Marc-Andre Leclerc and Luka Lindic on Classic Mount Temple Route

Canadian March-Andre Leclerc and Slovenian Luka Lindic rope up for the first time.

The two top alpine climbers have passed each other more than once on Cerro Torre, but have never roped up. Leclerc has spent most of his winter, when not in Scotland, in the Rockies.

Having climbed and soloed a number of big and classic ice and mixed lines, he has now turned his attention to bigger alpine walls. Leclerc is no stranger to big alpine in the Rockies, as he and Joshua Lavigne climbed The Wild Thing on Mount Chephren in a 29-hour car-to-car push a few years ago.

Lindic was awarded the Piolet d’Or in 2015 for his ascent with Marko Prezelj and Aleš Česen of the north face of Hagshu in India. Lindic has also made the following first ascents: Prezgodnji izliv on Bhagirathi II in India ABO-, M8 WI6+ 6b+ 1,300 m, BIV on Bhagirathi IV in India, D+ WI3+ M 50°-70° 1,000 m and BIII on Bhagirathi III in India ED M5 WI5 6b 1,300 m. He made the second ascent of the Anderson-House-Prezelj route on WK7 on Charakusa ED 6c V M 2,200 m. He has climbed up to M13, 5.14 and has onsighted M10+.

Lindic is on an extended trip in Canada and his first route was with Leclerc up The Greenwood/Locke V M6 1,200 m on Mount Temple. The route was first climbed in 1966 by Brian Greenwood and Charlie Locke. The classic line has only two known winter ascents and a handful of ascents in winter conditions. In the Rockies, “winter” often extends beyond the calendar date.

Watch a 2011 film by Joshua Lavigne about a Greenwood/Locke ascent:

Greenwood/Locke, Mt. Temple aka ‘the Eiger of the Rockies’ from Joshua Lavigne on Vimeo.

The two climbers skied in and bivied below the large wall. After an alpine start, they climbed up the Dolphin Couloir to the base of the headwall. After that, they made their way up snow-covered ledges and through large snow mushroom features. They returned to their tent late in the night and slept until morning.

– Be sure to follow Luka Lindic on Instagram here and Marc-Andre Leclerc here.