Barb Clemes Talks 1980s

In Canmore, Barb Clemes gave an outstanding presentation for the Bow Valley Mountain Club. She called her talk the “Frilly and the Chilly” presentation and it was about hardcore women who climbed serous things a few decades ago. She showed images to 200 people of the first Canadian women’s team to successfully climb North America’s highest peak, Denali, which she was on. Clemes and partner Ann Campbell made the first female ascents of many of the Rockies ice climbs, including Polar Circus VI WI5. She told stories about being the first Canadian woman to send 5.12. She was a member of Canada’s National Sport Climbing team and competed on the World Cup circuit from 1989 to 1992. She’ll be giving her talk again at the Banff Mountain Film and Book Festival’s Dirtbag Café this fall.