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[TR] canadian rockies - mixed master (mixed weeini


genepires

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Trip: canadian rockies - mixed master (mixed weeinies attempt)

 

Date: 1/1/2007

 

Trip Report:

Just thought that somone might like some beta for mixed master if you are on your way to banff this season. Locals in front of us on route said that it doesn't form very often so people need to get on it if they have the ambition. We climbed it (all but last pitch) on a chilly but sunny day.

 

cc_mxed_3.jpg

guidebook roughly says

2 pitches up scottish gulley

traverse R to tree or continue up ice slab to alcove belay

5.8 traverse and ramp pitch

thin ice corner to tree belay.

snow pitch

steep ice pitch

 

So the first 2 pitches can be combined with a 70m rope at a bolt belay. There is a bolt anchor 60m from ground but it is exposed in the narrow gulley and we got nailed a couple times with heavy spindrift sloughs. Not such a great place to belay. (maybe rappel,except there is a good bolt belay only 10 m above so why bother?) 30m above ground is a big ledge for a screw belay. Lots of rope drag if you combine pitches 1&2.

 

pitch 3 traverses R across snow and scrappy rock to get to ice slab. expect rope drag here too. Belay off swiss cheese ice blob. There is dozens of old screw holes in this little blob of ice seepage. Strong enough though, just less reassuring. Maybe someone could bring up a squirt bottle and refill those holes?

 

cc_mxed_2.jpgcc_mxed_1.jpg

 

5.8 traverse pitch is mostly low angle scrappy climbing. luckily it gets lots of sun, cause I used my hands more than tools. Tons of pro, like every 5 feet. Some stubby screws in seepage ice blobs and med nuts and cams from #0 tcu to #2 camalot. I wished I had 3 or 4 #3 tcu's. Seems like I needed that one more than others. A couple fixed pins at cruxes. I never saw any pin placements but I am probably not so piton savy. Seemed like plenty of gear anyway. Three spots where I sat for awhile figuring out the moves but I am a mixed climbing goober/newbie, something like a hour or more on this pitch. The snow covered ramp was the most mental challenging I thought. (god knows what I was hooking on) Various pins and old small bolt belay in alcove above snow gulley.

 

 

Thin ice pitch above was sweet with good rock gear and stubby to a cool steep step to tree belay. We didn't go any higher cause we were running out of daylight and I was running out of courage.

 

Locals in front of us (Danny the canmore framer and friend the mtn guide) did the last pitch too and said it was great with 3 fixed pins on lower part.

 

descent

From tree above thin corner pitch, 2 rope rappel gets you to top of 5.8 pitch. Another 2 rope rappel (down the snow gulley) gets you to the top of pitch 2. There is a bolt/pin ancor partway down

the gulley, right above the drop off. From the top of pitch 2, rope rappel gets you to a ice ledge, then a rap off v thread to ground.

 

A truely sweet route with lots of variety. My first "on purpose" mixed lead!

 

cc_mxed_4.jpg

 

Alright, could someone help me resize the tiny photos?

 

 

Gear Notes:

ice gear w/4 stubbies, maybe 10 screws total

rock rack mentioned above

2 ropes nice, might be able to rap with 1 60m.

 

 

Approach Notes:

solid bootpack from road. 10 minutes. Gotta love the rockies.

Edited by genepires
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