Flying Penguin in Bugaboos Goes Free at 5.12d
Florian and Martin Riegler have made the first free ascent of their 2009 Bugaboos’ route The Flying Penguin.
The splitter 300-metre granite route was opened by the duo in 2009 and climbs the esthetic south face of the Pigeon Feathers far from the often-busy Kain Hut, where many climber spend nights between climbs.
The route was opened nearly a decade ago by the strong South Tyrolean brothers at 5.12b A3, but they avoided the direct line.
Planetmountain.com reported that the two arrived in the Bugaboos, Canada’s answer to Chamonix in the Alps, in mid-July with intentions of freeing their project.
After attempting the direct line, they bailed onto their original aid section and sent it at 5.12d with gear in place.
The obvious direct line is a crack that splits a roof visible from the glacier below and would likely be one of the harder pitches in the area.
“We climbed a variation to the second pitch and managed to climb that free, too. But that in our eyes isn’t the king line,” said Riegler in an interview here.
“Perhaps stronger younger climbers will come and free it in the future.”
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