Alpine Club of Canada. Following are highlights of the A.C.C.’s 1989 achievements. In the facilities area, 1989 marked the completion of the Wapta Icefields project, whose centerpiece was the July construction of the new Bow Hut. This project represented an $85,000 financial commitment and the volunteer labor of more than 400 persons over five years. In October the Balfour Hut was replaced by Parks Canada with an entirely new structure.

In the activities area, the Summer Camps Committee produced yet another capacity General Mountaineering Camp and seems to have successfully reversed the financial difficulties experienced by GMCs a few years ago.

As part of many on-going services, the club launched a new Sport Climbing Committee, which initiated or sanctioned three events. These included the Second Canadian National Championships, hosted by the Edmonton Section on its new wall in December. Both the Ottawa and Winnipeg Sections also held their own sport climbing competitions.

The A.C.C. awarded the first grants from the Alpine Club Endowment Fund, with amounts totaling nearly $10,000 disbursed to seven individuals or Sections, including $5,000 to the Smoke Bluffs project. The Canadian Centre for Mountaineering has launched a major corporate fund-raising drive with the donation of $100,000 to the project by Canadian Pacific Ltd. The Education Committee hosted the 1989 Mountain Leadership Conference, which was chaired by Michael Mortimer and drew over 300 participants in November.

The budget process was more difficult than usual as the club struggles to deal with rising costs in many areas, particularly publications. After serious and significant budget cuts, the Board was able to restrict a proposed membership fee increase of 30% to just 11%. This was the first increase since 1987 and raises the individual membership fee to $45. Most of the additional revenue will go to offset increased publication costs for the Canadian Alpine Journal, but there will also be reductions in the appearance and form of the club's national newsletter.

Dick Latta, Executive Director