Max Fisher and Fred Giroux Recieve 2016 John Lauchlan Award

Max Fisher and Fred Giroux receive the 2016 John Lauchlan Award. Their plan is to climb a new route above the Homathko Icefield on Canada’s West Coast. The two will attempt a line that Fisher spotted on a previous trip. If successful, the two will summit an unnamed peak and likely unclimbed peak. A number of big peaks rise from the icefield, including Mount Queen Bess, the second highest mountain in the Pacific Ranges. Fisher and Giroux plan to head into the Homathko in spring 2017.

Fisher is from Sackville, New Brunswick and Giroux is from Dalhousie, New Brunswick. They two young alpinists have a number of big sends behind in them in the past few years. You can follow Fisher on Instagram here and Giroux here. The 2015 John Lauchlan Award went to Anna Smith and Alison Criscitiello. The two climbers had started building camps up a route in the Indian Himalayas when Smith passed away from a heart attack in her sleep, she was 31. Criscetiello spoke about the difficult experience at the Banff Mountain Festival in November 2016.

John Lauchlan (1954-1982) was a pioneer in setting new standards in climbing both in Canada and internationally. At home he made numerous first ascents of alpine routes and ice climbs, including the southwest buttress of Mount Logan, the North Face of Mount Kitchener, Takakkaw Falls and Slipstream. The John Lauchlan Award is awarded annually to a lightweight Canadian team pursuing an innovative, bold, exploratory, environmentally sensitive, non-commercial objective.