Tabs Talbot

Tabs ("Malcolm" only to his mother, "Mulc" to his immediate family, "Mal" to his associates and "Tabs" to his friends) Talbot passed away on May 12 after a ferocious multi-year battle with colon cancer. Diana Knaak and her daughter Arran Wallace were by his side in the Canmore General Hospital. Supported by so many of his friends and loved ones, in Canada and the UK, Tabs hung on against all odds over the past couple of weeks. We transferred him back and forth between his home and the hospital multiple times, finally landing in a palliative acute care room in the hospital for the last week of his life. Since Tabs learned in February, and then shared with a small group, that his cancer was now terminal, WhatsApp chat groups were formed in the UK and Canada where we posted daily updates, with friends from both sides of the pond sharing their love for Tabs, and stories from years past. The outpouring of emotions and support from everyone was amazing. Carinne De Spaey and Josee Bourgon provided daily full-time care in Tabs suite. His closest friend Diana and her daughter Arran then came in from the coast, and were by his side constantly, even sleeping in his home and hospital room to make certain that he was never alone. CMC climbing friends visited him daily. As Tabs tired, we eventually we had to limit these visits, as they became too many and too long. Arran's son Isaac, whom Tabs had photos of on his walls, and talked of constantly – but had never met due to Covid –finally got a chance to meet with Tabs, his grandfather-in-kind. In his final days, Tabs patiently gave many of us the opportunity to say "goodbye". For those that didn't get the chance, step outside now and look to the mountains – look carefully – on one of those peaks you just might make out Tabs wandering to the summit. Bid him farewell.

Tabs was born in 1939 in Nottingham and in 1977 immigrated to Canada. He quickly became a major figure in the Calgary Mountain Club (CMC) and the Rocky Mountain Folk Club. In the CMC, he, along with his close buddy Dick Howe, organized many ever-popular club outings from annual dinners to Bow Hut weekends. He embodied what it meant to be a CMC member. Tabs loved the mountains. From an early age, after experiencing one pitch of British gritstone climbing, he knew his life would be about the mountains. His most memorable days were doing long hard routes in the Alps. He felt most at home on large routes with tremendous exposure, when in the presence of massive peaks. Tabs felt some of his fondest mountaineering achievements included the N Face of the Dru, the East ridge of Mt Logan, NW face of Half Dome, Mt Blanc, Piz Badile, Mischabel Chain, Artesan Raho (Cordillera Blanca), and Catinaccio (Dolomites). When I asked what made these his "best", he said it wasn't about the degree of difficulty, nor the physical challenges – it was about the "presence". He said the sheer majesty of the size of these mountains left him in awe. They inspired him, they left him in wonderment. Whether it was a bivy on the face of Half Dome or navigating the sharp knife edge East Ridge of Mt Logan – the journey through the great peaks of the world brought out the best in him. While Tabs loved the CMC, he was also an honorary life member of the CMC family. Like the CMC has always done, we take care of our own. During the final months of Tabs' life, 20 CMC members and their families stepped forward to support him. Members volunteered and were with him 7x24 to try to support his wish to die at home. If you were not aware of what was happening during these last few months – that was by design; Tabs was emotionally strong, stoic to a fault. He did not want most members seeing him in the condition he was in during his final months. In his words, he preferred for most people to only find out what had happened "when they read the CMC news obit". Silently though, word spread across the pond, and a group of NCC (Nottingham Climbers Club) members came together virtually to support Tabs from afar. It quickly became apparent that Tabs had touched the lives of people in the mountains from around the world. His quirky sense of humour and devilish grin touched many people wherever he went. NCC members posted many stories and tributes to Tabs, and we read these to him at his bedside. Many from the CMC visited with Tabs over his last months, and many volunteered long hours as caregivers to keep him comfortable; Dianna Knaak and her daughter Arran Wallace arrived from the coast to provide 7x24 support for him in his last weeks – and this gave him incredible comfort. Diana and Arran even arranged phone calls from Tabs' only sibling, Roger and his two daughters, so they could express their love for their brother and uncle. A call was also arranged between Tabs and his oldest climbing partner from the NCC, Robin Parker. This would be the first time the two had talked in 45 years. It was touching to overhear the two of them recount climbs that happened over 50 years previous. This was just one example that while Tabs' body failed him in his last weeks, his mind remained ever so sharp. Robin then proceeded to organize the NCC WhatsApp contingent that supported Tabs through his final days. Tabs was a great volunteer in the climbing world. In the 1980's Tabs, Dick Howe, and Mike Mortimer, became a major force in the ACC Huts Committee. With Tabs an extraordinary cabinet maker, Dick an expert millwright and Mike the ultimate fundraiser, they left their mark on almost every hut in the Rockies. Building new huts and upgrading existing ones, many ACC huts are only standing today thanks to the tireless efforts of these three. In the days leading up to today, I had a chance to talk to Mike Mortimer about Tabs. Mike talked about Tabs and his work with the Huts Committee. In Mike's words, "if there was ever an award for the volunteer of the century, it would go to Tabs". Career wise, Tabs had limited need for luxuries. He loved his craft as a carpenter, and most ACC huts and many club members' homes (and his home) contain items that Tabs built. He never charged much for his work, accepting only sufficient pay to sustain him and support his outings in the mountains. Despite this, he spent the last 14 years of his life living in the guest suite of a beautiful home in Lac des Arcs – nestled in the forests of the Rocky Mountains (in a house owned by CMC member Josee). Up until a few months before his passing, Tabs was still working in his shop building furniture for his friends. In 1998, Tabs was part of a climb up the Liberty Ridge on Mt Rainier. Descending after a major storm, he took a long fall resulting in multiple breaks to one leg. His climbing partners moved him across a large face some 1000 meters above the base and carved out a cave in the ice for him to hide in. It was going to be at least 36 hours before help could be summoned and his two partners then left him alone as they retreated to get help. Later, following one of the largest rescues in Mt Rainier history, he was spending a few days in hospital in Seattle mending enough to be brought back to Canada. When a CMC slide show was assembled some months later – Tabs only demand was "no pictures of me in the hospital" – he never wanted people to see him suffering in any way – mountains and climbing were all about the presence of the mountains – not the issues surrounding failed attempts. When he described this accident to his brother, he presented it as something like "a bit of a sprained ankle during a stroll in the hills". Tabs and his buddy Dick Howe had one of those relationships that had no limits. When Dick passed in 2018, Tabs built a bench to commemorate his life, and CMC members carried it to the top of the THOS waterfall in the Ghost Valley. Two weeks later when the largest forest fire of the year destroyed that bench, Tabs negotiated a large donation to cover the costs of materials and then he rebuilt the bench – with enhancements. Tabs was ever the perfectionist and wasn't going to be happy until the bench was completed to his standards. He took this rebuild as an opportunity to improve upon the design of the original bench. Once again, the CMC, this time in the middle of winter, hauled the new bench up THOS. This picture of Hadrian's Wall is sitting in Tabs' home. If you ask him why he has this picture, he will tell you this story. He and Dick Howe, his long-time friend and climbing partner, had made a plan. That plan was for the two of them, after they had both passed, to meet at Hadrian's wall, and share a glass of single malt scotch. Tabs had that picture – to remind him of what he had to look forward to after he passed on. I negotiated with Tabs about the date for his meeting with Dick, and he agreed (and assumed that Dick would agree) that it would be on the second weekend in September – each year. This was to coincide with the CMC annual gathering in the Ghost. Friends of Dick and Tabs are invited on that weekend to join us in a hike up to the top of THOS, meeting at the bench that Tabs constructed. Once there, we will join Dick and Tabs for that drink of scotch, at the site where they will always be remembered and honored.

A celebration of Life will be held for Tabs at the Ironwood Stage and Grill in Calgary on June 12 at 3:00 PM. People wishing to speak or contribute photos (or just get more information) should email tabs.memorial@gmail.com .

Services provided by Russ Reynolds and Bow River Funeral Service.