Andrew Brash, who would later achieve fame on Mount Everest, at a camp near Mount Waddington in 1991.

Barry Blanchard and Kevin Doyle, two of Canada's finest alpinists enjoying a moment of fun at Num-ti-jah Lodge in the Canadian Rockies.

Barry Blanchard, Canada's leading alpinist and mountain guide.

Ben Gadd, prominent naturalist and author, below Yamnuska, the scene of his famous novel, Raven's End.

Brian Greenwood, one of Canada's great climbing pioneers, enjoying a drink or two at his home on Vancouver Island.

Allan Fyffe is one of Scotland’s most experienced mountain guides and a great climber with many difficult ascents in the European Alps and the Himalaya. Allen and I climbed together in 1973 on a British Expedition to Dhaulagiri IV in the Nepalese Himalaya.

Charlie Locke was one of Canada’s leading climbers and ski mountaineers during the 1960s and 70s. Together we shared many adventures including the first winter ascent of Mount Hungabee (1966) and the Great Divide ski traverse from Jasper to Lake Louise (1967). After retiring from serious climbing, he turned his hand to business and has been very successful. Today he owns and operates the Lake Louise Ski Resort.

In 2002, Don Vockeroth (centre), Charlie Locke (right) and I got together for a ski adventure across the Winston Churchill Range near Jasper. The weather was inclement for much of the trip but it just made the excursion a little more challenging.

Chris Perry is one of the most experienced and prolific rock climbers in the Bow Valley, having pioneered dozens of new routes and authored the guidebooks Ghost Rock and Bow Valley Rock.

Claude Lavallee is one of the fathers of Quebec climbing and the founder of the Federation Quebecois de la Montagne. Today he works as the climbing ranger at Val David in the Laurentian Mountains north of Montreal.

Dan Verrall was for many years in charge of the maintenance and repair of the Alpine Club of Canada huts. He loves skiing and now is co-owner of Talus Lodge in the Rockies not far from Mount Assiniboine.

Dave Smith and I met in 1965 on an Icelandic Airlines flight from Luxembourg to New York. Over the years we have shared many climbing and skiing adventures including the Rogers Pass to Bugaboos ski traverse (1973) and the Northern Selkirks ski traverse (1976). This photo was taken in 1976 on the Northern Selkirks traverse.

In 2009 Dave and I skied to the summit of Mount Baker in Washington State. Then we had a 1500 metre run back down to our tent.

Kurt Diemberger, one of the world’s greatest mountaineers, and I have been friends since 1974 when I invited him to come to Canada and give a lecture tour for the Alpine Club of Canada. I spent New Year 2003 visiting Kurt in his home in Bologna, Italy and took this photo of him at his computer.

In 1992 Diny Harrison became the first woman to be certified as a full mountain guide in Canada.

Don Gardner and his wife, Joan Dunkley, enjoy a moment of quite contemplation in the Little Yoho Valley.

Don Gardner is one of my oldest friends. Together we have shared some great adventures including the first winter ascent of Mount Assiniboine (1967), the Great Divide ski traverse from Jasper to Lake Louise (1967), the Rogers Pass to Bugaboos ski traverse (1973) and the Northern Selkirks ski traverse (1976). Don has had a very adventurous and creative life and is still one of my closest friends. This photo was taken in 1976 on the Northern Selkirks traverse.

Don McTighe is one of western Canada’s most experienced and competent helicopter pilots and it has always been a pleasure to fly with him. Don is the base manager for Alpine Helicopters in Golden, BC.

In the summer of 2007 I climbed the Paternkofel with Dave Dornian. I got this great shot of him on the summit with the Drei Zinnen (Tre Cime di Lavaredo) in the background. Dave is a keen climber, skier and organizer and is a Vice President of the Alpine Club of Canada.

In 2000, Doug Scott, one of Britain’s greatest climbers and the president of The Alpine Club, invited me to the club’s 132nd annual dinner in the Great Hall at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. Of course we all had to get dressed up in dinner jackets.

In 1968, Dougal Haston asked me to work as a guide at the International School of Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland. For five seasons I worked for Dougal and he became a close friend and a mentor to me. He was one of the greatest climbers of his day with ascents of the Eiger north face direct in winter (1966), the south face of Annapurna (1970) and the south west face of Mount Everest (1975). Dougal was killed in an avalanche while skiing alone in 1977.

This photo was taken in 1974 while filming the Hollywood thriller, The Eiger Sanction, in Switzerland. Dougal Haston (left) was in charge of the climbing aspects of film, Clint Eastwood (centre) directed and starred in the film and Norman Dhyrenfurth (right) was billed as Chief of Expedition. Dhyrenfurth had led the very successful 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition, was a filmmaker by profession and spoke fluent English and German.

Kevin Doyle, Barry Blanchard, Ward Robinson and Peter Arbic (left to right) are four of the finest climbers to come from the Canadian Rockies and some very serious party animals as well.

Clint Eastwood on the north face of the Eiger in 1974 during the filming of the Hollywood thriller, The Eiger Sanction. Just behind Eastwood can be seen the start of the famous Hinterstoisser Traverse.

In 1990 French mountain guide Patrick Gabarrou and I went on an expedition to the Pantheon Range in the Coast Mountains of BC. For me it was a great honour to climb with an alpinist of his calibre (Patrick has about 100 new routes in the Mont Blanc Range and 15 new routes on Mont Blanc alone including 5.13 Divine Providence). We managed to climb a new route on Mount Vishnu and had a very cold bivouac on the summit.

These are my two Scottish buddies: Mike Galbraith and Carl Hannigan. Mike and I met in Leysin, Switzerland, where we both worked as guides for Dougal Haston at the International School of Mountaineering. Mike is from Edinburgh and Carl is from Glasgow and they both have lived in Calgary for many years.

I put the camera on a mound of snow in the doorway of the Glacier Circle Hut and set it on automatic timer. The shot worked and this image has become one of my favourites. We are Ron Robinson, Dave Smith, Don Gardner and me (left to right). It is 1973 and we are on the Rogers Pass to Bugaboos ski traverse.

Brian Greenwood and Dick Howe are Rockies climbing pioneers of the 50s, 60s and 70s. I took this photo at the fortieth anniversary of the Calgary Mountain Club.

Hamish McInnes, also known as the Fox of Glencoe, is one of the great Scottish climbing pioneers. He is also the inventor of the Pteradactyl, the first of the drooped pick axes that revolutionized ice climbing in the 1970s. I took this photo of Hamish while working on the Hollywood thriller, The Eiger Sanction, in 1974.

Hans Gmoser (left) and Leo Grillmair (right) came to Canada from Austria in 1951. They became two of the great climbing and skiing pioneers of the Canadian Rockies. I took this photo in 2001 after sharing a ten-day hut-to-hut ski tour with Hans and Leo and their wives.

Ian Mitchell is Scotland’s leading mountain historian. When I visit Scotland he is my guide and when he comes to Canada I show him the sights. Here is Ian on top of Mount Fairview, near Lake Louise, on a snowy day.

James Blench is one of Canada’s most experienced mountain guides. He told me a few years back that he had climbed Mount Robson over 25 times! We shared some good adventures in the early 1990s including several guided trips across the Wapta Icefields.

Jean Sylvain and Claude Berube are two climbing pioneers of the Quebec City region. I met them when I was researching my book on the history of Canadian mountain climbing. Jean told me that when he was young they had to teach themselves how to climb, find the cliffs, pioneer the new routes, write the guidebooks and organize the clubs!!!

Jeff Marshall has a remarkable climbing record. On ice and rock he was one of the best. I lived in a room in the basement of Jeff’s house in 1993 and 94 when I was writing Summits and Icefields.

At the fortieth anniversary of the Calgary Mountain Club, in 2000, Jeff got dressed up for a little bit of theatre.

Jim Buckingham skis more in the backcountry than anyone I know. At 70 years of age he gets out over 70 days each winter. In summer he paddles and is considered one of the local experts.

I took this photo of famous writer Joe Simpson (Touching the Void) in a bar in Sheffield, England. He looks like he is going to punch me.

In 1978, I climbed the east ridge of Mount Logan and took this photo of my partner, Jon Jones, on the East Peak. It was a cold day but the scenery was spectacular. Jon has pioneered ice, alpine and rock climbing in the Rockies and led several expeditions to the Himalaya. He is co-author of Sport Climbs in the Canadian Rockies.

Ken and Bridget Jones are old timers in the Rockies. Ken was the first home grown Canadian to earn a living as a mountain guide. Bridget set off from England in about 1955 on a trip around the world. At Mount Assiniboine she met Ken and that was about as far as she got. Here they are at Num-ti-jah Lodge, which ken built in the 1940s.

Ken Chow is one of my best friends. We ski and hike together and Ken does all my photo work for me.

In 2005, at the Georgetown Inn in Canmore, the four of us who skied the Great Divide Traverse from Jasper to Lake Louise in 1967 got together again. From Left to right we are Don Gardner, Chic Scott, Charlie Locke and Neil Liske.

One afternoon at Mount Assiniboine Lodge I had the great pleasure of listening to Hans Gmoser play the zither while Leo Grillmair sang.

Lloyd MacKay was one of my very best friends. He was like a big brother to me. In 1973 we represented Canada at the International Climbers Meet in Chamonix, France. We did a number of good climbs together including the north face of the Aiguille du Dru. Here is Lloyd on the summit of the Dru. Lloyd died in 1976, at the age of 37, from cancer.

Louise Guy is an inspiration to me. At 90 years of age she is still getting out skiing. She also cooks a good pork roast and keeps me well fed.

Margaret Gmoser is one of my favourite ski buddies. She is strong and experienced and never complains. She can also ski pretty well as this photo shows.

Mike King, seen here with his mother Jen, is the helicopter pilot for the mountaineers of the Coast Mountains. He is based at Bluff Lake, where he grew up. Jen and Mike’s father, who was also a helicopter pilot, settled here back in the 1950s. If you visit the Waddington are you will be flying with Mike.

In 1974 I had the great pleasure of spending two weeks climbing in the European Alps with Per Temba Sherpa. Per Temba has climbed Mount Everest numerous times, including and ascent of the south west face with Pete Boardman in 1975.

Here is Dick Renshaw in front of the tent on the south west pillar of Mount Logan in 1977. Dick was one of the leading British alpinists of his day.

Richard and Louise Guy have been like a second father and mother to me. Here they are at Lake O’Hara Lodge on Valentines Day.

At 93 years of age, mathematician Richard Guy still goes in to work every day. On the weekends he gets out skiing and just a few years ago skied the 11 km to Lake O’Hara Lodge.

Rick Collier is a local legend in the Rockies. He has climbed more mountains than anyone else – thousands in fact.

Austrian mountain guide, Roko Koell, works for Canadian Mountain Holidays, and looks pretty cool here, climbing in the Bugaboos.

Ron Robinson and I shared two great adventures – the Rogers Pass to Bugaboos ski traverse (1973) and the Northern Selkirks ski traverse (1976). He worked for many years as a schoolteacher in Calgary. This photo was taken on the Northern Selkirks traverse in 1976.

In 2004, the four of us who skied the Roger Pass to Bugaboos traverse and the Northern Selkirks traverse, got together again. From left to right we are Ron Robinson, Dave Smith, Don Gardner and Chic Scott.

Rudi Kranabitter is an Austrian mountain guide. He climbed the north face of the Eiger when he was only 16 years old and was a certified mountain guide when he was 18 years old. He lived and worked in Canada for over 30 years but has now returned to his home in the Stubai Valley of Austria. Here is Rudi on top of the highest peak in the Stubai region, the Zucherhutl.

I met Olympic athletes Sara Renner and Thomas Grandi on the cross-country ski trail near Banff. It was Christmas day and they were wearing off some of the good food and wine.

I was very honoured to get to know Sydney Scroggie and his wife Margaret on my visits to Dundee in Scotland. Sydney was in the Lovat Scout during the Second World War and trained in Canada in the winter of 1944. He led a group of 35 soldiers to the summit of Mount Columbia in March of that year. In the spring, the Lovat Scouts were sent to Italy where they spent a very difficult year fighting their way north. On the last week of the war Sydney stepped on a land mine and blew his leg off and blinded himself. However he went on to have a full life and still managed to climb mountains.

Tami Knight is one of the characters of the Coast Mountains. A talented climber herself she is well known for her sometimes wild and crazy cartoons.

The Klassen brothers, Karl (left) and Mark (right) are both mountain guides. Mark is very active and leads group along the Grand Ski Traverses almost every year. Karl was the Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides for many years.

Trevor Jones is one of the most accomplished climbers in the Canadian Rockies. We climbed the east ridge of Mount Logan together in 1977. For about 5 years, in the early part of the millennium, we owned a house together in Cochrane. Trevor was a great roommate and climbing partner – always happy and positive.

I captured this photo, in the late 1970s, of the master, Urs Kallen (left), and the acolyte, Kevin Doyle, on the walk up to Yamnuska.

I met Vance Hanna when we were both working at the Sunshine Village Ski Resort in the early 1970s. Vance was the hottest skier on the hill. In his brown bomber jacket and black cowboy hat, he raced through the trees and over the cliffs. At night he cleaned the day lodge so that he could ski all day. Vance went on to have an outstanding career as one of western Canada’s finest photographers.

These three climbing pioneers: Don Vockeroth (left), Gunti Prinz and Franz Dopf (right), got together at the fortieth anniversary party for the Calgary Mountain Club.

In 1991 I organized a camp for the Calgary Section of the Alpine Club of Canada, at the Plummer Hut on the Upper Tellot Glacier near Mount Waddington. These four were my staff: Andrew Brash (left) Carl Nagy, Don Serl (right) and Helen Butler in front.

In 2003 Rocky Mountain Books published The Yam, 50 Years of Climbing on Yamnuska. I was privileged to share this project with Dave Dornian (on the left) and Benn Gadd. Gill Daffern was our editor and made us all sound so much better.

This photo was taken the big day in July 2000 when Pushing the Limits arrived from the printer at the Rocky Mountain Books office. Gill Daffern, her husband Tony and I had been working on this project for six years. The Dafferns literally bet the company on this book. Luckily it sold well and even won some awards.

I took this shot of Kevin Doyle climbing the north face of Mount Athabasca in November 1984. Kevin is one of Canada's finest climbers and a good friend to share a drink with around the fire after a climb.

In 1977 I climbed the Weeping Wall route along the Icefields Parkway with the grand old reprobate, Alan Burgess.

Jon Jones and I climbed Mount Schaffer in the winter of 1978 and I got this shot of Jon waving the flag (the Union Jack that is).

This shot of me and my best friend Kathy Madill was taken along the Spray River ski trail on Christmas Day 2008.

Here are the 'Bludgeon Twins", Al and Aid Burgess, in 1980 below the ice climb Carlsberg Column in the Canadian Rockies.

Legendary Polish climber Voytek Kurtyka visited Canada in October of 1988 to lecture at the Calgary Climbers Festival. A few days later I had the pleasure of rock climbing with Voytek at Squamish, north of Vancouver.

Laurie Skreslet is a Canadian Rockies original. A leading ice climber he went on to become the first Canadian to climb Mount Everest. In 1977 he introduced me to waterfall ice climbing and I snapped this portrait.

I met Tomaz Gehrke in Corsica in 2007. After 15 years as a paratrooper in the French foreign Legion he was coming due for retirement. We shared several great adventures in Poland and Canada over the next few years.

Murray Toft and I climbed the Gooseberry Route on Tunnel Mountain in 1971 when I took this photo. Murray went on to become a mountain guide and run the Outdoor Pursuits Program at the University of Calgary.

I had the great pleasure and honour of hiking to the top of Tunnel Mountain near Banff with Lawrence Hill and his daughter Caroline. With the publication of "The Book of Negroes" Lawrence went on to great acclaim as one of Canada's finest writers.

Rene Boisselle is one of Quebec's premier alpinists. In the 1970s and 80s he climbed extensively in the Canadian Rockies where he established many new routes. In 1976 he and I climbed the north face of Mount Victoria where I took this photo.

Baiba and Pat Morrow have covered more ground and seen more exotic mountain locations than anyone I know. This team travels the world exploring indigenous cultures and making videos. Here they are rock climbing near Canmore, Alberta.

I took this photo of Hans and Margaret Gmoser in 2001 when I had the honour of sharing a ten day ski tour with them.

John Gow worked at Sunshine Village Ski Resort for several decades and eventually became president of the organization. Nowadays, however, he prefers backcountry ski touring.

Liz Natolla and Colin Jones are active climbers, hikers and backcountry skiers. Together we have shared many great adventures over the years.

Mark Heard is one of Canada's finest orthopaedic surgeons and when he is out in the hills he is an adventurous skier, paddler and climber.

Roger Laurilla is a mountain guide and co-owner of Battle Abbey Lodge. With 30 years of experience behind him he is one of Canada's finest guides.

Sepp Renner came to Canada from Switzerland in the late 1960s. A mountain guides by profession he and his wife Barb managed Mount Assiniboine Lodge for 25 years.

I took this photograph of elegantly dressed Sean Dougherty and his wife Audrey Perry at the Calgary Mountain Club's 40th Anniversary Party.