Nicholas Donaldson
Although not everything went as planned, former Fort Frances resident Haven Labbe, whose family relocated to Kenora a few years ago, is very pleased with her mountain climb and the awareness it brought to a small-town organization.
Labbe told the Times last week that she saw the work her mother was doing for indigenous youth and wanted to make a difference, as well.
She decided she could attempt to climb Mount Esja in Iceland and do it in honour of SPACE Kenora, a LGBTQ2S+ youth and peer support group.
“I ended up raising just over $500 from the support of friends and family,” Labbe said just a few days after her Nov. 24 ascent.
“This generosity warmed my heart and provided much-needed motivation during my climb,” she added.
Labbe did the climb with her significant other, Koray, a more experienced climber than her but she hopes to get to his level some day.
“In the past, Koray had used a climb for fundraising so that inspired me to look into it, as well,” she recalled.
“I’m actually too shy for the attention you bring on yourself when trying to get people to notice your fundraiser, but the opportunity to help others could not be passed up,” Labbe admitted.
Despite not being familiar with it beforehand, Labbe said donating to SPACE Kenora was an easy choice to make.
“I definitely wanted to help a local youth group as a small donation could really go a long way for them,” she reasoned.
“I specifically sought out LGBT groups as I figured these at-risk youth did not have many resources in our small towns,” she added.
Labbe said she did not know of any such groups at the time, which emphasized for her the need for support, funding, and awareness.
But as she came across SPACE Kenora, she immediately knew she would like to represent them.
“Regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, social class, religion, or any other labels we assign people, we all deserve the same opportunities, treatment, and right to feel safe,” Labbe stressed.
“SPACE provides that safe space for LGBTQ2S+ youth and allies, as well as useful resources such as name change workshops or transgender clothing swaps.
“It has been an absolute honour to represent this group,” she said.
To prepare for the ascent, Labbe said she climbed a few 3,000-metre-high peaks in Banff National Park.
“They were very long days testing my endurance, determination, and acclimatization to altitude,” she noted.
But Labbe added a winter trek adds the elements of extreme weather, extra weight to carry, terrain troubles, risk of an avalanche, and limited daylight.
“I had to learn how to use my gear for the general climbing, as well as what to do if something went wrong,” she said.
“And as a beginner, I had a lot of knowledge to take in.”
Labbe and her partner first tried the climb as planned on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
She said she had been watching the weather on Mount Esja for the whole month prior and it was favourable up until that day.
They began the attempt at 6:30 a.m. to give them the best daylight during the most technical and exposed part of the ascent at 10 a.m., but Labbe said it was snowing that day and winds of 70 km/h were coming from the north.
“This was the worst direction as it meant the fresh snow, as well as snow stripped from the slopes ahead, would be blown down directly at us,” she remarked.
After an hour and almost no visibility, Labbe said they had to make a decision.
Rather than continuing on knowing they would not be able to reach the summit that day, the pair retreated and rearranged the climb to be on Friday, Nov. 24.
“The weather all week made me nervous because these heavy winds from the north continued on and shut down the highway at times, and on the mountain I worried that snow drifts would increase avalanche risk,” she explained.
“When the day came for our second attempt, I was much more nervous than before,” she admitted.
Labbe said the wind still was blowing hard, so they moved quickly to reach one of the peaks that day despite not being able to look up because the wind blowing in their faces was too painful.
According to Labbe, wind gusts were so strong at times that the two climbers literally were knocked over.
“We made it to the peak of Stein by sunrise after a 700-metre ascent and although the altitude was not high for a mountain, the exposure to the elements was quite extreme and it only worsened once a peak was reached,” Labbe said.
She tried to continue past Stein for a better picture but the wind continued to knock her back, making any attempt to go further reckless and likely impossible for her.
So they decided then to turn back.
Labbe said the climb took only a few hours because they had hurried so much. But on the way down, Koray’s crampon (traction device) fell off and the wind was far too cold to take mitts off to fix it.
“He stepped forward and his boot stayed behind in the snow, but luckily he could laugh about it as he hopped around in his sock,” she recalled.
Labbe said they are covered in bruises from hitting the ground so many times, but for her they represent the challenge the pair faced that day.
“I never would have thought I could make it that day, so I am excited to see what comes next,” she remarked.
Looking ahead, Labbe said she hopes to do more technical climbs, including Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in the Alps, in the summer of 2019.
“It will be the ultimate test for my body and mind, so it will feel amazing just to even make an attempt,” she noted.
Labbe said that with the success of this fundraiser, she’s planning on making the Mont Blanc attempt a fundraiser, as well.
