JDF

Trip: Canadian Rockies - Pilsner Pillar, 215m WI 5+, 6 Date: 1/8/2012 Trip Report: Great day out climbing with fellow guide Pete Thurlow on Pilsner Pillar. -2, light wind, a few flakes under overcast skies back at the road. Climbers have been to the base of the route and been enjoying the mixed lines to the right and behind the Pillar but we saw no signs of travel on the climb itself. P1 is in WI 5+, 6 condition right now. The early portions of the pitch are hollow behind for about 5m before it thickens up. While steep we had good ice and lots of little features to work with. Engaging climbing with enough good screws to keep it really fun. The other pitches rounded out a solid day on a classic. We rapped from "No Threads" and one tree. 60m ropes were just enough to stretch across the low angle terrain between pitches before the top of pitch 1. Happy Climbing. Gear Notes: 2 x 60m ropes 10-12 ice screws various length. Approach Notes: Park on the side road in Field below the climb as per the guide book. Follow good trail to base of route. 10-15minutes.

Had a great day up on the T-wall (Sunday 6th Nov.) today with fellow guides Josh Lavigne and Ross Berg. We climbed an icy version of T2. The climb itself is in fun condition but there are some large daggers overhanging the climbing line. There is a bolt uncovered on the ice slab just before the rock moves. The cord linking an old bolt and pin could use replacing by a motivated party. This gear protects the transition from rock back to ice. New bolts at the top of the first pitch are buried under the ice. Good screw can be found here and throughout the route. Ice quality was stellar for this time of year. Not the usual horror-fest. Most of the ice was dry. The last pitch was wet at the top feeding the route. Replicant is looks good to go. A few challenging spots with the line just a little right of last year. SOV is going to be a while. video:vimeo]http://vimeo.com/31716933