Conrad Kain Returns to Robson 100 Years Later

The CKCS climbing team joined Laurie Schwartz, producer of a play (under the auspices of Banff National Park Mountainwit) “As Far As I Can Take You”, and actor David Thomson for the lovely walk in to the joint CKCS/ACC Mt Robson Centennial camp on August 25 . 

After we mingled with the ACC team members, David launched smoothly into his role as Conrad Kain and entertained both climbers and a crowd of appreciative hikers from the nearby campsite with a monologue that touched on the highlights of the great Austrian guide’s life in Canada.

It was eerie, and somewhat exciting to see Thomson dressed in tweeds and pipe in hand, poised with a far away look in his eyes, and Mt Robson rising 2300 meters above Berg lake in the background. The scene evoked the famous photo taken by Banff photographer Byron Harmon after Kain’s return from the summit to base camp in 1913.

Kudos to David and Laurie for making the effort to keep an important chapter of Canadian mountaineering history alive. Conrad would have been proud!