VOC Centennial Book

Varsity Outdoor Club Centennial Coffee table book project

Introduction

VOC turns 100 years old in 2017! This page is to facilitate publication of a coffee table book regarding VOC history.

Notes for everyone

• Photos must be .jpeg or .tiff, 300 dpi (regular scanners will do)
• Let's work together to make sure this book is of high standard! This book will capture a monumental portion of Canadian mountaineering history.

Roles

Role/topic	Who's in charge	Support
Overall Organizers/Champion Cat herders	Kevin Pierce and Elliott Skierszkan
Book Production Team	Elliott Skierszkan, Kasia Celler, Caroline Jung, Joe O'Brien
Trek Alumni contact/photography/media Expert	Dan Mattison	Caroline Jung (reasonable tinkering skills with Photoshop)
Wiki Page head honcho	Caroline Jung
InDesign Expert	Kasia Celler
Writing/publishing/editing expert	Philippe LeBillon
Pre-1950s	Kevin Pierce, Lucy Buchanan-Parker
1950s	Caroline Jung
1960s	Elliott Skierszkan
1970s	Birgit Rogalla, Liz Lund(?)
1980s	Nick Hindley
1990s	Kasia Celler, Ross Campbell(?)
2000s	Genevieve Savard, Philippe LeBillon
2010s	Noriko Okamoto, Anne Vialettes

Deadlines/Timeline

General

Date	Task
Now-Nov 24 (2016)	Contact alumni (list organized by era is in email sent by Elliott on Nov 16, 2016)
Nov 24-30 (2016)	Collect stories/photos/etc. from alumni, organize/process material
Dec 1 (2016)	Meeting to discuss materials collected.

Book Production

Date	Task
March 1 (2017)	Advanced draft (articles and photos)
April 1 (2017)	Final Design/content
Mid-May (2017)	Final edits complete
May 25 (2017)	Final proofs to printer
June 1 (2017)	Review proof from printer
Aug 15 (2017)	Shipping from printer

Comments by Era

Pre-1950s

• 1917 obvs
• 1923 Neil Carter and Charles Townsend organized a 2-week trip and climbed Wedge, James Turner, Whirlwind, Diavolo (all fist ascents)
• 30 members in 1929
• First non-student joints club? (Iola 1945)
• Seymour cabin planning started 1946 (completed 1950)

1950s

• Lot of club activities at Mount Seymour cabin
• Lots of trips to Garibaldi area
• 1954 First Journal, include pix of cover
• 1957 First Canadian Ascent (and second overall) of Mt Logan East Ridge. Lead by Hans Gmoser (pro guide), featured 3 VOCers) American alpine Journal, 1958, 9:1, pp. 31-38.

1960s

Highlights (Working Document)

Specfic Events

• 1960s - Major contributions to development of Squamish rock climbing scene (Glenn Woodworth, Jim Baldwin, Hamish Mutch, ...)

• 1960s to early 1970s - Mapping and dozens of First Ascents in Coast Ranges by Dick Culbert and others

• 1964 First Canadian Himalayan Expedition (feat. Karl Ricker, Fred Roots, Don Lyon, John Ricker, Don Poole ...)

• 1964 First Ascent of Serra V (Waddington Range, Dick Culbert and Glenn Woodsworth)

• 1964 First Spearhead Traverse (Karl Ricker, Bert Port, Alastair MacDonald, Chris Gardner)

• 1965 Publication of Climber's Guide to the Coastal Ranges by Dick Culbert

• 1965 Mt Veeocee named in honor of VOC Contributions to exploring the area.

• 1965 First Ski Traverse from Bute Inlet to Pemberton via Compton Névé (Jane and Byron Olon, James Craig, Don Poole, Dennis Holden)

• 1965 First Canadian Expedition to Cordillera Blanca (Peru). First Ascent of Nevada Ranrapalca, 6,00 m (Gordie Dunham and Hamish Mutch)

• 1966 First Ascent of Mt Veeocee (Roland Burton, Peter Thompson, Peter Macek)

• 1966 First Ascent of University Wall, Squamish Chief (Tim Auger, Glenn Woodsworth, Dan Tate, Hamish Mutch)

• 1967 Publication of A Climber's Guide to the Squamish Chief and Surrounding Areas (Glenn Woodwsorth)

• 1968 Completion of VOC Whistler Ski Cabin (Karl Ricker, Byron Olson with help from many)

• 1969 Construction of Burton (Sphinx) Hut (led by Roland Burton)

Other activities

• Annual Sphinx Bay ski camps

• Long Hike

• Christmas Ski Trips

• Rock Schools

• Dam Downhill

• Environmental Activities: protecting Garibaldi Park, study of glaciers at Sentinel Bay

• Overhaul of Singing Pass Trail

• Active bildering on UBC Campus, and Capilano Dam

2000s

• 2000/2001

1. First ascent of NW Cook, 3687m, and second ascent of Mt. Cook, 4196m, by new route West Ridge,
2. combined sailing and climbing (Alun Hubard (L), Chris Barnett, Greg Brown, Dave Hildes, Toby Ross);
3. Nevado Santa Cruz, 6259m, Peru (Dave Campbell and Jeremy Frimer);
4. Le Figaro solo sailing race northeast Atlantic (Roberta Holden);
5. Kitchen Sink Award created;
6. re-writing of the VOC Constitution;
7. VOC partners with ACC.
8. Death of David Persson [check].

• 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009

2010s

2010/11

• winter: controverse around safety issue on big organized trips (SAR/other clubs? vs VOC)
  • 82 vocers at winter long hike
• summer:
  • waddington trip (Line+Veenstra)
  • brew hut reno
  • lizzie ck workhike (road+ beam)
  • Labour day: Rachel Bagnall and Jonathan Jette missing (Valentine lk area)
• fall:
  • new voc t-shirt
• winter:
  • AST1+2 discount course

2011/12

• loose beginner between red heather and elfin
• lots kayaking (WW and ocean) trips
• glacier school
• Artem Bylinsii 3/9 lives
• self propelled Baker trip (marcin, caro, nick)
• Denali (goeff, champagne, laura, duncan)
• meslillooet self proppelled (nick + ben)
• kitimat to vancouver via kayak (faroe)
• brew hut reno
• rolands 70th birthday at his namesake hut

2012/13

• first lead ladder
• harrisson washout aug 2010/ reclaim harrison hut:
  • new year trip pemberton ice cap traverse
  • reconn for new trail in spring
    • removing rock from logging rd with explosive (Mottershead)
• tantalus traverse (olek)
• veeocee mtn
• murray home made row boat - vancouver to bella bella and back!
• annie maurer bikes across canada

2013/14

• dec 2013: golden fleece
• kitlted kangaroo
• team bad idea
• lots of ice climbing trips
• new phelix hut bridge -july
• new door for Burton hut: Dragging it over the frozen lake
• shane's close call on guard mtn - aug
• official trail to harisson hut (lots of prework prior) - oct
• new door to brew
• Brew beer brewing
• lost party on Alpha - july1
• Hells gate on home made raft (piotr, neil, artem)
• painting phelix

2014/15

• Jan 2015 Steph and Neil passed away on Joffre
• memorial trip @ phelix: burns and turns
  • home made haggis
• trail running garibaldi pk loop? carly
• firewood helicopter to brew

2015/16

• brew hut get self propelled wood - Ross - june
• lizzie summer workhike
• eventful tantalus traverse - kevin burton
• meager obelisk - 3rd ascent - Lea/nick/ben
• judge success - gobin, artem
• black trusk trail run - sept 2015 -eliott
• Sam McKoy; first full Selkirk Traverse (2016)

more ideas / no dates

- new voc website - Marius Muja - first veenstra traverse? info worth including in the latter ones? - first womyn only trip/ski traverse? - veenstra fast and light editions: McBride in 48h, Blackcomb*Currie in a day, Harrsion to Brew - voc exile to Calgary: phil T, kat V, the Breakys - more? - cubroom movies - recurring trips - history, how long they lasted, most memorable ones (brew hut debacle, longhike, son of rocks, sphinx camp during reading week, idian arm kayaking, hotspring tradition, new year trip at phelix....) - fundraising for SAR / Avalanche Canada?

Topics to cover

• Founding of the club
• Huts
• First nations perspective and interactions between the VOC and first nations. Contact Spencer Rasmussen/Lukas Schreiber/Vicky Alfred
• Environmental impact and the VOC role in this.
• Climbing Faces that were opened up by VOC (ex. Europa). Jeremy Frimer, etc.
• Classic Trips, Dances, Old Traditions, Trends of the clubs in terms of preferred activities, demographic changes
• Deaths in adventure,
• VOC Babies and couples
• Lists (presidents, award winners etc)
• Timeline (as central page of book)
• VOC membership per year, through the years
• World map with routes discovered and explored by VOCers
• Regional map with routes discovered and explored by VOCers
• Life after the VOC
• VOC Awards and Winners
• Self propelled trips and trips with ridiculous transportation stories?