[TR] Lions, Howe Sound, BC - Lions NE Ridge 10/15/2013

[DougBrownVancouver]

Trip: Lions, Howe Sound, BC - Lions NE Ridge

 

Date: 10/15/2013

 

Trip Report:

A pretty good scramble for climbers?

Fairley Guide (Climbing and Hiking in SW BC, 1994) calls the route 5.3 and less than aesthetic (due to bush in parts), however I had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed it (3y/o and 7 month old at home.....didn't get out climbing all summer....had a partial day of freedom from Vancouver and was giddy to be out and on some good rock).

 

I wore trail runners and brought a small rappel rope in case I wanted to bail. Generally good rock quality, the lower section before the shoulder had the steeper and more exposed climbing (5.3 seems fair, no more that 1-2 moves of 5th class in a row with significant exposure, spotted 2 old rusty pins). I found the lower part of the route exciting because you can't see very far ahead and I was constantly thinking that if this gets any harder I'm not going to be happy soloing....but every time I would step up or move around a corner, it would ease up enough to keep me going.

 

The upper section above the shoulder is less steep and easier but there is an obvious gendarme that kind of looms over you as a potential stopper........when I got to it, I thought briefly about taking it straight on (?5.8ish leading to ??? out of sight), but then bailed left into some steep gully trees (looked kind of gross but turned out to be reasonable travelling...coastal classic?). The ridge tops out right at the cairn for the tourist route which makes for a nice descent.

 

Probably not a good route for the non-climber scrambling crowd (lots of opportunities to take a big fall if you made bad choices) and probably not a great 'climbing' route since it would probably be hard to get great flow with the rope, trees, & often changing steepness......but a pretty darn fun scramble, up an aesthetic 1200 ft ridge, that is very close to the city.

 

From the top of the logging road: ~3hrs up, ~2hrs down. First ascent was in 1913 and was a solo by Basil Darling (I am not worthy.....)

 

Lower part of the route and the mid height shoulder (seen from the west on the approach)

 

Skyline is the mid height shoulder and upper part of the route (seen from the west on the approach)

 

Looking up from the base of the route (Fairly Guide shows route starting out of sight to the right on better rock....probably the better start but my head wasn't into steep rock yet so I started from the treed ledge)

 

Looking up while on the steep lower part of the route

 

Upper part of the route as seen from the mid height shoulder.

 

Foreshortened upper gendarme as seen from the route (can avoid it at the last moment by going left into steep trees that look bad but turn out to be fine)

 

Peek-a-Boo view of Vancouver near the summit of the NE Ridge

 

Gear Notes:

I used trail runners and had a 30m rappel rope and some tat in my bag that I didn't use but gave me the piece of mind to keep climbing on the lower section.

 

Approach Notes:

Lions (Binkert) Trail to the ridge at 1250m (N49 27.428 W123 11.599) then traverse NE across good talus to the obvious notch at the base of the west ridge (about N49 27.555 W123 11.347). Descend about 60m in a NNE facing gulley (loose) and then traverse west to the base of the route.

[bstach]

Good job, Doug Brown. Thanks for the TR.

[G-spotter]

It's definitely a fun day out. I hear tell under winter conditions it's actually more of a climb and less of a scramble.