Outdoor Research Verticulture » Canmore http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com Get Stoked! Outdoor Research Verticulture Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:31:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Ice Climbing in the Ghost http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/04/ice-climbing-in-the-ghost/ http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/04/ice-climbing-in-the-ghost/#comments Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:04:51 +0000 Sarah Hueniken http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/?p=3122 It was dark out, my headlamp needed a battery change, and my coffee hadn’t quite yet kicked in.  By 5am we were hiking over frozen creeks, bush crashing through trees, and shedding layers faster then leaves falling off aspens on a windy autumn day.

Kate, Cheryl and I were on a mission….we came to slay the Sorcerer.  After an hour and a half of hiking, the headlamps had been turned off, the chatter was down to a minimum and Kate was almost down to a sports bra.  I anticipated the turn of the next corner of our hike as I knew it would shed the greatly anticipated first view of our classic 210m grade V climb. There was a gulp, a gasp and then some nervous and giddy “wows” and “oh my god”s…..THIS is what I love about my job!




This year OR helped out with the Advanced Women’s Ghost Ice Climbing trip in the Canadian Rockies by supplying every woman with a new black Solitude jacket and windstopper hat.  WOW!!  It was an incredible contribution to an incredible group of high spirited and motivated women.  I hope these jackets know what kind of use and abuse they are in for!

The trip’s goal was to allow the women to push their own climbing either through following harder climbs or by leading the pitches they wanted to with direct coaching and feedback.  A day of cragging ice and mixed, near Canmore had some participants looking like they had just finished a mountain biking race…spring arrived earlier then usual!
The next morning we loaded up our 4-by-4′s and headed into Ghost territory.  Some exciting river crossings tested our little Rav4 but shortened our hike to the Valley of the Birds where a bunch of short pitches led us into a maze of tight water-worn canyons and culminated in some cool 2-pitch, grade 4 climbs.  Almost everyone had a chance to lead that day and for some it was even their first ice leads ever!  Yah, Piper!

That night we created a mini village of six tents, one walltent, and one serious fire pit.  After some good eating, the next day’s plans were set into motion and tired bodies crawled into tents early anticipating a predawn start the next day.  Fist and Fang, Beowulf and the Sorcerer were all climbed and happy faces and tired arms returned to camp that afternoon for a dinner feast and a roaring fire thanks to chainsaw and ice climbing guru Sharon Wood.

Our last morning, two teams climbed Wicked Wanda, and one very courageous 4wd team blasted up Hidden Dragon, backed off of a detached Candle Stick maker and sillied their way up the Joker.  Sadly that afternoon the mini village had to be repacked and we said farewell to the Ghost Valley…until next year!

I love ice climbing.  I love the Ghost. I love sharing ice climbing with others.  This camp was a bit of a dream come true for me, as I had the opportunity to share one of my favorite places with a crew of motivated, excited, and highly talented women.

This summer OR will be contributing yet again to our rock and alpine programs.  Another great opportunity for keen mountain women to take charge of their learning and embrace the sharp end of their climbing careers….or just have a blast with a bunch of other mountain lovers! For more questions about these courses, please email Sarah at shueniken@yahoo.ca.  Thanks again OR for your support in these exciting mountain opportunities for women!

]]> http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/04/ice-climbing-in-the-ghost/feed/ 0 The Intrigue of Yam http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/02/the-intrigue-of-yam/ http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/02/the-intrigue-of-yam/#comments Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:03:02 +0000 Sarah Hueniken http://outdoorresearchverticulture.com/?p=1888 var jsSlideshow = new Array(); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/west-end-of-yam.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/projecting1.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/pitch-3-sarah.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/lilla-rappelling.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/lilla-following-the-crux-pitch.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/lilla-focusing-on-the-moves.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/crux-pitch.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/another-fall-on-yam.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/projecting.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Lilla-leading-out-on-Pitch-2.jpg"); jsSlideshow.push("http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Yam-exposure.jpg");


Yamnuska exposure

Yamnuska exposure

For many locals of the Bow Valley, “Yamaneering”, is a loose term used to define a climbing day on Mt. Yamnuska, in which a party attempts a route, that although graded well within their abilities, and was probably put up 20 years ago in hobnail boots…will still make them feel like they are moving on uncharted, untouched and unclimbable territory.

Last summer my good friend and guiding cohort, Lilla Molnar and I booked a day together on Yamnuska, home to hundreds of incredible lines! Some are easy and well protected, others are very challenging and heady, limestone multipitch climbs. Either way, Yam offers a memorable day for climbers of all abilities. Both Lilla and I, as locals and as climbing guides for the area had climbed numerous routes on Yam before and ‘thought’ we knew what we were getting ourselves into as we set off on the 1 hour, uphill, hike to the base of Greyscale; a relatively new line by Andy Genereux. I love to hate the hike up to Yam! It makes for a great warm up to the day but also reminds you how incredibly unfit you are! Running into Laurie Skreslet (first Canadian to climb Everest) along the trail reminded us of the history and intrigue Yam offers. It is a test piece of the Canadian Rockies and a place to return to time and time again; even to repeat routes.

Climbing Greyscale that day was incredible….we had rain, we had sun, we had wind, we had thunderheads – a typical June day in the Rockies. As we ascended the first 5 pitches we arrived at the crux of the route. As I somewhat arrogantly scampered through the easy terrain on the initial start of the 11d pitch, Andy himself rapped a nearby route. “Thanks for the great route!” I yelled over, confidently; as Andy smiled and put me back into my well-deserved place saying only “that the fun was still to come”.

Lilla leading out on Pitch 2

Lilla leading out on Pitch 2

Sure enough, as he gazed from his lower belay station, I huffed and puffed and pumped my arms to oblivion through the overhanging moves near the end of the pitch. Scared well to the point of trying to wring out water from this ancient ocean bed that I was clinging to, I slapped for what I hoped would be the mother of all jugs only to find a grizzly limestone sloper going for the final exit moves. There was a moment of pause in my brain, and in my body, and finally acceptance to the inevitable as I felt myself no longer in control of my situation or my destiny.

Taking the plunge a couple hundred feet off the deck into space, I realized how seldom I fall on Yam…for good reason…as most falls here could be your last nightmare. Thanks to Andy’s generous bolting however I merely fell into space with forearms the size of Popeye’s and a good case of adrenaline. My trusty belayer caught my petrified and wailing body easily. I continued to the end of the pitch, bummed to have blown the “onsight” but strangely proud of myself for having tried hard enough to take the whipper. Lilla followed and then persevered on the final 20 meter lead to the top. Of course, this non-crux pitch also provided much entertainment as every pitch on Yam tends to do. Thoughtful climbing on razor sharp holds, sketchy foot smears and ample space between bolts to give you time to think about how much skin will be lost if one of those smears decides to grease off. Committing moves that, once made, can not be undone and can only be followed by more hopeful upward momentum. When we reached the summit we were each adequately shaken, pumped, bloody and exhilarated. This was a perfect day on Yam.

Projecting!

Projecting!

Only a few days later, I returned to Yamnuska with Shelley Nairn, mother and climber/friend extraordinaire. We thought we would do a fun day and chose a route that we didn’t think would “tax” us too much. It also was positioned conveniently near a route that we were keen to try and “project” when we were stronger and allowed us some scouting opportunities. After a couple pitches of run out climbing, unexpected holds breaking, seemingly directionless route finding on rock that was described appropriately in the topo as “kitty litter crumble”, we made use of our tagline and, tails between our legs, rapped the pitches we so shakily and terrifyingly led. Maybe this day was not a perfect one on Yam. It was however a more typical one, as one never really knows the outcome of their well planned Yamaneering day, and THAT is what makes it such an adventure.

Back safely on terra firma I reflected on what keeps us coming back to this mass of eroding limestone. When gearing up for a Yamnuska day, it is appropriate to come prepared for anything; good rock, bad rock, good weather, bad weather, run out, well protected, fun, or scary. Any way you look at it though, so long as you come with a good buddy, it is always an adventure and one that keeps you coming back for more!

]]> http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/02/the-intrigue-of-yam/feed/ 0 Knuckle Basher http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/01/knuckle-basher/ http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/01/knuckle-basher/#comments Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:12:14 +0000 VertiCulture http://outdoorresearchverticulture.com/?p=1477
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The Knuckle Basher is a grass roots style winter climbing festival in Canmore, AB. And, February 4th -7th, 2010 marks its second year! This year, the festival will feature more clinics by Yamnuska Mountain Guides, more shows featuring Zoe Hart, Eric Dumerac, and Kevin Doyle, and demos of the latest and greatest gear. This will also be the inaugural year for a competition done in the Bozeman Style – the Mixed Master Comp at Vsion.

For more details, check out the Knuckle Basher website.

]]> http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2010/01/knuckle-basher/feed/ 0 How to Overcome the Slow Economy: Go Ice Climbing http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2009/12/how-to-overcome-the-slow-economy-go-ice-climbing/ http://www.outdoorresearchverticulture.com/2009/12/how-to-overcome-the-slow-economy-go-ice-climbing/#comments Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:23:36 +0000 Jason Wheeler http://outdoorresearchverticulture.com/?p=187 This week, due to cut backs in the company that I work for, I ended up being the victim of cutbacks; a tale I am sure many out there have suffered recently.

So what does one do? Firstly, you have to look on the bright side. At least it happened at the start of the ice climbing season. I made my excuses at home, told my wife “I need to be alone with my grief”, packed my truck, and said goodbye to the rain in Vancouver on the WET Coast of BC. I headed out on highway one bound for Canmore, Alberta. A place that guarantees good ice and adventure.

Deciding to live it up in luxury for the first week, I booked in to the Alpine Club of Canada Clubhouse for a staggering $25 a night for FULL luxury, amazing showers, lovely lounge, and library all with great views of the valley and the mountains from every room.

Waking early for my first day of climbing, it was full of promise. I headed to Beamer, the coffee hangout down town, before checking out some of the local crags. I have been to Canmore at this time of year many times and it is often very cold and has a bunk of thick ice, so I was surprised to find myself at the Junkyards with little ice and what was there was in terrible condition.




I decided to just step out on to it to see how it felt. Well, it felt terrible but after banging around a bit I had to keep going because I was closer to the top than the bottom. Soloing up the Junkyards is usually really easy, not so much today and I was glad to get myself back on solid ground.

Foolishly, I managed to convince myself that maybe Grotto Canyon was better, so back in the truck for the 10 min drive to the next parking area. Taking a lead fall while ice climbing is bad. Taking a fall while soloing ice is very bad. So you can imagine how bad I looked when I took a fall on WI1 (a frozen puddle) on the walk in to Grotto, mm embarrassing.  I’m glad there was no one there to see me fall, don’t tell anyone. Stumbling up the canyon I made it to the climbs only to be disappointed. I’m glad I carried all my gear up here for this.

I’m now feeling that this economy is worse than I first thought; there is no work and no ice.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Getting up at 5am the next day I headed out to an area called the Ghost to solo a route called “This House of Sky” (THOS) Grade III, WI3-4+ 500m (for those that don’t work in metric that is 1640ft).

Nothing is as sweet as the alarm going off at 5am. Well I guess the only thing better would have been the sound of the alarm going off at 10am.

After a quick breakfast, I jumped in the truck and headed for the Ghost. The Ghost is only about 30kms from Canmore as the crow flies but it is two hours by car on bad roads. Given that it is Friday morning I should have had the place to myself, everyone should be working. Not the case, I was one of four groups on the route that morning. Doesn’t anyone work in Canada anymore?

I managed to get on the route first with a nice couple letting me go before them. Since I was soloing, I would soon be out of site given the lack of time consuming rope work. I made it to the top in a little over an hour and sat having a sandwich, then dozed off for an hour sitting in the sun watching the clouds go by.

Finally getting a little cold, I headed back down with a mixture of down climbing and 7 or 8 rappels. Back at the car by 2pm and heading for home. What a beautiful day and a great way to spend your time when you are supposed to be looking for a job.

After getting out of the Ghost and back on to the paved roads, a snow and ice storm hit causing a little delay and finally seeing me back to Canmore at around 8pm, ready for food, beer and then ready for bed.

Next….? Watch this space for more winter ice adventures.


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