Alpine Style

A few weeks ago now, on May 12^th, I finally had the opportunity to tie in with Josh Wharton.  I first met Josh in Patagonia in 2005, and over three consecutive seasons, watched him and his mates raise the bar, time after time.  I observed, got inspired and tried to copy, and a string of my own successes ensued.  More recently, he’s been making regular trips to my main stomping grounds - the Canadian Rockies, and getting amongst the big mixed routes they’re renowned for.  We were totally psyched on the same types of adventures and frequently exchanged conditions updates and beta.  We often talked about climbing together, but our schedules had never quite meshed until now.  

As the weekend of May 12^th and 13^th approached, the cosmos seemed to fall into alignment.  Not only did I have an ideal partner for a big alpine outing, but four days of sunshine were forecasted, with perfect temperatures, and excellent snow conditions all at the same time.  I suggested we go to Robson, and we agreed on a hiring a helicopter to save us the half-day approach to its north side.  This would hopefully allow us to be quick enough to climb the Emperor Face and have me back to work for 7 a.m. Monday morning, not to mention keeping our legs fresh for the excursion ahead.

So on Friday afternoon, I ducked out of work two hours early, drove directly from my job in Calgary to Canmore (all my food and gear was pre-packed), met up with Josh, and we were on the road by 3.  Four hours / 400 kilometers later, we repacked in the Mt. Robson provincial park parking lot, agreeing to bring only enough food for a big day, mostly in the form of gels and bars (Vega of course in my case) and waited for Yellowhead Helicopters to show up and whisk us away to the other side.  By 9 p.m., we were at Mist Lake, gawking at the Emperor face, which towered 2000 meters above us!  Conditions were generally looking a bit snowy, so the route Infinite Patience seemed to be the most logical option.  I had looked down it a couple of years ago while descending the Emperor Ridge, after climbing another line just to its left.  Incoming weather had forced my partner Jason Kruk and I to descend the ridge instead of continuing to the summit after topping out above the face.  What I had seen was a perfect strip of silver ice dropping for a long ways, and I knew at that moment that I would be back to climb it someday.  Since Barry Blanchard, Eric Dumerac and Philippe Pellet had opened the route in October of 2002, it had remained unrepeated. 

We made a small fire from the dry shrubbery around the lake to hang out by for a bit, and after a few hours of “sort-of” sleeping under a light tarp without sleeping bags, the alarm went off at 3.  A quick bit of coffee and we were off, cramponing right from the lake on a well-frozen snowpack.  A couple hours later, it got light at the first steep rock band, which is the hardest climbing on the route.  I liked the look of a corner 20 meters right were the FA party had climbed, although soon I was battling up 80-degree snow, steep rock and run-out M6 for two pitches, wishing I had taken the original line.  “We’ve climbed the crux” Josh said, “I guess we can go home now”.  A lot of simul-climbing ensued across a snowfield, followed by some delightfully fun / moderate ice climbing, that weaved around huge snow mushrooms, to connect different couloirs and gullies.  One of the more memorable moments for me was a fun overhang past frightfully detached, belay-threatening snow mushroom, that required persevering a relentless spindrift wave.  I hesitated for a moment to ponder the 13cm ice-screw / ice-tool belay that Josh was hanging from 20 feet below, and the absence of any gear between us.   Waiting for the spindrift to stop seemed futile so a quick wipe of gloves, and a couple of lock-offs later had me into the upper ice runnel.   This continued for about six magical rope-lengths, and we began pitching it out. 

Conditions were absolutely perfect.  Where there was snow, there was just enough for secure bucket steps that had mercy on our calf muscles, yet not enough to cause us any concern for avalanches.  Temperatures were very comfortable, and just warm / cold enough for optimal snow stability.  The ice was generally soft and our ice tools bit securely into it with light one-stick swings ninety percent of the time.   In other words, we were making quick and efficient work of the face, and having a good time doing it.  The one drawback of the soft ice was that it didn’t protect very easily with ice screws, but between that and the lack of too much rock gear, there wasn’t much to slow us down.   

After about 11 hours and 1700 meters of elevation gain, we were off the face and onto the Emperor Ridge.  The wind was screaming up the 3000-meter SW face which made using our Jetboil to melt snow into drinking water an impossible task.  An 800-meter sideways traverse was ahead, as well as another 500 meters of elevation to gain to reach the 3954 summit – the highest in the Canadian Rockies.  The plan was to go over the summit and down the South Face route to the car.  If we were lucky, we might even get to the Ralph Forster hut, which is halfway down and have a luxurious bivi.   So we trudged on getting thirstier by the step.  Going sideways for that far is tedious and monotonous but fortunately the snow was good and a few interesting moves around some snow, ice and rock features presented themselves from time to time.   We simul-climbing all the way to the summit, switching off the trail breaking whenever the leader needed a break. 

As we got closer to the top, the “gargoyles” which are the massive rime formations that tend to wildly overhang the ridges near the summit on all sides, got bigger and bigger.  We climbed a dead-end gully right into the heart of them, but a straightforward way through didn’t present itself.  Instead, more sideways climbing over steep Patagonian-like rime features and down their other sides repeated itself several times before we finally found passage to the top.  The wind was nuking!  Snow crystals stung our faces and after a quick hi-five and a couple of photos, we began the long descent.  It was 8:45 and it had taken us 17 hours from the lake, making it the first one-day ascent of Mt. Robson via the Emperor Face.   

The descent wasn’t easy and we were surprised at the amount of down climbing we had to do.  The terrain was steep all the way to the valley, and very little of it was free of objective dangers.  I don’t think I’ve ever spent so much time exposed to potential serac fall!  Shortly after midnight we stopped in a sheltered spot for a short brew, as we were beyond dehydrated at this point.  A little while later, we had made it to the yellow bands, but were lost in the dark and losing hope of finding the hut.  It was now 2:30 and we needed daylight to find our way through the cliffs below.  We laid out the packs and rope, and crawled under the tarp for a quick power nap.  By 5 a.m., it was getting light and we were tired of shivering.  The rest of the descent remained tedious, but went smoothly and by noon we were back in the parking lot, with 10 000 feet of descending behind us, and stoked to have had such a fine first adventure together.  Although it wasn’t nearly the most technically difficult route either of us had done, it made up in pure physical burl factor, and was of extremely high quality.  We would highly recommend it and I think it deserves to become a classic.  Easily one of the best I’ve done in the Rockies!

Summery: the first one-day ascent of Mt. Robson via the Emperor face and the route Infinite Patience (2200m M5-6 WI4) JW / JW, May 12^th and 13^th 2012 

32 hours from Berg Lake to the parking lot; 50 hours Canmore –Canmore return.

The North Face and the Emperor face of Mt. Robson from the heli.  Our line is marked in red.

Josh hanging by the fire and scoping the face.  There were about six hours to kill between the heli drop and wake up and go time. 

Josh heading towards the some sweet ice and mixed climbing about halfway up

Josh, swapping leads and scoping.  A snow covered Berg Lake below.

Josh following a pitch in the upper reaches of Infinite Patience, a little below the ridge.  There were at lease 6 consecutive pitches of this nature in a row here.

Josh in cruise control mode during the six hour traverse accross the upper west face, eyes on the summit

Looking back at our track accross the west face.  Can you see it?

Josh, about to head more upwards than sideways at last

Entering gargoyle country

Hopefully these crazy rime features aren't ready to succomb to gravity

Climbing through these things reminded us of Patagonia

Thumbs up on the summit! The strong winds driving rime crystals into our faces and preventing us to melt snow for water kept out summit time to about a minute.  Only 10 000 feet of tedious descending to go...  

It's been a while since I've posted here mainly because life has been crazy busy, with work, family, skiing and climbing, a slideshow for the Calgary Mountain Club, writing an article for Gripped Magazine which just came out, training hard, and organizing an expedition to Baffin Island.  Currently, I'm actually bivouacking in the Ottawa airport, halfway through four flights to Baffin, where a little ski adventure will start in about 24 hours from now(more about that shortly).   So, I thought I'd take a few minutes to quickly recap the last three months.  Living in Calgary this winter has been a little different than what I'm used to after 20 years based in B.C. ski towns.  There's a lot of traffic, concrete, wealth and opulence, and no real mountains anywhere within about 100 kms.  Although I feel distant  from my tribe of mountain freaks, and somewhat ski deprived (I can't blow mornings off work anymore to shred the fresh powder), there still have been lots of quality outings, and many miles on the highway getting to and from the mountains.  I have to admit I've felt a little bit caged to say the least, but this trip should help sooth the soul, as getting back to nature typically does.  That said, the city isn't all that bad and I'm taking advantage of new opportunities to train, heal old injuries, and experience some new opportunities.  It's been a good place to organize a big trip from too...

January and February were particularly good for deep powder skiing around Kicking Horse and Rogers Pass, and I logged a reasonable amount of days where face shots were plentiful on just about every turn.  It's been an exceptional snow year!  As usual, I also gave in to the pull of the Stanley Headwall on several occasions for ice climbing adventures, and also as usual, the headwall remains incredibly inspiring, even after dozens of days there!  March on the other hand has been challenging.  Lots of extreme avalanche danger combined with bad weather on my days off have kept any big plans from getting off the ground.  I've still managed a few good sessions of ice and mixed climbing, and have dedicated a lot of time to rehabbing old injuries, training in the climbing gym, and cross training in the weight gym.  I think all of this is paying off as I'm starting to feel pretty in shape, as the balance is slowly starting to come back, and I'm psyches to continue the program for a good while.  I can hardly wait to test out its effectiveness while testing my limits in the arctic!  

Here's a few pics from the last little while:

Troy Jungen ripping some sweet powder at Rogers pass.  January and early February was a blur of flying snow!

Ian Welstead on the first pitch of Extreme Comfort, at the Stanley Headwall.  A really fun four pitch M7, WI 6!

Simon Parson climbing Exterminator, a new mixed route left of the infamous Terminator

Doing some photo work with Andrew Querner, photo: Rafal Andronowski

Andrew and his gear getting covered in ice!  

JW on Last Call, a mixed route behind Pilsner Pillar  photo: Rafal Andronowski

Another one from Last Call

My daughter Zoe at about 15 months, eating an apple, out for a winter walk in prairies

Chris brazeau near the sumit of Mt. Asgard, Baffin Island on our 2009 trip.  The couloirs, peaks and snow faces seen in the background provided the inspiration for the trip I'm currently on.  Every summit we stood on had revealed incredible ski potential.

More about the Baffin trip:
In 2009 I spent a month climbing in Auyuittuq National Park.  One of the things that really blew my partner Chris Brazeau and I away were the abundance of steep ski lines, and the potential for interesting glacier circuits to connect them all.  Looking back at the photos with topographical maps in hand, it soon became clear that this trip needed to be bumped to the top of the list.  Finally it's actually happening!  

My partners this time are Conor Hurley and Claire Seiber of Revelstoke.  The plan is to have the Inuit outfitters that we've hired, tow us 70 kms by snowmobile to Summit Lake, where we'll commence the journey by skiing a loop around Mt. Asgard, and then back south towards Pangnirtung via a circuitous network of glaciers.  The goals are to ski some of the most inspiring couloirs and peaks that we see (we have quite a few in mind already); explore some rarely seen sections of the park, to document the journey through video and photography; to survive without succumbing to injury, frostbite, or getting eaten by polar bears.    

Some of the challenges we expect to deal with include crevassed glaciers; whiteout navigation; difficult snow conditions which include everything from avalanche prone slopes to potentially icy conditions; intense wind / wind chill; arctic temperatures; melting all of our water / cooking in cold conditions; towing heavy sleds with all of our food and gear; possibilities of encountering a polar bears; preserving and recharging our camera batteries; having enough energy left over to ski tour about 100 km and hopefully have enough energy and drive ski somewhere between 6-8 epic runs!

There are so many variables and unknowns on this one, that there is no doubt, Claire, Conor and I are about to experience one of the adventures of our lifetime!

As we'll be entirely self sufficient and winter camping above the Arctic Circle, it's a very gear intensive trip.  We have lots of warm gear, extra camera batteries, dehydrated food, and hopefully everything we need to survive.  I'll write a much more detailed gear list, food and gear review, a trip report with photos, soon after I'm back, or maybe even on the way back.  

A huge thank you to all of the trips sponsors who have helped make this all possible:  Arcteryx, Scarpa, Vega, G3, MEC, and Stoke Roasted Coffee!

I climbed one of the best pitches of trad mixed I think I've ever done this past weekend.  The route was the Uniform Queen on the Stanley Headwall (very close to Man Yoga), and it doesn't get much better than its third pitch, which involves climbing a dead vertical hand crack and a thin smear of ice - at the same time!.  The hand cracks  for your right hand and foot, and the thin smear of ice is for your left tool and foot.  Hand jams in the right crack seemed to be the only way at times, which is a little out of character for the Rockies.  After about thirty meters of this, a small icy overhang needs to be passed before reaching easier grounded and the belay.  It doesn't seem to come in that often so if you haven't done it, you should go now!  The grade is M7…  

Thanks Gery, for the great day and the photos.  

 For more photos and Gery's website: http://vertical-unlimited.smugmug.com/Ice-and-Mixed-climbing/Uniform-Queen-Stanley-Headwall/20528062_nJXLQ5#1625870348_z9H3wDS     

"Uniform Queen" is marked.  The third pitch starts at the top of the arrow.  The fat ice in the middle is the "Suffer Machine".

Me following the second pitch.

Halfway up the third pitch.