Everybody has a mountain to climb.
Photo Gallery
Member Login

CLIMBERS » PROFILE
IDA  TEMPLETON
Where: Vancouver, BC
Job: Financial Planner
Support me on my quest to raise funds for BC Children's Hospital.

Ida's Bio
By the time I was born in Calgary, both my parents were retired. This meant we didn't do a great deal of strenuous outdoor activity together but I did spend almost every weekend as a child on a cattle ranch in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains exploring and making outdoor forts by myself. Although there wasn't a lot of climbing, the experience taught me strength and independence and was part of the foundation that I've built on in my career.

After finishing 2 degrees at the University of Calgary my plan was to go onto law school but after working with the Department of Justice I realized there wouldn't be enough independence in a career in law. I moved from Calgary to Vancouver in 1994 and began building a financial planning practice with Investors Group. I knew very few people, and had very few skills at the time so faced many challenges. In retrospect, I recognize that each and every painful experience has given me the strength I have today. I'm now the youngest of only 6 female Regional Directors in Canada and am very proud to work with the #1 office in Western Canada. Investors Group was also the place where I met my amazing husband Bryan Girard. We've been together 9 years and got married last August. Climbing Kilimanjaro together and achieving a very challenging goal hand-in-hand will be memories we'll share with our grandchildren.

A few years ago I spent almost every Thursday morning volunteering for the BC Children's Hospital on the oncology ward. My mother was a nurse and my father died in my 20s from cancer so it seemed like a natural place for me to give back. Being inspired by a laughing 6 year old girl with one eye lost to a cancerous tumor and seeing the joy in a baby's face despite being attached to tubes and machines clarified for me what real strength is.

I've been reading about Africa and been amazed by stories of human perseverance since I was a teenager testing myself mentally and physically and raising money for the kids at BC Children's hospital is the next chapter of life lessons I'm looking forward to.
My past climbs: Mt. Kilimanjaro

Blog Coming Soon!
I will be posting blog updates beginning on my next expedition. Please come back to visit me to read my latest updates!
Ready to experience an expedition with us first hand?

Learn more about our past climbs and expeditions ...