Cookoo's Next and Andrew Langsford
Had a fine day on the Cookoo’s nest yesterday with Jeff Relph and Paddy Jerome. The Cookoo’s Nest is a traditionally protected four pitch mixed route in the Kicking Horse Canyon just 10 minutes from my home. It doesn’t always completely form so I think the winter often goes by without it seeing any ascents. Pitch one is a thin WI3 warm up pitch, and Pitch two is more of the same with a little M4 traverse to the first cave. The M6+ crux is then right off the belay on pitch 3, which involves a series of lock offs and knee bars, to gain a one-foot wide, by six inches thick dribble of ice that leads to the next cave. A really cool pitch! Green, red and gold camelots in a good crack make for excellent protection. The fourth pitch involves more overhanging M6- crack climbing out of the cave with excellent rock pro and stemming to gain a dagger and a steep pillar, that despite it’s WI5+ rating, felt like really fun WI4 due to the soft sun baked ice and mushroom like features that adorned it. Thanks guys!
Golden Classics!
Jeff on pitch 4
Jeff gaining the ice on pitch 4.
Last night was of a very different flavor. An amazing group of people from far and wide made the trip to Andrew Langsford’s wake, here in Golden. It was so good to see Tree (Andrew’s partner in life), getting so much love and support. Andrew was a good friend and local mountain guide, who just lost a two-year battle with cancer at only 36 years old. He was an incredibly talented climber, skier, surfer, as well as one of the funniest people I’d ever met. Tree is also a super talented rock climber and both have inspired me over the years, and I’m stoked to have tied in with both of them on many occasions. So with heavy hearts, the cocktails and tears flowed as we reminisced about how Andrew had touched our lives. Love you always bro.
Here are some pics of a Andrew and I making a one day ascent of the Grand Central Couloir on Mt. Kitchener:
Andrew in the upper reaches of the 1000 meter Grand Central Couloir
The Blanchard / Doyle ice strip wasn't in so we took the original Jones / Quinn variation.
You might have noticed he's following with one tool. I had dropped one a pitch or two earlier - the only time I've ever done that outside of cragging situation! Fortunately the upper few pitches are low enough angle that it didn't matter.
Below is a shot of Tree cranking Venom at the Back of the Lake
