Sonnie Trotter Sends Spirit Quest 5.14d in Squamish
With the ascent, he has won the 'gentlemen's race to 9a' between him, Alex Honnold, and Tommy Caldwell
Yesterday, Sonnie Trotter repeated one of Canada’s most difficult sport routes – Spirit Quest 5.14d (9a), located at the beautiful Paradise Wall just outside of Squamish. Spirit Quest is a direct start variation of the Tom Wright masterpiece, Spirit of the West 5.14a. The climbing is physical, technical, and relentless, linking directly into the crux of Spirit of the West with no rest in between. Originally bolted by Wright in 2016, Spirit Quest saw its first ascent by Mike Foley in 2021.
Trotter’s ascent is the first in the ‘gentlemen’s wager’ between him, Alex Honnold, and Tommy Caldwell – a fun challenge between the three long-time friends and climbing partners to see who could tick 5.14d next. This ‘race to 9a’ brings motivation, accountability, and healthy competition while the three try to balance other family, fatherhood, and career commitments and responsibilities. The trio discuss this 9a challenge on a recent episode of the Climbing Gold podcast, which you can listen to below.
Spirit Quest is Trotter’s first 5.14d since 2015, when he repointed Estado Critico 5.14d in Siurana, Spain. His first-ever 5.14d was in 2004 with his first ascent of Forever Expired in Lion’s Head, Ontario. It remains unrepeated and one of Ontario’s hardest routes. Trotter, 44, is most well-known for his trad climbing accomplishments, including first ascents of Cobra Crack 5.14b in Squamish and The Path 5.14a R in Lake Louise and the first repeat of Dave MacLeod’s Rhapsody 5.14c X.
“There’s a lot to say about a place, a community, a crag, and a climb, but I’ll try to keep it brief for today,” said Trotter about Spirit Quest on Instagram. “I’ve been trying this beautiful line on and off for the last 20 months, and during that time I’ve spent somewhere close to 30 days on it. To me, it’s one of the most beautiful faces I’ve seen, dotted by impeccable (and sometimes improbable) granite edges, surrounded by old growth trees and thriving bird life. When I noticed the forecast last week shift away from the heavy rains but gearing towards the hotter side, I took my chances and packed up the car for a weekend camping trip with the kids. Luckily they love tenting and travel as much as I do and the stoke was high.
“Yesterday, on Sunday morning, with a good crew of locals and roping up again with Simon Yamamoto I managed to stay on the wall long enough to get to the top. Spirit Quest is a dream climb for me, and I’m honoured to have checked it off the list. For those of you who may have been following the challenge, I probably would not have done it so soon without the pressure, encouragement and accountability of my friends Tommy and Alex. Somehow they always help me level up when I need to, some of my greatest days in the vertical world are with, and because of them. This time is no different, I agreed to the challenge last August, trained harder since February, and today, I was able to reap the rewards of those efforts.”
Mike Foley on Spirit Quest 5.14d
The Gentlemen’s Race to 9a
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