>> April - May 2002
Alberta News
Milton's Big Summer
This past summer Scott Milton added a short extension
to the route Leviathan at Acephale. Scott originally finished the 5.14a/b
route at the last bolt, as he did not find a reasonable solution to go to
the anchor. Luckily Lev Pinter had the vision to look a little to the left
and found a pretty good sidepull, which made the finish palatable. "I had
such blinders on," said Milton, " I was forcing myself to climb the direct
line up a heinous slab. It was such disgusting climbing that I did not want
to finish a beautiful route on that note. So I called it done at the last
bolt. I remember looking over to the hold out left and thinking that it
was too far away to be on-route. In fact, it isn't far away at all. I was
just brain-dead last year." Using Pinter's sequence Milton redpointed the
route again and felt that the new finish "doesn't change the grade, but
does give you one more tricky section to think about on the link." In a
great late season effort Lev Pinter also redpointed Leviathan shortly before
the snow closed Acephale. Milton also cleaned up and redpointed an old Darren
Tremaine line immediately left of Existence Mundane, which he called Endless
Summer. He proposed the grade of 5.13d for this route. At Heart Creek, Lev
Pinter plucked a three bolt Tremaine project, which Milton flashed. There
was no consensus on the grade, but it seems to be somewhere between 5.12d
and 5.13b. To the left of Palm Sisters, on a small overhanging wall JD LeBlanc
bolted and named Old Timer, which he then gave to Milton who redpointed
it and proposed 5.13b/c.
Seth Mason Sends
Mandala
Seth Mason and Zoe Kozub had a productive winter holiday in Bishop.
Zoe’s notable quick sents were Dove White V8, Action Figure V7, Gleaner
V7, and she flashed most things she climbed in the V5, V6 range. Seth also
climbed well with a flash of Peabody at V10 and a quick send of Mandala,
probably making him the second Canadian to climb this problem. The Mandala
send was the result of four days and 13 burns. Seth had given it up and
headed for home in Edmonton when Zoe insisted they turn around so Seth could
have a final attempt. He sent it first go that morning.
Sixteen Year-old
Jordan Sends V11
In February, 16 year-old Jordan Hossack of Calgary, Alberta showed
his potential with a string of hard sends. At the White Buddha he did Segundo
V8, 95% Man V9, and made the third ascent of Seth Mason’s Mon Cal,
V11. Not bad for a guy whose mom only let him climb outside a for the first
time a year ago.
Rockies Ice and
Mixed Report
Every year is different in the Rockies, but this season seemed more
schizophrenic than most. The Replicant came in early, but the lower pitches
of Professor’s still hadn’t frozen as of late February. Cascade
didn’t freeze until December, but then froze fatter than a Thanksgiving
turkey. Kitty Hawk is already melting out, but the upper tier of the Weeping
Wall looks bigger than the lower. While the odd conditions kept people guessing
about what’s in and what’s not, a lot of high-quality new mixed
routes kept things interesting.
For most of December Ben Firth, Kim Csizmazia and I worked on projects in
the Cineplex, the formerly secret area behind Panther Falls on the Icefields
Parkway. Ben and I did battle with a route we eventually called Musashi,
which is a candidate for the sickest mixed climb around. Ben came close
to sending it in late December, but surgically opened his index finger like
a split sausage while battling the first crux, a massive horizontal dyno
to a slot and then an even harder horizontal move. After this you just have
to climb about 8 more meters horizontally and pull a flat ice roof. On December
26th, the day before Ben and I had to leave for Europe and the World Cup,
I sent the roof leashless but without modern heel spurs. I’ve climbed
enough "M11" in Europe to rate this route harder than that, but
I’m sick of reading magazine/sponsor grades in mags so Ben and I gave
it the classic Rockies grade of 5.9 A2 or MFH.
In other Cineplex news, Kim Csizmazia and several partners opened Veggie
Combo, M9-, and another so-far-unnamed route to the left at M8+. Dave Thomson
was close to doing Eric Dumerac’s red-tagged, but selectively open
project out the same roof as Musashi; the bolts have been there for over
a year, and it needs to be finished soon or the one-year rule on open projects
will come into affect. Hopefully they will read this and send! With the
addition of these two routes and the others in the cave the Cineplex will
have the highest concentration of hard routes in the world.
Dana Ruddy partnered with various friends to open a slew of new routes in
the Jasper/Icefields Parkway area, including Power of the Gospel, an excellent
140M WI 5 route in the Stutfield Cirque. The route is serious as there are
seracs above it, but Ruddy says, "The glacier is set back from the
top of the route about 20 m, and does not appear overly threatening. This
is something individuals will have to judge for themselves." Ruddy
and friends also opened some high-quality new mixed lines in Maligne Canyon
and a mixed finish to Snivelling Gully on the Weeping Wall. To round out
the Jasper-area new-route spree Ruddy and Sean Elliot added Bad Actors,
WI4 M7 to the right of the ultra-classic Curtain Call. Ruddy who was a promising
Nordic racer before getting into mixed climbing looks like he’s found
a new game to kick ass at.
Scott Semple and Eammon Walsh opened Troubled Water, M9- WI8- beside A Bridge
Too Far in the Kananaskis. The unusual WI8- grade is explained this way:
"You see, it’s ice. Swing at it; tools stick. There is that post-mixed-climbing
bicep pump to contend with and your feet are that frantically kicking and
shortening the dagger (icicle) which exacerbate the situation, but it’s…you
know…ice. There is the pro of course. You wouldn’t want to put
any screws in that thing—not before the lip anyway. Then, just when
you want a screw, you are on WI5, so it’s tough to evaluate. Sure the
dagger is only vertical and the forearm pump disappears, but, again, there’s
that bicep pump that takes longer to get rid of, the potential fall, the
residual-lactic-acid. Yes, true, the figure-4s are over at that point and,
yes, you’re on your feet and, yes, it’d be difficult to fall off,
but what if SOMETHING HAPPENED? I really don’t know; I’ve never
even climbed WI7, so I’m probably not evolved enough to know. Let’s
just say the ice grade needs confirmation." This commentary reflects
a suspicious feeling in the Bow Valley that perhaps some of the new WI7+
routes in the Rockies may have been graded using a different system. Confirmation
awaits.
In late February Robert Jasper arrived from Europe to have a go at some
of our hard routes. Robert is best known for establishing Flying Circus,
M10, and many other M10 and M11 routes in Europe. He has also repeated most
of the hardest mixed routes in Europe. In the Gulag he and I repeated all
three routes in an afternoon, leashless. Jasper up-graded them from Canadian
M9 and M10- to European M10- and M11-, confirming my belief that the Rockies
routes are somewhat under-graded. The new leashless tools combined with
very aggressive heel spurs have really changed mixed climbing making us
stronger then we were without them. Ultra-light shoes with bolted-on crampons
also help make the game different; like sport climbing, you walk up in Sorels
then pull on the integrated boot/crampons for each route.
Jasper then turned his attention to Musashi and was doing very well when
he unfortunately punctured his hand to the bone with a heel spur. He confirmed
that Musashi was the hardest route he’s tried before he headed to the
Banff hospital. Daniel DuLac, last year’s Ice World Cup winner and
a top French rock/bouldering climber, also tried Musashi for two days and
came very close to success before having to leave for the Festiglace in
Quebec. Musashi was named in honor of a great Japanese swordsmen who was
the first to promote the two-sword style of fighting. Given the carnage
on the route, this name is starting to make more and more sense. DuLac,
who should know, commented that Musashi felt like a 5.14a route to him.
The new high-end mixed equipment is really changing the game; you can rest
from your heel spurs almost anywhere, and the light boot/crampon combos
make anything else feel like Alpine ski boots. Some of the new tricks are
indeed very tricky, making the difference between mixed and aid climbing
difficult to discern. For example, is hooking the handles of two leashless
tools together and sitting on the pick of the lower one like a seat really
free climbing? Or hanging upside down from a cammed tool by both heel spurs?
While these tricks are possible, most seem to agree that no-hands resting
on the equipment takes things a little bit far. The rest of the tricks would
take another article to describe, but they are also cool.
Jeremy Kroeker and "Simon D" climbed Sea of Vapours in late February.
This route would not be considered "in" in any normal sense; it’s
the first time it has been repeated in tougher-than-FA conditions, so congratulations
to them.
The long-awaited fourth edition of Waterfall Ice is also out, featuring
hundreds of new ice routes. Waterfall Ice complements Sean Isaac’s
Mixed Climbs guide, which now also needs a new edition to be current. No
matter what you’re into there’s lots to do here; if all else fails
you can join the ever-popular bar conversations on such topics as ice grades,
mixed grades or mixed trickery.
Correspondent: Will Gadd
The Second Annual Lillooet Ice Fest 2002
While the weather previous to the January 25-27 event was about as
temperamental as a pet cat waiting for dinner, the Wet Coast came through
for ice climbers as cold air settled over the Coast Range only one week
before the event. Fifty climbers, at least 20% from the States and a good
half from the Vancouver area, made the drive to the friendly little town
of Lillooet for the festival.
As is typical, the occasion was a chance to socialize, to learn and to climb.
Attendees were treated to gear demos from Mountain Equipment Co-op and from
Black Diamond. Black Diamond/Arc’teryx climber Raphael Slawinski was
there both to discuss modern gear and technique and to demonstrate it. It
didn’t take long for Slawinski to spy an obvious but as yet untouched
line- a small curtain of ice topped by a horizontal roof and thin ice above.
In no time at all he figure-4ed and figure-9ed his way out the roof, all
the while discussing the pros and cons of each technique. "If that
sort of thing was in the Rockies, it would have been bolted a few years
ago," said Slawinski. Over 90 routes currently pepper the region. How
many more could be added with the vision of those willing to use metal for
ascending rock instead of purely for sinking it into frozen water?
Organizers are commencing their planning for the 2003 festivaland next year’s
event should prove even grander. The community of Lillooet, having been
struck hard by both the downturn in the forest industry and recent provincial
cutbacks, is delighted with ice climbers and the fact that their area might
turn into a significant destination. Paul Malkinson, this year’s chief
organizer and local business-owner, is intrigued with the idea of diverting
water to do a little ice farming like they do in Ouray, Colorado. "There’s
no reason why we couldn’t create some ice climbs on the faces right
above town," he said. Whether it’s to sample the local ice and
the incredible hospitality of the town, or to bring modern mixed climbing
westward, Lillooet is rising in the eyes of climbers.
Correspondent: Chris Joseph
The Climbing World
Comes To Vancouver
"Climbing is about getting outside and having fun with your friends."
A truism, perhaps, but an often forgotten one in the current media hype
of big name climbers and heavily-sponsored ascents, which is why that statement
meant so much more coming from the mouth of Chris Sharma. The 20-year-old,
who is probably the world’s best-known rock climber, repeated the statement
like a mantra during his Saturday evening slide show at the Vancouver International
Mountain Film Festival, and it seemed to resonate with the sold-out crowd,
who rewarded Sharma for his heart-felt presentation with a standing ovation.Once
a grassroots event, the festival, now in its fifth year, has truly become
an international affair.
Festival-goers were treated to the world’s best mountain films along
with a host of international presenters, including world renowned Pakistani
climber Nazir Sabir, Canadian filmmaker Pat Morrow, American crack climber
Lisa Gnade and Fedia Federov from Russia’s remote Kamchatka Penninsula.
But it was local BC maniac Guy Edwards who kept the grassroots vibe alive,
drawing a sell-out crowd to a Friday evening show
depicting his six-month 2,015-kilometre epic ski traverse of BC’s Coast
Mountain Range.
Correspondents: Kevin Arnold
Muskoka History In the Making
The inaugural Muskoka Ice Fest took place on Feb 9th, with close
to 30 participants enjoying ice, new product demos and lots of prizes from
participating sponsors. A new route was snatched in rather moderate ice
conditions for this time of the year: Bonehead 5.5 WI2+ was climbed by Shayne
Grenier, Andrew Kolos and Bill Piekos. It starts at a prominent mixed roof
with a fixed pin, just left of Exoskeletons in the Closet and re-joins this
classic route higher up. The camaraderie continued into the evening at a
local Bracebridge establishment, with the usual dose of cheer and lies that
accompany such events. Kudos to Peter deMos of Muskoka Outfitters in Bracebidge
(www.MuskokaOutfitters.com) for the idea and all of the organizing that
went into this historic event. Designs for the next year include expanding
the event to two days, more new routes through farming, a competition and
an even bigger party at the end.
Correspondents: Peter de Mos, Bill Piekos
With the unfortunate closure of Sydney's climbing gym locals have been developing new boulders near Lunenburg and in just a few visits managed to climb a few dozen lines up to V5 and 8m high. Resurrection saw some traffic after being in Gripped's Beta page and received ascents by Chris Eager and Ben Blakney. The duo had the crux section dialled but kept falling from the top-out arête. They succeeded one day before snow settled in for good. Last fall a series of problems in the V8-V9 range finally saw their first repeats in over two years but two that didn't were Buckteeth (v9) and Fynished (v10) both attempted by Caldwell who also left a great project now in the works. Lastly, Climb Nova Scotia's 2nd annual Boulder Fest on Dover Island has tentatively been scheduled for June 22-23 and should again prove to be very popular.
Correspondents: Ghislain Losier/ns.bouldering.ca
Italy/France
Long time World Cup fixture Christian Brenna
(Italy) has onsighted Mortal Combat 5.14a at Castilon, France. Established
by Axel Franco of France and originally graded 5.14b/c the route was subsequently
downgraded in 1999 after it was first onsighted by Yuji Hirayama. Only a
handful of climbers have managed to flash routes at this level, and aside
from Brenna and Hirayama, the only other climber to have onsighted 514a
is Swiss monster Elie Chevieux, with two to his credit; Massey Ferguson
at the Calanques in France and Maldita Maria at Cuenca, Spain. Lest you
think judging from the character of Mortal Combat and his world cup credentials
that Brenna is merely an endurance fiend, a little over a week after the
onsight Brenna repeated Passo Mambo V12 at Meschia Nuova in Italy.
Austria
Klem Loskot’s home ground, Maltatal, seems to be the bouldering
hotspot in Europe at the moment, at least for those bouldering V14. The
latest visitor, German phenom Markus Bock has caused quite a stir with his
three-day blitz of the area. Bock needed only 10 minutes to send Pluto auf
der Jagd V14. While Loskot’s other creation Wrestling With an Alligator,
also V14 proved slightly more challenging, requiring Bock to spread the
ascent over parts of the following two days. Commenting afterwards, Bock
felt that "Pluto… was more like V11/12" and "Wrestling…
was more like an easy V13." Not that the locals were going to let the
visitors have all the glory; they were busy sending as well. Bernhard Fiedler
also sent Pluto, while Hermann Schwaiger (one half of the mutant Schwaiger
bros.) snagged the 3rd ascent of the Power of Goodbye V14; and the ever
prolific Klem Loskot added yet another new problem to the area with Air
weighing in around V14. At Cresciano, Switzerland, Bernd Zangerl of (where
else?) Austria sent La Proue V13, Super Platta V11 and Deep Red V11 all
in the same day. Wonder if there is something in the water of Austria.
Australia
It’s not just the Austrians that are all about bouldering, so
are Australians. Leading the charge currently is Matt Wrigley. After fast
repeats of Dead Can’t Dance V12 and Myology V12, both at the Grampians;
Agent Orange V12 at Blue Mountain and stacks of V11s and V10s, Wrigley has
upped the ante with a link-up of Cave Bitch V12 and Dead Can’t Dance
V12 to produce Pretty Hate Machine. Although Wrigley did not comment on
the grade, the link-up is thought very likely to be V14. As a comparison,
Cave Rave V13/14 by Klem Loskot is Cave Man V10 into Dead Can’t Dance,
and Cave Bitch is essentially a variation of Cave Man via a more difficult
start. Corinne Gwether repeated Butthole Surfer V10, a powerful 10-move
problem spanning a roof and headwall originally done by Toni Lamprecht of
Germany. While everyone else is bouldering, Nathan Hoette has been ticking
hard routes like they are going out of style. For the past year he has been
road tripping relentlessly, amassing ten 5.14a’s including the Wolfgang
Gullich classic Punks in the Gym. His latest feat could well be the most
difficult route in Australia. A long time Project, Sparticus 5.14b/c is
a power endurance nightmare. The route begins on Daniel-Or-Tyger 5.13c/d
and crosses into the upper section of Samosa at hard 5.14a, climbing the
crux of both routes. Hoette feels it’s two grades harder then anything
else he has been on, but is reluctant to commit to a grade of 14c since
he hasn’t been on anything of that grade. If confirmed it will be the
most difficult route in Australia, topping even Garth Miller’s test
piece Grey Area 5.14b. Hoette is rumoured to have his sights set on North
America next.
Andre Cheuk has climbed extensively in Europe
and North America
and edits the Gripped World Page
Kevin Bailey
On Friday, February 22, 2002, 34-year old Mississauga fire fighter
Kevin Bailey died when the first pitch of Positive Thinking, at
Pok-o-Moonshine in the Adirondacks, collapsed while he was setting an anchor
at the top. His belayer, Jason Kuruc, fortunately escaped serious injury
and quickly summoned help. Despite resuscitation efforts, Kevin was pronounced
dead an hour after the accident. I had the good fortune to climb with Kevin
for four days during the North of Superior Ice Fest in Nipigon during March
of 2000; he was patient and kind to me, a newbie ice climber at the time,
and I learned a great deal from and about him during that time. I recall
on the second pitch of Andromeda Weeps I was following Kevin, and had clipped
his spare pair of North Face trigger finger mitts to the back of my harness.
About 5m above the belay I cleanly skewered one of his gloves with my right
frontpoint. I managed to reach down and get the mitt off my crampon and
sheepishly reached the belay, where we inspected the damage. Rather than
get upset with me, Kevin gently reminded me that the mitts should have gone
in my shell, not on my harness and remarked that at least I had to good
sense to be wearing monopoints! Somehow, I didn't feel as bad.
Many of us in the Southern Ontario ice climbing community either knew Kevin
personally or had heard good things about him from fellow climbers. His
death was a great shock and we're all deeply saddened by the loss. Our sincerest
condolences go out to his mother Elva, sisters Sheri and Donna, and to his
fiancee Patricia Hiebert.
Correspondent: Joe Palma
