The ACC Saskatchewan Section is an official section of the Alpine Club of Canada. Founded in 1906, the ACC is comprised of sections and members from across Canada, as well as members from around the world. Its national office and clubhouse is located in Canmore, Alberta – in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Membership in the Saskatchewan Section, as with any other, includes membership in the national organization.
The Saskatchewan Section was originally operational from 1921 to 1946 but was inactive until 1995. Currently, we have over 100 members from various parts of Saskatchewan and even a few from further afield. The National Office and clubhouse of the ACC is located in Canmore, AB, with a number of backcountry huts located in various parts of the mountains.
Our Section’s main fundraising event of the year is hosting the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour which we’ve done since the early 1990s. We also host the Film Festival in Regina. We organize various Adventure Races including the Saskatoon Urban Adventure Race, the Gopher Chase Adventure Race and, for the first time in 2012, the Frozen Gopher Adventure Race. For 8 years, we also organized The Prairie Pitch Adventure Race. Information about all of our races are available from our Races page. The Section also has a mountaineering camp, a beginner’s ice-climbing weekend as well as other activities. You can keep up to date by visiting our Activities page, our blog, The Prairie Pitch Express, and our Facebook Page.
Despite all this, however, we Sask. Section members have one slight problem. We have no mountains in Saskatchewan. None whatsoever. We’re smack dab in the middle of the Canadian prairies (see map).
In fact, it’s so flat out here that on a clear day you can see the back of your head. You might say that (as alpine enthusiasts) we’re geographically challenged. So why do we belong to the Alpine Club of Canada? It’s simple. We enjoy the mountains and the adventures to be found amongst them, even if we have to drive seven hours to get there.
Section members have been known to go as far as Devil’s Tower, the Black Hills and Skaha (Penticton, BC), for a weekend of climbing. It’s a dedicated, crazy group!
For more detailed information about our organization, its activities and how to join, see the page entitled: Join our Club.
