Johann Wolfgang "Hans" Gmoser, CM (July 7, 1932 – July 5, 2006) was a founder of modern

mountaineering Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Born in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in 1932, he came to Canada in 1951, and since then has been a major driving force behind the growing popularity of

climbing Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains (e.g. the eight thousanders), to small boulders. Climbing is done fo ...

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IO ...

and guiding. In the 1950s he pioneered new rock climbs, most notably Grillmair Chimneys (1952), Calgary Route (1953) - with Franz Dopf leading, and Diretissima (1957) on Yamnuska. He made the third (and first Canadian) ascents of both

Mount Alberta Mount Alberta is a mountain located in the upper Athabasca River Valley of Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. J. Norman Collie named the mountain in 1898 after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta. It is the most difficult of the 11,000ers from ...

(1958) and Brussels Peak (1960). He participated in what may have been the first ascent of Alaska's

Mount Blackburn Mount Blackburn is the highest peak in the Wrangell Mountains of Alaska in the United States. It is the fifth-highest peak in the United States and the twelfth-highest peak in North America. The mountain is an old, eroded shield volcano, the se ...

in 1958, and led very successful expeditions to

Mount Logan Mount Logan () is the highest mountain in Canada and the second-highest peak in North America after Denali. The mountain was named after Sir William Edmond Logan, a Canadian geologist and founder of the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC). Mount ...

(east ridge) in 1959, and to

Mount McKinley Denali (; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. With a topographic prominence of and a topographic isolation of , Denali is the thir ...

(Wickersham Wall) in 1963. In 1961 he climbed a difficult new route on the south face of

Mount Louis Mount Louis is a mountain summit located in southeast Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Sawback Range which is a subset of the Canadian Rockies. The mountain was named in 1886 after Louis B. Stewart who surveyed in the ...

. He was described as "a good leader. He always had plans and he did his darndest to make his dreams come true." Gmoser was a very capable and ambitious mountain guide. For years he travelled throughout North America, presenting his

films A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and devoting vast amounts of energy toward promoting the Canadian mountain experience. In 1963 he was a founding member of the

Association of Canadian Mountain Guides ''These initials may also mean the American College of Medical Genetics.'' The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) is Canada's only internationally recognised mountain guide A mountain guide is a specially trained and experienced pr ...

(ACMG) and was its first technical chairman. 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 in

heliskiing Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift. History In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The ...

. Gmoser was elected an honorary member of The

Alpine Club of Canada The Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) is an amateur athletic association with its national office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler ...

(1986), was awarded the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

(1987) and

Golden Jubilee Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du jubilé d'or de la Reine Elizabeth II) or the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal was a commemorative medal created in 2002 to mark the 50th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's ...

(2002), received the

Banff Mountain Film Festival The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival is an international film competition and annual presentation of films and documentaries about mountain culture, sports, environment and adventure & exploration. It was launched in 1976 as ''The Banff Festival ...

Summit of Excellence award (1989), was elected to the Honour Roll of Canadian Skiing (1989), was named an honorary member of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (1992), in 1997 was elected Honorary President of the ACMG, presented a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Snowsports Journalists Association in 1998, and in 2002 was inducted to the US

National Ski Hall of Fame The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Ishpeming, Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States. Located in the state's Upper Peninsula, the building includes the hall of fame and museum, as well as a t ...

."Hans Gmoser"
2002 US National Ski Hall of Fame

References

* Gmoser, Hans (1986) ''Operations Guidelines'' Association of British Columbia Heli-Ski Operators * Gmoser, Hans (1996) ''The CMH gallery: a visual celebration of CMH Heli-Skiing and Heli-Hiking'' Altitude Publishing, Ltd. * Patillo, Roger W. (2005
''The Canadian Rockies: Pioneers, Legends and True Tales''
, Page 379 * Scott, Chic (2005
''Powder Pioneers: Ski Stories from the Canadian Rockies''
, Page 121 * Fry, John (2006
"Up By Air! The Adventure-Filled Golden Years of Heli-Skiing"
''Skiing Heritage Journal'' Vol. 18, No. 3: 8-13 * Donahue, Topher (2008
''Bugaboo Dreams: A Story of Skiers, Helicopters and Mountains''
* Scott, Chic (2009
''Deep powder and steep rock: the life of mountain guide Hans Gmoser''
Assiniboine Pub.,

External links

July 6, 2006
50 Years of CMH Heli-Skiing
at canadianmountainholidays.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Gmoser, Hans 1932 births 2006 deaths Canadian mountain climbers Members of the Order of Canada