The State of the Mountains Report is a commitment by the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) to provide accessible, current, and accurate information about the forces that affect Canadian mountain places, ecosystems, and communities.
In 2011, ACC published the first State of the Mountains Report, which highlighted the startling impacts of climate change on the alpine environment of Alberta and British Columbia. Beginning in 2018, the Report has been published annually, in collaboration with mountain researchers, community members, and partner organizations, as part of the ACC’s commitment to summarize and better communicate an understanding of the environmental and cultural forces affecting these high places. The tradition continues with the 2026 State of the Mountains Report.
The Report gives Canadians, and all readers alike, the opportunity to hear the voices of people who have spent countless hours researching our alpine environment. The contributors in the report have, in one way or another, dedicated their lives to the alpine and have offered their firsthand experiences, expertise, and photographs to tell the stories of how change in Canadian mountain environments is affecting people and Ecosystems.
2026 Report Focus
Fire season seems to have replaced summer, especially in the mountains of western Canada. This year the ACC’s State of the Mountains Report revisits fire, with a feature Q&A-style article that explores how two communities in the Rocky Mountains, Jasper and Banff, are facing a future where fire will be a constant, rather than a hypothetical.
As of the 2026, State of the Mountains editorial team welcomes Mary Sanseverino. Mary is an internationally recognised repeat-photography expert from the University of Victoria’s prolific Mountain Legacy Project, as well as the Vice President of UIAA’s Mountain Protection Commission. On the report she says: “The State of the Mountains report is the ACC’s primary vehicle for showcasing environmental stewardship in Canada’s (and beyond) mountain regions. It is a real privilege to be on the editorial team.”
Further Information
Read 2026 State of the Mountains Report (English, French)
State of the Mountains Report Archive
