Saving Canada - The Beginning
By Peder Ourom, December 2024
The Beginning
Back in the summer of 1980 Canada was in danger of falling apart. A constitutional crisis had arisen, and an agreement was needed to be reached by all of the provinces and territories. If 50% plus 1 voted to separate from any province, the existence of Canada as an independent country was over. Pierre Trudeau then went into full crisis mode, as a vote for separation that would meet this low threshold would land directly on his shoulders. This was definitely not the legacy that he wanted from his term in office.
Our Government in Ottawa, for reasons unknown, then made the decision that a political propaganda advertisement should be created. Canadians reaching out to help other Canadians was to be the theme. It was the start of the mountain location movie shoots that BC was to become famous for in the years and decades that followed, including K2, Vertical Limits, and the X-Files. The difference of course, was that this production actually mattered.
So what do you do when you need a mountain film team for a very important production, when the industry did not exist? The solution was an interesting one. A Hollywood production team was enlisted, as they did seem to be familiar with the correct way to look through a camera lens. Someone at the production company then came up with an interesting way to solve the “experienced mountain film shoot and climbing rigging problem.”
The call then came in and was answered by the hippie climbers at the MEC store on 4th Avenue in Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC. It was a unique moment in our climbing “careers” and provided our scruffy team with a purpose for the summer.
The request was taken up by Dave Harris, the mail order manager at MEC. Dave would end up as combination mountain production director and stuntman. This may be the only time these roles have been combined. The motley crew he assembled included John Howe, Peter Croft, Tami Knight, Ryan Shellborn, and I (Peder Ourom). We were promised unimaginable wages, and were to be paid in cash each day! Note that in 1980 at MEC, wages were around $200 a week. The movie pay was an unheard of sum of $100 a day. Hollywood wages, for climber dirtbags. One week’s work would add $500 to each of our pockets, and would pay for almost a whole season in Yosemite.
To be selected to join this newly created MEC film production dream team, was actually a dream.
We all brought a different skill set to the production. Dave would be the production manager and stuntman. I think he got paid even more than us, but this ended up being okay, as we almost killed him on the “stunt” day…. Peter and I were the “riggers,” and John was the handsome guy that all film productions required. He also brought a wide range of mountain skills to the table, and did not mind being attacked by mosquitoes and black flies, a trait that served him well in his future career as a forester. He also answered Dave’s call promptly. Tami was Peter’s partner at the time, and the endless battles between the two of them kept us both amused and annoyed for the whole production. At the time, the number of dedicated female climbers in Squamish was very small, and having one of them on the crew was seen as a slight nod to equality. Finally, we needed another mountain climber to complete the team and help carry the heavy loads. Dave decided that his friend, Ryan Shellborn would be a good choice, and he agreed to join our motley crew.
The film crew from LA had no idea what they were getting into, just like us!
At a “production” meeting at a downtown Vancouver hotel, we started to get a glimpse of what was ahead. Hotel suites for all, rental limousines, catering delivered by helicopter, all the benefits sounded pretty amazing. Equipment was then purchased, wardrobe choices made, and the schedule was set. We were getting an early taste of the benefits that came with movie work, and we liked it! After all, they were quite an upgrade from the “benefits” of the rat-infested caves on Psyche ledge, where some of us currently resided. Within a few days, the adventure began . . . .