Denis Twohig, founder of the Glacier Mountaineering Society, passed away January 6, 2023. Denis and his wife Shirley founded the Glacier Mountaineering Society in 1981, and he remained active in GMS. On the GMS statistics page, Denis is listed as having attended 196 GMS events, the “Most events attended by a member (Denis Twohig).” That does not even include the climbs from the first few years of GMS.
My first climb with Denis and Shirley was back in 1983 on a trip up Piegan, Pollock, and Bishop’s Cap. It was an incredible climb for me, and Denis was a great leader on that trip which has since become one of Glacier’s classics (often referred to as “The Trifecta.”)
This photo is from a 2019 GMS trip up to the high point of the Blacktail Hills, with Denis keeping up with the group even at 80.
To read more about Denis, see
Have photos of Denis to share? Please post them in the comments, preferably along with a rough date and location for the photo.
One response to “Remembering Denis”
[…] the 2023 Luncheon, we will be featuring a memorial service for GMS Founder Denis Twohig instead of the usual presentation. More details will be posted here and on the event calendar as […]