Another outtake from our archives. So cool….
We posted another historical outtake back in February and it motivated the following reply:
“Riding the Wolverine Chair at Sunshine with 77+-year-old friends today (2017-02-15), the conversation turned to the ephemeral nature of our recent memories while those of embarrassing incidents from the remote past haunt us with blazing clarity. Lo and behold, on returning to my Calgary home and opening my e-mail, I found in the current BREEZE the reprint of Peter Spear’s account of the Section’s 1967 mass ski ascent of Storm Mtn., and I confess to being the unfortunate member who found himself upside down in the creek on the descent. I had made it across the fragile snow-bridge but the snow on the opposite bank collapsed, throwing me upside down into the creek with the tails of my skis stuck firmly in the remnants of the snow-bridge. Prompt self-rescue would have been impossible in this position – icy water was running into the seat of my pants and out of the neck of my jacket, and I wouldn’t have survived long had not Gerry Schlee come along soon after and dug me out. As Peter hints, the long ski out was tricky, especially in clothes sodden with freezing water. So I am eternally indebted to Gerry – a fine gentleman, a good friend, and a greatly valued Section member in his time. Sadly, he died in 1975 in a canoeing accident on the Bow River in Calgary – Gerry survived the spill, but, characteristically, went back to try to save his companion. He was unsuccessful in this, and they both drowned. Gerry’s funeral was held on 1975-07-15 – ironically, the day I occupied my then new home on the lethal Bow River (and coincidentally my birthday).”
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