Em Pellerin Sends Apnea 5.13d/14a on Anvil Island Near Vancouver
She's the first woman to repeat the hard route established by Tim Emmett in 2020
Photo by: Trevor McDonald
Last year, Canadian climber Emilie Pellerin underwent shoulder surgery to repair her labrum, rotator cuff, and glenohumeral ligament, as well as remove a chunk of floating bone! The procedure would mean a long recovery and a ton of time off climbing, but it needed to be done if she wanted to get back to top form. Pellerin had racked up one of Canada’s top trad climbing resumes, including onsighting The Shadow 5.13a in Squamish and repeating La Zébrée 5.14 in Quebec. Leading up to her surgery, she had dislocated her bad shoulder nearly 20 times, limiting her ability to climb at her best.
After a lengthy recovery, it looks like Pellerin is back in top form. After successful trips to Mexico, Turkey, Greece, and South Africa this year, she recently travelled back to Squamish – where she’s spent the past five summers – and is already sending hard. A couple weeks ago she made the first female ascent of Apnea 5.13d/14a on Anvil, a small island in the Howe Sound between Vancouver and Squamish.
In 2020, Tim Emmett established Apnea and graded it 5.14a. The beautiful line works its way up past 20 bolts on a seriously steep wall of granite. Shortly after Emmett’s FA, local crusher Ben Harnden flashed the route after receiving beta from Emmett.
The route didn’t see another ascent in the 2021 or 2022 seasons. Sonnie Trotter made the third ascent of the route in early June, finding new beta at the crux, which reduced the difficulty. “It’s a fitness test for certain and a brilliant journey through some of the steepest, funnest climbing in the Sea to Sky,” said Trotter about the line.
On June 14, Pellerin made the fourth ascent of Apnea. It took her three tries in total to send the route. “Watching Em climb is an education,” said Emmett via Instagram. “Her technique and the way she uses her feet is truly remarkable. Em thought that it was easier than Spirit of the West 5.14a and harder than Division Bell 5.13d.”
On the same day, Harnden made the second ascent of Archimedes Principle 5.14b, Emmett’s new Anvil line opened in May. Anvil route developer Trevor McDonald also made the first ascent of his masterpiece, Dr. Funkinstein 5.13a.
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