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[TR] CA Rockies Ice - 2/1/2008


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Trip: CA Rockies Ice -

 

Date: 2/1/2008

 

Trip Report:

Last weekend, Kevin Hogan and I explored the CA Rockies for few days. We putzed around Mount Hunter area for a day and climbed the Graduate Gully. That turned out to be uneventful and looking back, we should have tried Green Gully instead (which looked pretty phat from the Beaverfoot Road).

 

Second day took us to the Field where we climbed and played around on Massey's. Nice first pitch. Other climbs also looked good but avi danger was kinda high so we didn't explore much further.

 

Few pics of various climbs...

 

Mount_Dennis.jpg

Pilsner Pillar, Carlsberg Column, Cascade Kronenbourg, and Heineken Hall (from left to right)

 

Silk_Tassel.jpg

Silk Tassel looking good. There was avy debris at the base of the climb later in the afternoon

 

Massey_s2.jpg

Massey's first pitch. It truely is "One Pitch Wonder"

 

Since we had time on our way back to Canmore, we stopped to check out Louise Falls

Louise_Falls.jpg

Looked like the 3rd pitch (pillar) was well kicked in

 

In Canmore, we played around at the Junkyard for a day...

Cragging_Junkyard.jpg

Kevin playing on mixed stuff

 

As a finale, we did Professor Falls. Classic route but very wet on the first 2 pitches. In very good condition but because of its popularity, there were total of 10 people on the route.

 

Approaching_Professor_Falls.jpg

Hiking in (Kevin and John Freeman)

 

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Pitches 1, 2, and 4 visible

 

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Me on Pitch 4 lead

 

Tracy_on_Pitch_4.jpg

Tracy Jacobson following John's lead

 

John_on_Last_Pitch.jpg

John Freeman on last pitch (ended up being pitch 9 for us)

 

Overall, fun trip but we definately did not get the "mileage" we were looking for. Gotta go back soon!!

 

 

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"Overall, fun trip but we definately did not get the "mileage" we were looking for."

 

Nice trip. Curious, though, why not? Getting Proffessor's with (only) 10 people seems like a pretty good day, and some of the other things you looked at were certainly pretty standard classics and look totally in: Massey's is a one pitch wonder of a 4, but there is more moderate ice above. Did you not actually climb Louise or the other stuff?

 

For real mileage, a trip up the parkway to do Bridal Veil, Panther Falls, and Snivelling Gully/Weeping Left gives you 8-9 pitches of moderate ice. Also, This House of Sky is a long moderate day for mileage. And you can always go up the David Thompson and do something like Elliot Left Hand and Two Oclock Falls in a day for 5 pitches of moderate ice with only 1 pitch of WI4.

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No, we did not actually do Louise. First day in Graduate Gully was kind of a waste. Only one pitch worth of what you can actually call "ice"....versus if we did Green Gully, that would have been 7 pitches.

 

We were actually looking to do 2 to 3 long "quality" routes in WI3/4 range. The only one we finished in its entirety was Professors.

 

Heading back this weekend though... :fahq:

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"We were actually looking to do 2 to 3 long "quality" routes in WI3/4 range."

 

Doesnt really get much better than Professors at that grade. But, depending on avy hazard of course:

 

This House of Sky with its upper pitches is a very nice long quality route that you only have to belay the last few pitches for.

 

Murchison, first n pitches. Just climb until you want to turn around. Popular route, can be very cold.

 

Polar Circus. Climb up until you want to turn around. Only the last pitches are what you might call hard, the rest is pretty moderate.

 

Shades of Beauty (and Stanley Falls Senior if you finish early). No av hazard. Nice setting!

 

Sinus Gully p1, rock p2, casual 50m left traverse p3, and final pitch of Killar Pillar (WI4) for a pitch 4 of morderate, mixed climbing on the Stanley Headwall

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WI 4? Mentioned already but for a couple hrs of good ice how about starting at Sniveling, then back up the left side of Weeping wall and finally Whimper wall just down the way a bit. Makes for almost 500 meters of moderate ice. For a better non yoyo version, Left of Weeping Wall and on to the upper wall, Mare in Winter? (which was fat a couple of weeks ago) Again right at 500m of grade 4 or easier ice. Only the connecting pillar is a bit of steep ice. (4+)

 

Best of all even -30C temps can be pleasant on Weeping Wall in the sunshine. The ice is generally good on Weeping Wall as well. Really good if you compare it to some of the nasty stuff on the pillars around Field this time of year.

 

Louise was in Grade 4 shape a couple of weeks ago as well. Its pillar is a classic that you shouldn't miss when it is that easy. Weeping Wall was as fat as it ever gets with the left side pretty mellow for a 4. Borgeau Right-hand when the avi conditions are right should be on everyone's hit list (although the approach is a bit of a bitch).

 

Polar Circus? Although the lower climbing is easy the avi danger can be deadly, even for the very best climbers. With so much good ice around that is a lot safer to get on I'd think hard before "playing" there.

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