Blaeberry Express
Blaeberry Express - Hepberg Creek, Blaeberry Valley B.C. GR975035 220 m M6 WI 6 - F.A. Rich Marshall, Jon Walsh - Dec 1, 2005
A great route in a great setting - well worth the trip. The route will have high avy hazard after a snowfall and probably best early season. Approach: Drive 9 km's west of Golden on Hwy 1, turn right on Moberly Branch road and then left on Upper Donald. This turns a corner and becomes Oberg Johnson, which is taken to it's end. Turn left at the intersection with Moberly School Rd. (just before this intersection is the best place to view the climb on the SW face of Mt. ? - binoculars recommended) and park at the first bridge 3 minutes from the OB / MS intersection and about 8 minutes from Hwy 1. If you get to a bridge over the Blaeberry River you've gone about 5 minutes too far. Hike up (Hedberg) creek and after about fifteen minutes, a trail leads up the ridge on the right side of deep canyon. Follow the trail until it is possible to drop back into the creek and continue until it intersects with another creek coming in from the left (about 1.5 hours to here). Follow this left fork for another hour to the base of the climb. 2.5 hours total, 650m elevation gain. Pitch 1: 60m of WI 2 and 3 gets you to a small bowl where the real climbing begins Pitch 2: 45m M6 sustained - Connect blobs, daggers and smears on the right side, with some rock moves but almost always touching ice. Protection is mostly in the rock (and quite good) and there are multiple cracks of all sizes to make an anchor at a good stance below a small roof. Extra runners useful. 1 fixed LA about halfway up.
Pitch 3: 55m WI 5+ / 6 Step left from the belay and climb steep enduro ice to a good ledge. Pitch 4: 60m WI 5+ / 6 20m of WI 2 leads to a burly pillar. Rappel from V-Threads Rack: Screws, cams: 1 each from green alien to #3 camelot, a few medium wires, a few assorted pins, and a specter was useful. The rock gear was only needed for pitch 2