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Trip: Bugaboos,BC - All Along The Watchtower Date: 8/20/2013 Trip Report: Last month we got to climb an amazing route with amazing people, start to finish. Here's what we found: The route is a serious climb in some real big mountains. Serious fun to be had if there is some seriously killer weather! The topo that's I posted isn't the end all be all. Its best when used in conjunction with other sources. Chris and Marc's guidebook is the defiantly the best for the area. We found the ariel photos to be super helpful.Take(our topo)with a grain of salt because surly there are parts that are incorrect or missing, but, hopefully it gives you a general sense of the route. Nothing substitutes experience route finding or route not-finding for that matter. I only numbered pitches that I thought were (roughly) accurate if a belay doesn't have a number that is why. P1 (30m) Lowish angle right facing corner cut left at the top to a mini roof with fixed nuts in it P2(30m) follow the mini roof up and left to a grassy crack to a stance with a loose pin P3 (60m)(This pitch seems to be where we got off route?) follow moss filled cracks to a pin/nut anchor and cut hard right. Loose rock abounds. We took a shallow chimney feature in a left facing corner. This was not the way. The crack system above it seemed more promising and ended in the same place. cut right near the end of this pitch toward what we called "the black tower". - somewhere in this section there is an option to take beautiful splitters, these are off route- P4/5? (60m)this is the pitch 3 ledge in the book, at the far right side of the ledge is a long left facing corner #3/#4 camalot.Take this L facing corner to a point where you can cut right on lower angle ground to the start of another long left facing corner. We did this in two pitches. P5/6? a long AWESOME hand crack takes you along the left side of the black tower. P6/7 (60m)continue up this feature until you can break left onto a low angle section in the center of the wall. This is well before reaching the top of the black tower. P8/9/10?(70m) Climb through the low angle terrain to a short open book,traversing slightly up and left. We were generally aiming for a white streak (quartz dike?) that cuts through the middle of pitch 11/12. P11/12(70m)Climb a CLASSIC! L Facing corner to the pitch 13 bivy ledge, lots of loose rock at the bivy ledge. P13 climb a left facing chimney corner to the base of THE CORNER! Chossy! P14-22ish Climb a CLASSIC CORNER! P23-36ish Climb a few pitches of 5.8 to some 4th/5th then more 5.8 on and off to the summit. We climbed the route in two and a quarter days. We planned 1 night at 13 and took a short nap at 23/24ish. Descent: seems to depend highly on the amount of snow. The guidebook beta seemed to be accurate. Climb down the East ridge toward the notch, look for tat and bring some of your own in case anchors are buried. We cleared the schrund with one double 60m rapp from a slung horn. Pitch 4 Pitch5 Looking down Pitch5ish Looking dow Pitch15ish Gear Notes: double to #4 camalot Single set of metolius offsets grey/purple to orange red 1x70 lead line 1x70 tag (60's would be fine, twins are on the list for next time) Bivy gear/1 30 degree sleeping bag/1 MSR e-wing targ/Food/Water/etc. Approach Notes: Standard Bugaboo trailhead to Bugaboo Snowpatch col. Then to pigeon howser col. Down to east creek basin

Trip: Liberty Bell-Washington Pass - Freedom Rider Date: 8/9/2013 Trip Report: Just wanted to post about a recent trip up The Freedom Rider. The New Super Topo gives a great overall description of the route serious-ness and rating and grade, there are a few typos in the edition I have but if you read carefully all of the info is their.Pick up the new WA Pass book if you haven't already and climb in the pass often. its a significant climb worthy of a serious rating and grade. if that's your bag, it will provide serious fun, if not it may be serious in not fun ways. First two pitches had very poor rock quality as stated in super topo, be weary p1. 5.8 R felt accurate, (see super topo for specific beta) p2. 5.10a R Lots of poor rock (see super topo for specific beta) P3. 5.11b OW (if you like OW's This thing was CLASSIC!!, and hard!!!) p4. We accidentally gained Liberty crack here by taking the farthest right, L Facing corner which I believe is pitch 7 or 8 of Liberty crack. Classic none the less, I believe we were suppose to continue straight up after the OW though. P.5-8/10 ish - Liberty Crack P.9/10ish - (Back onto Freedom Rider) From the tree with a ton of tat (Not super helpful I know) at the end of p.9 exposed traverse on Liberty Crack look up to see a bad 1/4inch bolt. Just look at it, grimace and then don't touch it.Look high to spot a 3/8's button head. Walk/scramble up the ledge (left of 1/4 inch) 10ft-ish then stand up into a THIN R facing corner and on a good stance. Look across right and spot the newer 3/8 button head. This is the 5.7 Traverse to the dirty 10 that leads to the medusa roof. These 10a/b pitches were of the grade but very dirty and runout/difficult to protect. P.11 to the top - Climb the medusa roof, a wild pitch! P.12 As Super describes the Anchor options are poor above the roof,take your time and hunt for a good anchor as the rock is really bad here. p.13ish - go right of the last stance, awesome 5.8 ring locks to a commiting step across take you to sandy slabs. p.14- top. There is some 5.6 -ish stuff and trees for 30ft then mostly 3rd/4th class to the summit. Descent: Rappel the standard Liberty Bell Descent to blue lake TH. Gear Notes: Gear: We enjoyed having, Standard double rack to 3 items that may not be in your standard rack that we enjoyed having Micro cams X2 (grey, purple tcus) Micro nuts X1 # 4 Camelot X2 #5 Camelot X2 # 6 Camelot X1 (We're not super hero OW climbers, yet. So we were stoked to have these pieces and felt it was mandatory for aiding the crux. We'll get it next time!) Approach Notes: Approach: Standard E Face Approach. There is a moat and about a 100 ft +/- of snow (depending on how you do it) to get to the base. Ice axe didn't feel necessary to our group. Be weary, the moat is overhanging and undercut in places. Be careful and make conservative decisions getting in the moat. There is a small stance that felt ok, at the base of the corner (p1). (though surley it will change in the coming weeks).

Trip: [TR] Torment Forbidden Traverse 8/7-8/8/12 - Torment Forbidden Traverse Date: 8/7/2012 Trip Report: Just got back from the traverse and wanted to give current conditions. - The 3rd Class gulley moat that leads form the Taboo Glacier is still in, it was touching the ground and passable on the climbers right side of where it ends. -The first rappel moats on the north side had passable bridges. - The snow traverse was still in. A good amount of snow still covering the whole traverse, a crack is close to opening about half way through it. -We didn't rappel the approach col. It was reported to be out. We did the first standard rappel then walked on 3rd class ledges for 50 ft-ish to the edge,skiers right above the 2nd rapp station (tat slung horn). There is a rapp station here, then 5-6 (don't quote me on the number of rapps but length is on) single length rappels to the glacier. [img:center]http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/500/IMG_06713.jpg[/img] [img:center]http://cascadeclimbers.com/plab/data/500/IMG_06631.jpg[/img] Gear Notes: small set of nuts, small single alpine rack to 2 inches. Standard glacier gear and light bivy gear Approach Notes: Boston basin pull out just before cascade pass Trail head. Follow trail to Boaston Basin. Send.