of the Edmonton section board.
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