journeyman28711's Logbook (1 ascent)

In response to someone's request for beta on this route:

Finding the route was a little problematic (not enough coffee?)- we walked right past it. Follow the scree trail up to where you'll see a very prominent rock cairn. Turn around and walk back about 30 meters (?) or so and look for the traversing bolt line (near a much smaller cairn)- that's it!

Rock quality is sometimes poor, especially on the first few pitches. I pulled out an undercling hold the size of a brick about 25 ft. into the first pitch- “Whoa, shit, this will be interesting". It gets better higher up, but be prepared for loose holds along the way. Also, especially if there is a party above you, be prepared for certain rockfall- same for your belayer. You’ll come across areas where it’s just about impossible not to cause this due to your movements and/or that of the rope. If you climb this route without a helmet please include me in your life insurance policy.

Weather can sneak up on you from the other side of the mountain. We were lucky with no rain except during our approach (it rained every other day that week at least for a short time while we were climbing in the Canmore area). Because of the wind the rock dried quickly. But… we got hail on the final pitch. The easiest and shortest of all the pitches (friction) suddenly made difficult with frozen ball bearings underfoot. Also, bring warm clothing. You’ll be in the shade most of the time and it tends to be windy. I wanted to keep from hauling the extra weight, but soon realized my mistake and really regretted not having more layers.

Bailing Out- The pitches are half rope lengths with rap rings, so we brought one 10.5mm rope with the idea that we could rap every pitch if the weather forced us off.

Bolting- I was comfortable with the number of bolts and runout on easier sections, BUT was perplexed by the placement at times, forcing very long reaches off to the side, making the clips, for me anyway, sometimes the hardest part of the climb.

Difficulty- Well, you know this is subjective. I agreed to lead all of the pitches except for two 5.9s, and the final pitch which was hit by hail halfway into her lead (sorry Celeste, not my fault). It seemed pretty stout at times, but not underrated. I’d like to see how it feels some other time while swapping leads and in warmer weather (or clothes). But on that day it was a cold endurance fest with what seemed like a lot of sustained 5.10 climbing.

Except for the first two pitches, which were traversing, we were able to combine two pitches into one. Occasionally, I experienced some bad rope drag as a result. Be sure to bring long slings, especially if you plan to do this.

Most of the belays were fairly comfortable, but I think that we had two or three hanging belays.

I highly recommend the route, not so much for the aesthetics of the climbing, but for the novelty of doing such a long sport route and the exposure. If you're going to be in the area I can't imagine passing up the chance to do it.