Home > International

Five Years Ago, Mike Doyle Sent Necessary Evil 5.14c

The top Canadian climber needed almost 60 attempts to tick the classic

Canadian Mike Doyle sent his longtime project Necessary Evil back in February of 2015. The B.C. climber, who now lives in Las Vegas, has climbed many iconic 5.14s throughout North America. Over the past few summers, he based himself in the Canadian Rockies and repeated the Canadian Rockies Alpine Trilogy: War Hammer 5.14a 15 pitches, The Shining Uncut 5.14a 12 pitches, Blue Jeans Direct 5.14a six pitches.

Doyle climbed Necessary Evil on his 59th attempt. After the climb, Doyle wrote, “Barring a hold break it was done. I just climbed each move slowly and deliberately. Stopping to rest, shake and enjoy the moment. By the time I reached the anchors, I was already relaxed again.

When talking about his projecting, he said, “I tried to stay positive, but the hardest times were late the previous season when I was close but knew I’d have to walk away and earlier this season when I got really close and the weather became the an. Most of the days though I approached it with a pretty relaxed mindset and was happy just to be out climbing on it.”

Necessary Evil

Check out the latest buyer's guide:

The Best Climbing Gear According to Our Editors – March

Every month we're bringing you our favourite gear so you can complete your climbing kit with the latest and best stuff out there