Summertime Climbing in Northern Alberta!

I've been getting out climbing a LOT this summer, mostly thanks to the tolerance of my wife (Thanks Shelley!).  In the last month, I've been to Jasper, Hasler, and Bear Mountain.  Three weekend trips, which amounts to a lot of climbing this month!

Trip 1: Jasper
I was invited to go to Jasper for three days with Renee, Steven, and Andrew, three of the staunch climbers from the GPRC climbing gym.  Although Jasper used to be my stomping grounds (hmmm... 13 year ago or so!), I hadn't climbed there in a while and was keen to make a trip down memory lane.  I was not disappointed! Although we didn't have perfect weather, we climbed at Lost Boys for 2 days, then at the Rock Gardens for a day.  I led a handful of 5.10 trad routes at Lost Boys, which I was excited about (I NEVER used to climb the trad routes there!), and managed to do a bunch of sport routes in the 5.10 to 5.12- range.  SO MUCH fun to climb at Lost Boys!  I climbed Peer Pressure (.12-) on my second try; it used to be somewhat sparsely bolted, but now with 2 more bolts it is an amazing route!  I onsighted (or re-onsighted, since I hadn't been on the routes there in 15 years) everything else I tried, which was nice.

Going back to the Rock Gardens was powerfully nostalgic for me; I had put up several routes there over the years, and even after such a long absence it seemed I remembered each hold and route.  With Andrew, I climbed on a handful of the new routes there; first we did a new(ish) 5.8 and .10c that cross Layback W (both cool routes), then we went around the corner to try (what we thought was) a new .10d.  The route consisted of a tricky vertical section, then a long TECHNICAL slab.  Andrew tried to onsight it, and did very well on the vertical section.  We was baffled by the slab, though, so he lowered off so I could give it a try.  Still thinking it was .10d, I thought the route was hard, and after a long battle with a sustained slab, I managed to clip the chains.  Later we found out it was .11b (the retro-bolted Yo-yo), and so we felt better.  Later, I flashed Climbing for Punishment (a steep .11b) and did Raven's Laugh (.12a) on my first try.  Raven's was the first .12 I ever bolted, so it was especially nice to climb it again!  Felt a lot easier this time than it did when I was 24 or so!  I also re-flashed Guidekiller (.11d), which was a treat!  Steven will get it next time, for sure; he made good progress on it.

I am very thankful to Renee, Steven, and Andrew (especially the latter, because he drove both ways) for a great weekend!

Trip 2: Hasler Bluffs
Several days later, Shelley, Aya, Rowan and I packed up for a weekend at Hasler Bluffs.  With Aya and Rowan, we knew that I would essentially be left belayer-less for much of the weekend, but I didn't mind that much, as I was keen to get some work done on my new project there (code name: Orange Crush).  It was hot and sunny, but I went up on a rope and put in the time to scrub lichen and put in bolts.  Originally I was going to end the route at about 18m, below what I thought was a blank section of rock.  To my surprise, the last section of rock had a number of positive holds, so I pushed the route to the top of the cliff (23m!).  It will be the hardest route at Hasler, most likely, at .12c or .12d (I'm hoping it's no harder than that!).  It has four cruxes, and the bottom half of the route climbs a beautiful orange-streaked sandstone wall.  It also climbs through a band of conglomerate (the third and fourth cruxes), but these moves are really terrific as well.  It's an amazing route, and I hope I can manage to get up it!

There were several people at Hasler, so I managed to borrow a toprope to do The Quick and The Dead (.10d) and Anorexia Crack (.11c).  I'll lead both next time I'm out there!  They're both stout trad routes, so I'm excited to get on the sharp end to do them!

Trip 3: Bear Mountain
Today, Shelley, Aya, Rowan, and I went to Bear Mountain, despite the heat (32C!).  We had a great time, on the blocks right at the beginning of the descent trail (not the rope access trail, nor the trail to the Shaman Area, but the trail that heads down and right).  I cleaned five new problems, although a couple had definitely seen some cleaning action previously.

The first problem I did was a very cool pinchy arete (Bear Mountain conglomerate excels at producing pinchy aretes), with a couple of very interesting moves, a very worthwhile problem.  Has it been done before?  Who knows!  I called it No Exit (V1 or V2ish), because the boulder has no easy downclimb (as it turned out).  To the left, it looked like there was a potential for a cool conglomerate-sloper problem, which I cleaned and did in a few tries (I wanted to call it 'The 41st Alderman', but Shelley said NO; it's V4ish).  It was very fun, and I convinced Shelley to take a video with her iPhone... so here it is, my first online climbing video! ;)

Next, I did a harder start into No Exit (calling it Full Exit, V2), then cleaned and climbed a V2ish highball arete on the boulder facing the No Exit boulder.  It's a square cut arete, and only the first move is hard, the rest is easy (which is nice for a 17 foot problem, in my mind).  I finished off the session (it was getting HOT out by this point, 32C) by cleaning and briefly working the 'slot traverse project' on the next boulder over.  It'll be hard (V6? V7?), and fun, but it was far too hot to try sloper problems, so we called it a day and headed into Dawson Creek for ice cream!

The 'Slot Traverse Project'.  It will have to wait for a cooler day!

Hope your summer is going as well as mine!  Take care!

Bear Mountain Bouldering Pictures

Chris D. (who was out bouldering with me at Bear Mountain) sent me a handful of pictures of our day of first ascents. 

The first shows the downhill side of the boulder we spent most of our time on.  It's a fairly big block of sandstone, probably 18 feet high or so.  The line of slot/crimps coming out of the overhang on the left side of the boulder is Deadpool Low (V6?), which is likely the hardest problem at Bear Mountain.  Deadpool (V1+) starts at the high positive slot / jug at the top of the crimp rail, and heads up and right on perfect sandstone slopers.  Chris's other problem, Modern Merc (V2?), starts at the right side of the face at the arete, and follows the slopers and slots at the lip left to join the end of Deadpool.  All three problems are really fun, despite the sandy rock.

The Rubble Boulder has five problems so far, with potential for another five or so.  Deadpool is on the left, Modern Merc on the right.

The next photo is me on Barney Rubble (V5), which starts on a huge flat jug and heads up and left on thin pockets.  I've included a photo of the key pocket on Barney Rubble - a shallow three-finger pocket.  To do the problem you reach up to a much smaller two-finger pocket, then do a big move to the lip of the boulder.  Good fun!  The other problem we did on the boulder - Betty Rubble (V1) starts on the same jug, but moves right to the arete, then climbs the arete to a cool topout.  Technical, but easy.

Me on Barney Rubble (V5ish).  The rock here is pretty atrocious, really - poorly cemented conglomerate.  Hopefully it holds together for a while so people can do the problem, which is quite cool.

The key pocket on Barney Rubble.  

We finished the day by doing Shaman and Trickster, fun problems in the Shaman Cave.

Our day of bouldering essentially brings the number of problems at Bear Mountain to 10, not including eliminates.  It'll be nice when there are 50 problems or so, so climbers can do a bit of a circuit on the mountain.

What next at Bear Mountain?  I have a project on Carlee's Boulder that should check in around V5 or V6, and a STEEP roof problem on the boulder next to the Rubble boulder, that I'm hoping will be a little harder, maybe V7 or V8.

Happy Bouldering!

Bear Mountain Bouldering

Last Sunday, Chris D. and I made a "boulder hunting and sending" trip to Bear Mountain.  I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with the boulders at Bear Mountain.  The boulders there are really accessible (a relatively short drive and a very short approach), and lie scattered throughout an aspen and pine forest in a truly beautiful setting.  The boulders look beautiful, with a great diversity of angles (from slabs to roofs), and the problems generally have good landings.  Unfortunately, the rock there is often quite soft, and the holds can sometimes be brittle and/or grainy.  Despite these issues, the problems at Bear Mountain are proving to be a lot of fun, with quality movement despite the sometimes soft rock.

Arriving at Bear Mountain, we scouted around for an hour or so, before deciding on a cluster of great-looking boulders directly downslope of the Shaman cave.  We cleaned a handful of problems on a single boulder, and they all turned out to be nice lines.  The rock there generally has some moss and lichen, and although it cleans up nicely, it does take a little work to get the problems ready.  We first climbed a line I had cleaned, a leaning arete to a fun sloper topout.  We both did it without any real difficulty (V1?), and set to work on the second problem, a steep problem on shallow pockets.  The problem starts on a huge hold (which is nice because it makes for a very comfortable foothold), but then climbs up a relatively blank face via smooth pockets where pebbles have pulled out of the conglomerate.  After many tries (and breaking off many footholds), I finally managed the big deadpoint to the lip and finished the problem (V4? maybe V5?). 

We moved on to the problems that Chris had cleaned.  The first was a great problem on AMAZING sandstone slopers - perfectly radiused, and great texture.  It was a little stiff (V2?), but we both managed to flash it.  Then we moved on to a great-looking line that started on a big sloping pinch, and moved up with big moves and perfect slopers.  Chris flashed it; a good effort on a classic line!  Then we turned our attention to the low start to that problem, a hard start that climbed out a little cave on incut crimps.  We thought it would be pretty casual, but it turned out to be a lot more difficult than we anticipated.  We traded beta and worked on the moves for nearly an hour, and nearly gave up.  Adopting some of Chris' beta, I finally did the first four moves (the crux!), and finished the problem.  It is the hardest problem at Bear Mountain (so far), and is probably V6.  I've got my eye on a TALL slab on the backside of the boulder; if I get it cleaned, I'll take some photos so people can get on it!

Even though our fingers were feeling pretty pulped by this time, we headed up to the Shaman cave so Chris could do Shaman, and we could work on the other problem in the cave; a harder version of Shaman on perfect half-pad edges.  We did Shaman fairly quickly, and then worked on the other line.  Chris made very quick progress on it (using kneebars!), but couldn't quite stick the finishing hold.  Playing catchup, I managed to finish the problem (it finishes on a black pod-pocket high on the wall), calling it Trickster (V4ish).

Now thoroughly thrashed, we walked over and checked out some cracks at the main wall, then headed to McDonald's for ice cream.  A good end to the day!

So, my relationship with Bear Mountain continues.  However, on a sunny day, climbing on new sandstone boulder problems in a beautiful forest, I definitely love it far more than I hate it!

[Sorry for the lack of photos.  Chris took a couple, and when he sends them I'll post them here.]

Spring Season!

Spring is well underway here in the Peace Country, and that means perfect temperatures, no mosquitos, and long days.  Together, these factors spell spring bouldering!  I have finally managed to make short trips to the two closest bouldering areas - Mt Babcock and Bear Mountain.  I was pleasantly surprised by both areas, although for different reasons.  First, Mt Babcock had even more bouldering potential than I remember (certainly potential for more than 1000 problems in the area).  Second, a bit of exploring and some good information (thanks Julian, Carlee, and Chris!) showed me that Bear Mountain had a lot more to offer than I thought it had.  As a result, I have moved a lot closer to my goal of opening (or being involved in the opening) of 100 new problems in the Peace River country this year.

Session 1: Mt Babcock.  Andrew and I hatched a plan to head out to Mt Babcock for a day on the long weekend. When he showed up at my house, he also had Rachelle and Chris Dart in his truck, which was nice - the more the merrier!  Heading across the border into BC on logging and mining roads, we arrived at the giant jumble of boulders on Mt Babcock known as The Boulder Gardens. There was still a fair bit of late-season snow in some spots, but we hiked around the area (guided by my trusty photocopied map!) checking out the potential and looking for projects.  Finally, we turned a corner and found a perfect warmup boulder of coarse conglomerate.  The rock at Babcock ranges from fine sandstone to coarse conglomerate, and this boulder was somewhere in the middle (with a matrix in the coarse sand - pea-sized pebble range).  We cleaned and sent three good warmup problems, with 'Hedgehog' (V1) being especially fun.  We worked a sent a harder slab pebble-pinching problem (V3?) on the boulder too, keeping us entertained.

We had spotted a wicked-looking highball nearby, so warmed up we headed over to clean it up, and throw some bouldering mats down.  The line starts on a big frown-shaped pocket, and heads up by compressing two opposing rows of crimps.  Very fun, but very hard!  We made *some* progress, but had a hard time linking moves together.  We dubbed it the 'Charles Dickens project' (referring to the scary height of the problem and the three ghosts of A Christmas Carol). We'll have to train hard and come back for it! 

The 'Charles Dickens project' (V10ish) - a highball up the belly of a BIG sandstone block.  Too bad I can't do half of the moves.

All-in-all, a very informative trip.  Mt Babcock holds a LOT of boulders, with a lot of steep, hard, lines.  Interestingly, there will be a lot of crack problems, which is unusual for Canada.

Session 2: Bear Mountain.  The following weekend, I had a spare morning, so I decided to make a quick trip out to Bear Mountain, just over the border in BC.  With better directions to a better part of the cliff, I headed out early to get in a few hours of exploring and bouldering.  I wanted to try and repeat all the problems on Carlee's Boulder, and get a few new problems done as well.  Arriving at the area, Lupin (my German Shepherd) and I explored for an hour, then found the Carlee boulder.  The boulder was A LOT dirtier than I had hoped, although Carlee, Chris, and Julian had done a good job of cleaning the problems on the block.  I didn't flash Carlee's Cave* (although I came close), which climbs out a long easy roof to a slightly harder lip traverse.  Its a really good warmup, because almost all the holds - and moves - are big.  I did manage to flash Carlee's Pinch Problem*, with big moves to big coarsely-textured holds (including a cool pebbly jug-pocket at the lip).  I could see that another problem was possible, by heading directly left from the start jug and escaping the roof via a long reach to a one-finger pocket.  It's been awhile since I climbed a hard mono problem, but I cleaned it up, taped my finger (!), and gave it a shot.  In a half-dozen tries I managed to pull through the mono and the pebbly crimps above and finish the problem.  Although the mono is a bit grim, it is still a fun line.  I called it Carlee's Great Escape (V3/4).

Carlee's Boulder; Carlee's Cave* has a low SD by the mat, heads up and out of the photo, then traverses left along the lip before topping out at the arete.  Carlee's Great Escape (V4ish?) heads directly left (i.e. above the mat) after the starting hold.

The grim mono of Carlee's Great Escape... ticked and ready for action.

I prowled around a bit, and uncovered a cool overhang between two GIANT boulders.  There were four lines, with some of the nicest holds I've seen in some time.  The premier line on the boulder started on a big pocket, and headed up and left along a line of incut slots and crimps.  Although not hard, this problem is classic (!), and will be popular.  There is a potentially VERY hard dyno project on the boulder as well; I'll have to find someone who enjoys that type of thing.

 The starting holds of Shaman (V1+ish).  Very cool, and very solid rock!  The big pocket perfectly swallows my entire right hand.

A very fun trip!  Since Bear Mountain is only 107 km from my house, I will be back there soon!

What next?  A trip to Hasler is in order, and return trips to Mt Babcock and Bear Mountain as soon as possible.  I need to get out a lot before the mosquito season arrives!

* These are not the real names of the problems that Carlee, Chris, Julian, and Tyler did.  I don't know them, so just made them up.  Carlee's Great Escape IS the real name of the problem I did.  The grade may be suspect, though. Harder? Easier? Who knows.

Bear Mountain!

On Sunday, I felt the need to get out, do some exploring, and stretch my legs.  My explorations usually take the form of rock-seeking-missions, and I decided that this Sunday was going to be no exception.  I have long wanted to go check out the cliffs at Bear Mountain, and to see if there were any bouldering opportunities to be had there.  I knew (from rumours, and various online fragments of information) that the cliffs at Bear Mountain were sandstone, and tended to be somewhat sandy (i.e. poorly cemented); not exactly a destination.  However, climbing is climbing, and adventure is adventure, so I grabbed a coffee, put Lupin in the van, and headed off to Dawson Creek!

Perhaps the most unique thing about Bear Mountain is the enormous wind turbine installation there.  There are over two dozen HUGE wind turbines installed along the ridge, which gives the setting a somewhat science-fiction vibe.  I parked near the end of 233 Road, near the first wind turbine. I decided to hike through the forest along the entire length of the scarp (to ensure I wouldn’t miss any boulders lurking in the forest), then hike along the top of the cliff on the way back (to enjoy the view and check out the cliff itself). 

To make a long story short, my explorations were moderately successful.  Good news = I did find a nice cluster of boulders in a pleasant woodland setting with nice landings.  There is probably room for about 50 problems, with lots of overhanging arêtes which will provide some decently hard problems.  Bad news = there was only one cluster of boulders.  I did find a few more boulders at the far end of the scarp, but they were neither big nor plentiful.  Also, the boulders are formed almost exclusively by big cubes of coarse sandstone-conglomerate.  The conglomerate will be a little hard on the hands (think texture like a meat-tenderising hammer), and isn’t always completely solid.

I did see a few really nice-looking potential problems, though.  The first big boulder I saw (photo 1) was a big brick-shaped block, but one end was propped up; as such, the two suspended arêtes had sit-down starts, and could both be in the V6-V8 range.  Another cool-looking line (photo 2) was on a big tooth-shaped boulder with a scoop.  It didn’t look difficult, but did look really (!) fun.  Other than that, there were a number of arêtes and small caves scattered around (photo 3), from which a dedicated boulderer could make a nice circuit - once everything was cleaned up.

If anyone wants to go there and take a look, do some scrubbing, open some problems, let me know!  I am certainly willing to show anyone what I’ve found.  Cheers!

1) The business end of a giant brick of conglomerate.  Sit down starts on the right and left.  My walking stick  (about 3 feet long) for scale.

2) Cool scoop, with a crack/seam feature.  One of the best lines I saw at Bear Mountain.

3)  Bear mountain boulders.  

Hasler Flats Trip

I headed to Hasler Bluffs this past Monday with my friend Domhnall to do some climbing, and check out the potential for new routes and bouldering in the area. One of our goals was to get a rope on at least one new line at Hasler Bluffs. When we arrived at Hasler Flats, we first stopped to check out the new area, then headed over to Hasler Bluffs. We walked the length of the crag to check it out (Dom hadn't been to the area before), then we decided to lead (what we thought was) a moderate bolted route that wasn't in the guide. It turned out to be an oddly bolted 11-, so I took some hangs at the bolts trying to get psyched to boulder up to the next bolt, which always seemed to be in an odd spot and a little too far away. After we finished with that route, we went down to the base of the crag and did some bouldering on the blocks down there. We repeated Anonymous Arete (Dom flashed it, very nice!), and then cleaned up a new line on the adjacent block. We worked it and finally sent it - it's a really classic compression problem up a steep bulge (probably V4ish).

Then we headed back up to the cliff where I led Nose Goblins (5.7), which is a fun route with good gear, although I felt that there were some loose flakes on the route that could maybe have been pried off to make the route safer. We moved the rope over, and Dom made quick work of a .10b crack. We moved the rope over again, so we could toprope a new line that climbed through a beautiful orange wall with a big roof at midheight. It looked about .11b from the ground, but it turned out to much harder and more technical than I thought (partially because some of the rock was covered with a beautiful patina, which meant that the friction in those sections was a bit reduced). Such an amazing route - hopefully I can get out there to put bolts in it soon. There is a lot of potential at Hasler Bluffs for hard routes in the .11+ to .12+ range.

There is a (somewhat outdated) guide for Hasler Bluffs written about a decade ago; it is certainly worth having if you are planning a trip to the area. The guide (hosted by the Prince George section of the ACC) can be found HERE. I am hoping to write a new Hasler Bluffs Guide this year, but we'll have to see if I have time.

Need a New Mat?

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