Identity area
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Authorized form of name
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Description area
Dates of existence
History
Married in 1953, Esther and Martin Kafer came to Canada on July 1, 1954. Avid climbers in their native Switzerland, they took to the wilderness of the Coast Mountains where they made many first ascents. Enormously skilled, they readily helped those newer to the mountains and shared their passion with many young mountaineers – including John Clarke. Martin was a founding director of the Federation of Mountain Clubs of B.C., and both are joint honorary presidents of the B.C. Mountaineering Club. In recognition of their lifetime of service they received Community Achievement Awards in 2007. In September 2012, at the age of 85, Martin Kafer became the oldest person along with his wife, Esther at age 84, the oldest woman to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. Martin Kafer spent the majority of his working life at the University of B.C., where he worked as an electrical engineer.