Mountains Matter

The ACC has committed to publishing the State of the Mountains Report annually, with the 2019 edition set to drop next week. As we look forward to the next edition, we’re reflecting back on the 2018 report with a look at the opening essay by editors Lael Parrott, Zac Robinson and David Hik about how mountains matter to us all.

Lael Parrott, Zac Robinson, and David HikMay 16, 2019sotm2018, mountains matter

Climate change to test mountain communities [2018]

How mountain people are at the gates of climate change and how resilience and adaptation will be necessary to understand the risks and actions required to maintain a successful community.

Kevin HannaMay 6, 2019mountain communities

The Mountain Legacy Project: Exploring 150 Years of Landscape Change in the Canadian Mountain West [2018]

By accessing and comparing old images to new, the MLP is able to document and display changes in our landscape, from glaciers, treelines, vegetation encroachment to wildfire habits.

Mary Sanseverino and Eric HiggsApril 22, 2019mountain legacy project, surveying, MLP, mountain imagery

Glaciers [2018]

How do we observe and analyze the change to our glaciers, and why are these changes important to us and our alpine environment?

Mike Demuth shows us trends and glacial recession that are hallmarks of climate change and what we can expect for the future.

Mike DemuthApril 8, 2019glaciers, sotm, sotm2018, state of the mountains

The shifting states of alpine treelines in Canada [2018]

What does climate change have to do with treelines shifting to higher and higher altitudes? This piece from Carissa D. Brown explores our diverse treelines across Canada - what keeps them alive in certain locations and what facilitates, slows down or prevents their expansion.

EnvironmentCarissa D. BrownMarch 21, 2019state of the mountains, trees, alpine, mountains

Avalanches in Canada: Understanding and mitigating the risks [2018]

With an increase in winter backcountry use, how do we help to reduce the risk of avalanche fatalities?

This article by Pascal Haegeli reviews our current knowledge base on avalanches and the blending of social sciences to help develop models for risk management.

Climate Change Challenges for Alpine Ski Resorts in Western Canada [2018]

Years of scientific data on greenhouse gas emissions allow us to accurately predict changes in temperature over several decades, including best- and worst-case scenarios. The numbers show that, if we continue on our current trend, it could spell trouble for Western Canada’s ski resorts, especially the coastal ones.

Michael Pidwirny, Kalim Bahbahani and Shane PedersenNovember 14, 2018

Mountain Writing, Film, and Digital Media in Canada [2018]

Joanna Croston, Programming Director for the Banff Mountain Film & Book Festival, provides a snapshot of the state of mountain literature, film and digital media in English Canada.

CultureJoanna CrostonOctober 23, 2018banff mountain film fest, bmff

The State of Canada's Ice Core Archive [2018]

Martin Sharp and Alison Criscitiello from the University of Alberta provide us with a history on Canadian core sampling efforts, an introduction to CICA's goals and facilities, and their ongoing projects.

Mountains as monuments [2018]

Outside of the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland, Canada has more glacier cover than any other nation — some 200,000 square kilometres. Professor Mike Demuth describes some of the seasonal and annual mass changes that are a direct result of weather and climate.

Environment, ScienceMike DemuthMay 22, 2018state of the mountains, glaciers

Canada's mountain birds [2018]

Learn about some of the challenges and opportunities that the mountains offer as a home base for some of the world’s hardiest and best-adapted bird species.

Science, EnvironmentKathy MartinMay 4, 2018birds, state of the mountains

Conservation of mountain ungulates in Canada [2018]

Marco Festa-Bianchet, Professor of Biology at the University of Sherbrooke, highlights the challenges in conservation of Canada's iconic mountain ungulate species.

Science, EnvironmentMarco Festa-BianchetApril 19, 2018goats, sheep, ungulates, state of the mountains

A Crisis in Subalpine Forest Health

Learn the basics about the threats facing diversity and the unique dynamics of Western Canada's high-elevation forests.

The State of the Mountains Blog

Articles from the annual State of the Mountains Report