Barry Blanchard: Hero Then, Legend Now

My first visit to Canmore was in the year 2000, after being introduced to the Bow Valley town through a presentation from Barry Blanchard on the cold north shore of Lake Superior, where I was attending Lakehead University.

One morning before class, on a -35°C day, my roommate Jonny – a thick-forearmed, heavy metal-listening 19-year-old climber from southern Ontario – unscrunched a piece of paper he’d removed from a wall near our residence. On it was an invitation to join Blanchard, one of Canada’s leading climbers, for a presentation hosted by Alpine Club of Canada Thunder Bay Section.

Sitting in a packed room with mostly older, moustached men who looked weathered from years outdoors, Blanchard told stories. It was dimly lit and the images on screen behind Blanchard were sent from a slide carousel, not a digital projector. His stories made me laugh and cheer, but more than anything, made me realize the world of climbing was much bigger than I thought. Blanchard flashed images of mountains, if you knew the mountain then you got a beer.

I knew no mountains, but made it my goal after the show to learn about every peak in his show, from Assiniboine and Robson to Nanga Parbat and Logan. In doing so, I learned a lot about Blanchard, and he became my first mountain hero. His climbs in Canada and abroad inspired me to advance my skills in the alpine, and I made regular trips to the Rockies until settling here in 2005.

I would see Blanchard around town and ask him questions about climbs and history. He always humoured me. I would brag to friends that Barry Blanchard told me about his first ascent of Infinite Patience in person. I don’t know if they were as impressed as I was. For 13 years, my relationship with the mountains and the people who use them has changed.

Like many in this valley, I’ve lost friends to climbing and skiing accidents. My heroes have aged and have passed the torch of pushing the limits onto the next generation. And, I now climb with a younger group that I tell secrets of the Rockies to, like Blanchard once did with me.

On Sat. Nov. 24, 2018, I attended the 18th annual Night of Lies hosted by the Alpine Club of Canada at the Cornerstone Theatre in Canmore. Nobody knew that Blanchard would be one of the presenters. He stood centre-stage with no images of peaks. Instead, he took us into the wilderness, where he and friends encountered a quick-witted and curious bear.

Blanchard jumped, ran, crawled and clawed in front of 300 wide-eyed spectators. It was a performance like no other. We laughed and cheered, but more than anything I realized Blanchard was more than my climbing hero, he’s a mountain legend. We’re lucky in the Bow Valley to live with such incredible people and I look forward to sharing stories of some of them, with you.

Blanchard was recently involved in a serious non-climbing related injury that’s left him with a very long recovery ahead, including potentially many weeks or months in a hospital. Visit here to donate to a fundraiser for him. 

Blanchard on History