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Evan Hau Sends New 5.14 at Christie Falls in B.C.

Evan Hau often spends his summer days establishing hard new routes in the Canadian Rockies, but recently visited Christie Falls near Kelowna. Christie Falls has a number of big projects where climbers have been establishing some amazing B.C. cragging for the past decade.

“Today I sent Neanderthal at Christie Falls, I think it is 5.14b,” said Hau about the first ascent of the decade-old project. “Adam Tutte first showed me this place seven years ago. Beyond stoked to be able to come back and complete this mega line. Incredible effort by Adam to discover this wall and develop it into what is today and what it can become in the future.”

Dave Mai of DM Productions was at Christie Falls and captured the below photo of Hau on his new 5.14.

In 2014, Tutte wrote the following here for Gripped, “There are currently six routes and I’m working on number seven. The routes range from 5.11c to 5.14+. There are four routes still waiting a first ascent and two of them are true test piece lines around 35 metres.

“There is a line out of the big cave I called Cave Man that goes at 5.12b/c, three stars, then the extension I figure is 5.14-, but has not been sent.

“The next big project is even more impressive and climbs right behind the falls. It’s a 30- to 35-metre long, 25-degree-overhang line.”

While we await an updated topo from the crag that will surely be the go-to in Central B.C., here’s one from this spring. Not all routes are listed.

Christie Falls Topo

First line is open project 5.13?
Red line is closed project
Third line is open project 5.14?
Fourth line is Neanderthal 5.14b

Christie Falls Photo Adam Tutte

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