Yamnuska Mountain Adventures


Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is a mountaineering school and mountain adventure company located in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. The company was founded in 1975.

Name

The company was named after Mount Yamnuska, a native name that translates to "flat-faced mountain". Mount Yamnuska is also a popular rock climbing destination.

History

Yamnuska Inc. mountaineering school was created in 1975 as part of the YMCA's outdoor education centre at Seebe, about 80 km west of Calgary. Programs included backpacking, rock climbing and mountaineering.
Early instructors included James Blench, Barry Blanchard, Dwayne Congdon, Chris Miller, Marni Virtue and Sharon Wood - Barry Blanchard and James Blench are still involved with Yamnuska. The 'Wilderness Program' left the YMCA and 'Yamnuska Mountain School', a non-profit society directed by Bruce Elkin, was formed and based in the back of Bruce's and Barry Blanchard's house in Canmore, Alberta, Canada.
The next years saw a steady evolution, as instruction in mountaineering, rock and ice climbing became the core activity with the fall Mountain Skills Semester an annual event. By the early 80's Yamnuska was at the apex of the instructional market. Yamnuska became a for-profit company in late 1985. In 1989, David Begg, a New Zealand guide, became the owner of the company.
In 2005 the company was re-branded Yamnuska Mountain Adventures to reflect the growth in the soft-adventure programs. Individuals, groups, corporations and military organizations from all over the world choose Yamnuska as their provider. In 2010, Yamnuska transferred ownership to Len Youden, currently the General Manager. David Begg and Barry Blanchard are still working at Yamnuska as Associate Directors.

Guides

All climbing, skiing and hiking guides are trained and certified by the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. The ACMG is a member-country of the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations which is often known by its French acronym. Yamnuska guides operate within the strict terrain guidelines of the ACMG.
In 1993, Yamnuska was the second largest employer of Certified Mountain Guides in North America.
The very exacting standards to which Yamnuska's guides are held should not obscure the fact that the guides are the heart and soul of the company. Yamnuska's guides have been responsible for many new routes in the Canadian Rockies and abroad, like the following ones, by Barry Blanchard:
Yamnuska is committed to sustainable travel and tourism and helps to promote the preservation of the fragile alpine areas of the world's mountains. Their programs are typically human-powered endeavors that use self-propelled means of travel and they strive to cut their impact on the environment by supporting local and national environmental organizations, like Leave No Trace.

Memberships

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is a member of:
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures holds guiding permits for