Book ends compiled by Lynn
Martel
Summits and Icefields: Alpine Ski Tours in the Columbia Mountains
by Chic Scott and Mark Klassen With pages and pages of large, full-colour photos, line after line of accurate, detailed and concise route information, clearly drawn topo maps and a whole lot of excellent background information by two great masters of their terrain, the only thing backcountry skiers need to add to this book are the stupendous alpine vistas they’ll enjoy from the top of a col or peak, or the cheek bursting smiles they wear after skiing one of these slopes in deep, fluffy powder. From Über popular day trips in the Rogers Pass area to the classic Bugaboos to Rogers Pass or lesser travelled but highly-praised Northern Cariboo traverses, this volume is a backcountry lover’s soft and fluffy dream book. Published by Rocky Mountain Books, www.rmbooks.com/ .
A Beginner’s Guide to Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies
by Andrew Nugara There’s hardly a winter activity better suited to beginners than snowshoeing, and prolific guidebook author Andrew Nugara knows how to help lure even the most timid winter explorers beyond the parking lot. Complete with photos of snowmen, air bubbles sealed in a frozen lakebed, silly humour shots, babies in back‑ packs and enticing, short-sleeves-on-a-sunny-spring-day images, this guidebook highlights more than 40 accessible snowshoeing destinations ideal for the whole family. Making everything one step easier with an appendix organised by difficulty level, and valuable hints for the first-time snowshoe shopper, Nugara is a pro at sharing all the reasons snowshoeing is “fun, great exercise” that “allows you to travel into places of surreal beauty that would otherwise be inaccessible during winter and spring”. Published by Rocky Mountain Books, www.rmbooks.com/ .
Bear 71
Cold Matters: The State and Fate of Canada’s Fresh Water
by Bob Sandford Having immersed himself in fresh‑ water science and policy issues since 2005, Sandford has become an inter‑ nationally respected authority on matters of water availability and the effects of climate change. In Cold Matters, he describes the research, researchers and results of long-term scientific studies of cold regions hydrology, glaciology, meteorology and climatology in western and northern Canada— the exact playground where ACC members love and live to climb and ski tour. This book shares, in easy-to-understand terms, the basic principles that govern hydrology and glaciology in Canada, the rapid changes to rivers, snow, glaciers and permafrost that scientists have observed over the past several decades, and the implications of those findings not just for the future of Canada’s invaluable natural landscapes, but also for those who recreate in the alpine environment. Published by Rocky Mountain Books, www.rmbooks.com/ .
Becoming Water: Glaciers in a Warming World
by Michael Demuth Mom, where does a glacier come from? If you’ve ever fielded this question, this book holds the answer. Written by one of Canada’s most respected glaciologists, Mike Demuth, Becoming Water takes readers on a tour of our country’s great—and dimin‑ ishing—glaciers, describing how they formed, how they function and what their future will likely look like. From Canada’s high Arctic to the mountains of B.C. and Alberta, this book explains, in climber-friendly terms, how varied and complex our glaciers really are, how they are measured and how they figure in the national and global story of inescapable climate change. From a mountain recreationist’s point of view, Becoming Water opens an entirely new and fascinating look at the glaciers we love to explore. Published by Rocky Mountain Books, www.rmbooks.com/ .
by Leanne Allison and Jeremy Mendes Not a book, this innovative NFB (National Film Board of Canada) interactive documentary tells the story of a Bow Valley momma grizzly bear killed by a train on the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks east of Canmore. The 20-minute film incorporates a digital landscape map with still and video images captured by sensor-triggered cameras installed on backcountry trails throughout the Rockies’ mountain parks. Navigating by keyboard or mouse, the viewer passes over lakes, forest, rivers, the railroad and highway encountering wolves, bears, cougars, deer, lynx, ravens, wolverines and humans. Pullout segments share individual animals’ stories—the name researchers gave it, the distances it travelled, how it crossed over or under the highway, how many young it raised. One option invites the viewer to become part of the picture, literally, via their own desktop camera. To experience the multi-award-winning Bear 71, visit www.nfb.ca/interactive or check out www.thefwa.com . 26 Alpine Club of Canada
Gazette
Spring 2013