April - May 2000
BC
News
Canada's Hardest Limestone Cliff Closed_Greg
Sorenson and Anders Ourom
Horne
Lake climbing area, near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, is closed to climbing
until further notice. The owner of the land, Texada Logging Ltd., plans
to log the area around the cliffs. For safety, the company asks that climbers
not climb there for at least three months, starting February 15, 2000.
Greg Sorensen, of the Romper Room in Nanaimo, has had discussions on behalf
of Climber's Access Society of British Columbia with the new owners of
Texada Logging. They are aware that climbing occurs at Horne Lake, and
have been asked to consider leaving a 5 m unlogged strip at the base of
the cliffs.
The CASBC urges climbers to respect the closure. This is private land, not public forestry land, and the owner has the legal right to log it and deny others access. The land was logged about a century ago, and is second growth. We plan to press the Ministry of Parks to urgently consider this matter, and propose that the land be acquired as part of the provincial park system. The CASBC is informing climbers of the closure, and alerting other climbers' organizations.
We will post updates on our website, and in Access News, as and when needed. For information contact: Greg Sorensen (250) 751-7625 or (250) 751-1154, Anders Ourom (604) 228-1798. Correspondent: Greg Sorensen and Anders Ourom. <<
Alberta News
Banner Season for New Mixed Routes
Once again, the Canadian Rockies is proving to be the main
arena in the world for pushing hard mixed climbing. With so much potential
and a very motivated group of local climbers in Canmore, first ascents are
being sent weekly. Already the new mixed route tally for this season is up
to thirty-two.
Although not a new route, Burning in Water, Drowning by Flame finally received its long awaited second ascent. This short test piece was first climbed by Barry Blanchard and Joe Josephson in 1993 using a point of aid to lean out and snag the ice dagger. Unfortunately, it has failed to form until this year. Ben Firth and Rob Owens were first on the scene firing the stout 30m pitch all free at M7 on marginal gear.
Short, sport style mixed routes are the focus, with a flurry of activity in various areas throughout the Rockies. Haffner Creek saw three more routes: Shaggadelic, an M7 offering by Sean Isaac and Jim Gudjonson, and two new difficult test pieces. Mojo (M8+), by Simon Parsons, climbs out several roofs on thin hooks to create a powerful yet technical route. It immediately saw a second ascent by Raphael Slawinski. The other new hard route in Haffner was an abandoned project that Will Gadd had bolted. Ben Firth worked out the strenuous moves by incorporating a figure four to complete The Gong Show (M8+). The Bow Lake Headwall, home to the classic ice route Bow Falls (WI3), saw two new mixed lines with U2 and With or Without You by Firth, Owens, Slawinski and Eamonn Walsh. U2 (M7+) climbs steep rock to reach the usually unformed ice of Uli's Revenge while With or Without You (M6+), to the left, climbs ice smears linked by rock. Dave Thomson added bolted mixed routes to either side of Oh Le Tabernac (WI5+) producing Mercy Buckets (M6+) with Tom Wolfe on the right and Oh La La (M8) on the left. The ever-motivated Slawinski and Walsh cleaned up with the second and third ascents, respectively, both on-sight.
Thomson also added a mixed route to both sides of Hammer Horror (WI4+) above Lake Minnewanka near Banff, creating Cloud Busting (M6+) and Egypt (M7+); the latter receiving an on-sight second ascent by Isaac.
In Field, Golden local Jim Gudjonson, added three new routes. Sticking with the alcohol theme shared by most of the local route names, Jim dubbed his new bolted creations Black Amber (M6), Margaritaville (M6+), and Silent Sam (M7).
Apart from single pitch, cragging style rigs, the only major new multi-pitch route to go in was The Asylum (IV M7 WI5, 180m) in Kicking Horse Canyon near Golden. This outrageous line was attempted two years ago by Isaac and Gudjonson but the route melted before they could manage the redpoint. They returned this winter to complete the five-pitch project. The route begins with three thin ice and mixed pitches to reach the crux fourth-pitch which climbs out a huge rock cave to an unformed curtain. The crux section is composed of straight forward dry-tooling up a steep corner followed by a technical traverse under a 3m rock roof past 9 bolts to gain the upper ice. One more steep WI5 pitch of rotten, sun-baked slush polishes off the difficulties.
Less than two weeks after the first ascent, Walsh, Owens and Mark Ballard quickly dispensed with the second ascent. Walsh flashed the crux, confirming the grade saying that it felt like "very solid M7 and morelikely M7+." The ascent was filmed for the new climbing video, Beyond Gravity, by Black and White Productions, due out next year. After firing the first ascent, Gudjonson and Isaac climbed the route two more times to complete filming requirements. Beyond Gravity www.members.home.net/beyondgravity/ will cover sport, trad, wall, alpine and, of course, mixed climbing.<<
Byron Smith of Vulcan Alberta is Taking
On Mt. Everest on the CBC
On March 15, Byron Smith and Brad Wrobleski set out on
a CBC sponsored climb of the South Col route on Mt. Everest. Byron attempted
the route in 1998, but failed because the Sherpas "had not co-ordinated bringing
enough rope to fix the summit ridge and Hillary Step." Nonetheless, Byron
"hates to lose" and has "a burning desire to fulfil all of [his] ambitions."
Also, in '98 the Sherpas told Byron that he "was a very strong climber, the
strongest one they have seen on the mountain." Check out the climbing action
at http://cbc.ca/everest2000.<<
The House of Youth - Obsessive-Compulsive
in Canmore_Rob Owens
We're single, smelly, obsessive, and compulsive. We are
undefined in our numbers and our qualifications, excluding the fact that we
are as keen as it gets. We are "The House of Youth."
A common problem for full time climbers in small towns is finding a consistent flow of reliable partners. Canmore is a definite exception. Many young and under employed newcomers are meeting others like them and are benefiting from one another's experience and enthusiasm. This winter "The House of Youth" has been very active, authoring new mixed and ice routes and repeating some of the coolest lines in the area.
Here are two examples:
Pity Us Fools V, WI 5+, 5.7 70m. In the right hand side of the large bowl
up Murray Creek, in Kananaskis Country. An early season route due to the avalanche
exposure. F.A.: Graham Maclean, Rob Owens.
W.W.F. II M6, WI 4+ 100 m. Located 20m to the right of Coal Miner's Daughter on Mt. Field. Two very fun pitches! Take an extensive mixed rack. F.A.: Steve Holeczi, Rob Owens, Eamonn Walsh.
This spring and summer various members of "The House of Youth" are planning trips to places like the Yukon Territories, Mt. Logan, and Khyrgyzstan. Those that that aren't travelling will be looking to repeat some hard alpine routes and possibly try some new alpine and crag routes. Stay tuned for news from this group. For more extensive route information check out Will Gadd's web site, www.gravsports.com, or e-mail robowens99@hotmail.com. The above routes and many more will be published in the new edition of Waterfall Ice published by Rocky Mountain Books, which should be out by next winter.<<
Ontario News
The Manboy Who Fell to Earth
Manboy, (the nom de plume of a young eastern Canadian sport-climber
whose legal name has been withheld at his request), recently made the Virgin
River Gorge just a little bit deeper. After attempting to climb F-Dude (5.14a),
he was lowering off, hung halfway down and pulled the rope through the draws
above. Upon lowering again, the rope appeared to have been still too short,
and the lack of a knot in the end of the rope sent the burly boy's safety
line zipping through the Gri-Gri.
He fell 25m to the ground. His belayer, however, valued the manboy more than life itself and thrust himself between the hurtling body and the talus. He sustained various injuries when Manboy impacted, but surprisingly, survived.
Manboy was evacuated by helicopter with only lacerations, sprains and the odd fracture to contemplate while recovering in front of daytime TV in a secret hideout in Canadian suburbania.
In the past, Manboy has been struck by lightning and mauled by a bear. He attributes his survival in the face of these life threatening circumstances to the fact that "God is sparing my life until I can climb 5.14."
Crash Juhasz, another great airman from Ontario (See Gripped 2.1) commented: "If you wanna have a really big fall and, like, definitely hit the ground, don't tie a knot in the end of the rope."
Manboy has recieved a full sponsorship from Black Diamond.<<
Open Project at Mont de Gros Bras Becomes
Hardest Long Mixed Route in the East_Stephane Lapierre
On Mont de Gros Bras, the most Scottish of Quebec's
mountains, Francis C§tß and Josß Dionisio have completed a route which has
seen many attempts during the last three winters. No one had ever climbed
more than 70 m of the route which is a very thin ice line that doesn't touch
the ground, right of the centre of the cliff. The route, which has only been
known as the open project La directe des to”ts is 240 m long and goes free
at IV, M6+R. With three long pitches of M6/6+. There are 150 m of very hard,
technical and serious climbing, and it's probably the most difficult long
mixed route in the East. Francis, fresh and psyched from a climbing trip in
Chile, led the entire route. Starting at 8h00, they reached the top of pitch
three at 15h00 and finished the route at night. Correspondent: Stephàne Lapierre.<<
Foreign Affairs
New route on the South Tower of Paine_Sean
Easton, Cornelius (Connie) Amelunxen
Sean Easton and Connie Amelunxen (Vancouver) made the
first ascent of …Hoth! on the south east buttress of the South Tower of Paine
in Chilean Patagonia. This is the first Canadian ascent of the South Tower,
and the first succesful summit attempt since 1997. The route is 26 pitches
long, and graded VI 5.10 A4, 60 degree ice. It was established during a two
month stay in the park, and on the final push Connie and Sean spent fifteen
nights in portaledge camps on the wall. The weather was typically fierce.
For half of the days Sean and Connie spent on the wall, they were trapped
in the ledge, and the longest consecutive spell of good weather lasted twelve
hours. The route is named after the planet of ice featured in the beginning
of the movie The Empire Strikes Back.<<
Quebec News
Oxford - Awesome New Sport Area_Jidß,
Translation: Claire Smart
A Vancouver climber once said that Orford reminded him
of Skaha, BC, only smaller and not as hot. If you want to get to know sport
climbing in Quebec, Orford is the place to start, although there are other
good sites at Kamouraska, Weir, Mont Nixon, Val David, Saint-Fabien-Sur-Mer
and a few other lesser-known walls. These cliffs represent the very essence
of climbing in Quebec. Their history and diverse climbing and locations make
up the impressive mosaic of climbing ñ la qußbßcoise.
A unique feature of Orford is the steepness of its walls, especially the sport walls, which are covered in a multitude of holds. There are many good boulders as well, and over 70 recorded problems. Orford is probably the only site in Quebßc where insects are non-existent practically all year round. Easily visible from Autoroute 10, about 30 km west of Sherbrooke, Orford was the first acknowledged rock climbing site within a provincial park (Parc du Mont-Orford). Since the mid-90s a close collaboration between the park administration and climbers has developed. The construction of an access footpath and a new parking area are have resulted from this collaboration.
Traditional climbing began in the early 70s, but the potential of this cliff was not really developed until the early 90s with the acceptance of fixed anchors. We should also thank a certain traditionalist climber from Mont Pinnacle whose puritanical words and attitudes prompted two local climbers to abandon the slabs of Pinnacle for sites where new routing would not be a source of ethical strife. Since the conflict over ethics, the names of first ascensionists no longer appear in local guidebooks.
One local climber who has had good success is Mathieu Fontaine. He lives just ten minutes from the cliff and discovered climbing four years ago. His favourite sites are Orford, Kamouraska, Rumney and New River Gorge. At these last two he managed to climb (or, as he says, "try out") several 5.12s, 5.13s, and some 5.14s. His ambition is to link Secret de la maison Hatley (5.13 + , project) and his most recent project, Alpha Gamma (5.14, unconfirmed) just to the right in the Overhangs area of Orford. After more than 20 attempts on Secret de la maison Hatley, Mathieu can tell you that this route has more than 17 bolts in 35 m, and requires 55 moves, 23 of which are on overhangs, and that the key section of the climb requires 18 rather violent movements of V10 or V11. He talks about this climb with passion and fire in his eyes. Mat and his friends have elevated the standards and difficulty of Orford routes over the past three years. Without their participation, the reputation of Orford would not be what it is today.
Escalade au Mont-Orford-Guide des voies et blocs, published by Jidß in July 1999. This bilingual guidebook is published by La Randonße, 292 King west, Sherbrooke, QC J1H 1R1, t.(819) 566-8882. <<
