Anders Ourom began serving BC’s climbing and mountaineering community while a student at the University of British Columbia and remains actively engaged to this day. As a young volunteer, he led training trips and taught rock climbing at Squamish and elsewhere. He has continued this with the BC Mountaineering Club, which he has been active in for over 50 years. Anders’ efforts introduced many people to rock climbing and mountaineering, and he has been a mentor to many climbers. An expert rock climber, his 1980 guidebook to rock climbing at Squamish systematized and collected all the information available to that point.
A founder and long-time president of the Climbers’ Access Society of BC, Anders was one of those instrumental in persuading the provincial government to create Stawamus Chief Provincial Park in 1995 and Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park in 2010. A founding member of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival in 1997, Anders has been involved as a volunteer, director, and strategic adviser. Anders was an early member of Mountain Equipment Co-operative. He started as a volunteer at its tiny first store, then served nine years as a director, including three years as chair.