Trip: Mt Rexford - FA - North Couloir

Date: 5/27/2012

Trip Report:
Shaun Neufeld, Maxim de Jong, and I climbed this route on Sunday. We crossed Centre Creek below the route at 7 AM, summitted at 2 PM and were back at Shaun's truck in Centre Creek by 5:45 PM.

Conditions were great except for some icefall due to the warm day and occasional small wet slush avalanches off the sunny aspects of Nesakwatch Spire.

The route forks left about 100m up the Priest-Coupe Couloir leading to the Rex-S Nesak col and climbs to high on the NE Ridge of Rexford, topping out about 50m from the summit. Climbing consisted of snow to 65 degrees. We used a small rock rack to protect the roped pitches, mostly due to sporadic icefall.

This was my 4th? and Shaun's second try attempt on the route, and Maxim's first. He was our good luck charm, I guess.

We descended the normal west ridge route, making two rappels: one 15m one off the summit to the first notch and one 60m one off the false summit to the west side ledges.


Nearing the schrund at the bottom of the Priest-Coupe


Crossing the schrund


The 3rd belay


The line as seen from John Scurlock's plane in Jan 2008.

Gear Notes:
Few nuts, four cams 0.5 Friend to 2 Camalot sized, couple slings, a couple Tricams. Picket and a few screws taken but not used.

Approach Notes:
Two cars or long logging road walk. Even with a quad we had to hike the last 4km of the Centre Creek road due to snow-broken alders. Centre Creek gate is locked as of May 24 but you can get the key from the hatchery as per usual.

dru, fa's are out of fashion here


(nice job!)

Very cool! I've wanted to climb a route from Centre Creek and this looks like a good one. Recommended?

Nice work you guys that looks awesome! I remember looking down that last year after climbing the west ridge and wanting to try it. I see more gullies in the Scurlock photo...

It's worthy of repeats, albeit conditions dependant. Getting across the schrund can be near-impossible later in the year, and the approach in winter (I can attest from previous attempts) is a real drag except with perfect conditions.

Aside from that, just about any route from Centre Creek is good. The east and NE ridges have reputations as pure rock climbs but they hold snow quite late in the year and are in mountaineering climb shape much more than in rock climb shape. I don't think the east ridge has had a winter ascent yet - it's been tried once or twice, even by a soloist with a bunch of fixed ropes - but the NE ridge had a FWA back in the late 70s? iirc and is a pretty compelling line at any time of year.

This is probably the easiest or second-easiest route to the summit of Rexford from Centre Creek. The north-south peak gully reportedly only hits 55 degrees so it may be easier; but, it is also a longer approach and more circuitous route from top of gully up the south face to the peak, so maybe more difficult overall.

way to hang it in there after 3 attempts. way to get that one off your back.

must feel good to get that monkey off your back. Way to be persistent!

Looks fun. Thanks for sharing it.