Hans Gmoser | |
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| Born | Johann Wolfgang Gmoser (1932-07-07)July 7, 1932 Linz, Austria |
| Died | July 5, 2006(2006-07-05) (aged 73) Canmore, Alberta, Canada |
| Occupation | mountaineer |
| Known for | Canadian Mountain Holidays |
| Awards | Order of Canada,Golden Jubilee Medal, Honour Roll of Canadian Skiing |
Johann Wolfgang "Hans" Gmoser,CM (July 7, 1932 – July 5, 2006) was a founder of modernmountaineering inCanada. Born inAustria in 1932, he came to Canada in 1951, and was a major driving force behind the growing popularity ofclimbing,skiing andguiding.[1][2]
In the 1950s he pioneered new rock climbs, most notably Grillmair Chimneys (1952), Calgary Route (1953) - withFranz Dopf leading, and Diretissima (1957) onYamnuska. He made the third (and first Canadian) ascents of bothMount Alberta (1958) andBrussels Peak (1960). He participated in what may have been the first ascent of Alaska'sMount Blackburn in 1958, and led very successful expeditions toMount Logan (east ridge) in 1959, and toMount McKinley (Wickersham Wall) in 1963. In 1961 he climbed a difficult new route on the south face ofMount Louis. He was described as "a good leader. He always had plans and he did his darndest to make his dreams come true."[3]
Gmoser was a very capable and ambitious mountain guide. For years he travelled throughout North America, presenting hisfilms[4][5] and promoting the Canadian mountain experience. In 1963 he was a founding member of theAssociation of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) and was its first technical chairman.[6] In 1957 he founded Rocky Mountain Guides which eventually grew to become Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), advertised as the largest mountain adventure operation in the world. CMH is where Gmoser made his mark inheliskiing.[7]
Gmoser was elected an honorary member of TheAlpine Club of Canada (1986), was awarded theOrder of Canada (1987) andGolden Jubilee Medal (2002),[8] received theBanff Mountain Film Festival Summit of Excellence award (1989), was elected to the Honour Roll of Canadian Skiing (1989),[9] was named an honorary member of theInternational Federation of Mountain Guides Association (1992), in 1997 was elected Honorary President of theACMG, presented a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Snowsports Journalists Association in 1998,[10] was inducted to the USNational Ski Hall of Fame[11] and the Canadian Tourism Hall of Fame.[12]
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