[TR] Banff natl park - N.face - Mt. Athabasca 9/16

[quazimoto]

Trip: Banff natl park - N.face - Mt. Athabasca

 

Date: 9/16/2007

 

Trip Report:

so a stable weather system lasting through a sun-mon proposal had eiji and I hook,line and sinker for a quick go at a moderate canadian classic. saturday saw us traveling arriving @ the trailhead mid evening and frenzied to pack so sleeping couldcommence. a few wrestless "moments" later our anxiety carreied us efficiently up the moderate moraine trail, after a few short breaks including a weightloss session we arrived below the north face around 6:30a.m.one rope lenght simul climbing saw us over the bergshrund easily passed in the center of the face- From here our first established belay was followed by six 60m pithces of 50-55' ice bringing us into the crux rock band,A 10m step of debated ratings-for me it was a challenge.there are two fixed pins climbers right at about two/thirds hieght and with low ice line below the rock it made for a few commiting moves to reach these,after QUICKLY cipping those a couple movements exited onto 55' ice couloir and to a three screw anchor two bring eiji up the steep and exposed step. following this Apx 300 feet of snow and ice climbing put us atop the summit ridge around 4:30p.m.

very fatigued we had a snappy kodak minute and promtley began our descent encouraged by darkening clouds and a rising wind.excelent views of andromeda were had during decent as was the surrouding peaks we got back to the car around 700pm. pictures coming soon.

 

Gear Notes:

8 screws,3 pins(not needed) 2 pickets

 

Approach Notes:

good and free of snow..

Edited September 19, 2007 by quazimoto

[esugi]

Here are the pics from the climb.

The Rockies guidebook rates this Grade III, 5.4. The conditions we were climbing, it was atleast Grade III+, maybe IV, and the rock band is 5.7/5.8.

 

NF in the morning...looking good!!

 

We exchanged leads all the way up...this about pitch 3?

 

Kevin nearing the rock crux...which is to the right (just left of the thumb rock sticking up)

 

Quick shot of Silverhorn. Beautiful day

 

Me, glad to have the crux section behind us. Almost home free.

 

Kevin, topping out!!

 

Looking back along the summit ridge.

 

Wow, this climb was fun.

[TrogdortheBurninator]

looks like a blast!! Aren't rockies alpine grades supposed to be sandbagged?

[pup_on_the_mountain]

Good work gents!!

[stinkyclimber]

Altho sandbagging is a tradition there (NR of Stephens!! among many others) in this case, the grade has changed because the north face ice has receded quite a bit in the last few years, making what was once an easy body-length rock step much longer and hence more difficult. Good work.

[G-spotter]

Hey NR of Stephens is legit at the grade if you don't rope up.

[W]

Hey NR of Stephens is legit at the grade if you don't rope up.

 

I've not done the route, but I have to admit I've always laughed when reading the guidebook: "III, 5.7. Expect to bivi."

[G-spotter]

It's really just a fuck load of scrambling with a couple pitches of 5.7 to add up to 2000m of elevation gain. Bivying on that is like bivying on a long hike to a short climb.

[stinkyclimber]

Sure, sounds good. Never done it, just heard from people who have. i think some folks have missed some key route finding and ended up fucked up. but all the beta on the interwebs takes some of the challenge out of it nowadays.

 

Point is, it does sound like NF AthaB is harder than originally graded...although you are still only talking about +/- 20 feet of actual rock climbing, with the rest moderate AI. Still a III.

[G-spotter]

Yep don't forget Andromeda Strain is a IV.

[trainwreck]

the north face of athabasca is an easy III; don't even try to argue that it is III+/IV. the rock step is one body length, maybe two, so it is at most 5m. barry blanchard re-rated the crux at 5.8/M4 this spring which is fair, it is like five moves to mantle up into the upper gully so pretty easy for the grade, especially with the fixed pins. the grade IV's in the rockies are considerably harder than the north face of athabasca; the shooting gallery is an "easy" IV and the crux is twice as long, steeper, and is very poorly protected except in the spring when there is ice to place screws.

 

you guys had about as good of conditions on the face as you can have; and i should know, i watched you climb.

 

edit- i should also mention that athabasca is in Jasper National Park, not Banff.

Edited September 19, 2007 by trainwreck

[Off_White]

Sorry to be such an American, but I'm used to Grade III or IV referring to the overall length or time involved in a route, only related to difficulty in that hard routes tend to take longer to do. Trainwreck, you seem to be using the term in some other context?

[Iggy]

I did that route 16 years ago with the same excellent ice conditions. There really wasn't more than 30 feet of rock "climbing" mostly traversing on steep powder snow over extremely loose unprotectable shale. The rest of the steep ice was great with not a speck of snow on it. I did it in the 3rd week of August. It was a while ago but it might still be a little better a month earlier as far as the rock part goes.

[stinkyclimber]

Offwhite, I think Trainwreck is still referring to committment grades the same way you understand them. He is just comparing nearby routes of the same length...but because they are harder, they of course take longer, thus earning a grade IV rather thana III.

 

As Trainwreck points out, there are few IVs in the rockies that are as easy technically as NF of AthaB for the simple reason that the max. vertical gain available in the rockies precludes technically easier routes from getting a IV because it won't take more than a day for a reasonably competent party to do them. He isn't saying that there isn't a IV out there with such low technical difficulty, it is just that you would need more vertical gain to make a technically easier route take long enough for most parties to earn a IV.

[esugi]

Yea, it probably is not a IV for sure. But BB's re-assessment of 5.8/M4 seems right for the crux. We were suspecting that the conditions were much different few years ago. It seemed about 9' to the first fixed pin, thus requiring one or two moves to get to it. We did place one nut just lower then the fixed pin in the right hand crack for extra pro. The second pin is few feet beyond that.

 

If the rock step is one body length, one must be Yao Ming with platform shoes! =)

 

Any other suggestions for AI climbing in the CA Rockies? Shooting Gallery, Andromeda?

 

Thanks

 

 

[stinkyclimber]

Any other suggestions for AI climbing in the CA Rockies? Shooting Gallery, Andromeda?

You will find the NF of Fay and Quadra of similar difficulty, altho shorter, than AthaB. Shooting Gallery is a definite step up, esp. in technical difficulty as referenced by trainwreck. I think there are some routes in the North Bowl of Andromeda that are moderate AI, and shorter than NF of AthaB too.

[G-spotter]

NF of Robson

 

Or you could visit Razorback in the Coast Mts.

[David Trippett]

Nice one fellas

 

Eiji....I'm getting you some new tools for x-mas.

[Serenity]

Like those old school tools. You could almost be Scottish (and I mean that with complete respect).

[Alex]

Great route! I did this one in Aug a few years ago in the same great condish, agree that it's a III, no where near a IV. Crux M4 sounds about right. Its really well protected though (fat 22cm screw just 15 ft below, and some pins) so was great.

 

N Face of Fay is soooo short. Skyladder on Andromeda is much lower angle, but there are other routes on that shoulder that would be about similar to NF Atha...