New Big Mixed Route in Yoho is Chase is Better…

Over a number of days this winter and spring, Raphael Slawinski and partners established a new route on Mount Stephen in Yoho National Park called The Chase Is Better Than The Catch, a 135-metre WI4 M8.

The final ascent was by Fred Giroux and Slawinski on March 26. Jon Walsh and Ian Welsted helped establish some of the pitches during the new routing.

Mixed new routing, not all crowds and cheering. @fred.giroux getting to know Raph on their first blind date. #mixedclimbing #canadianrockies

A post shared by Ian Welsted (@ianwelsted) on Mar 1, 2017 at 7:02am PST

In Slawinski’s route description, he noted, “The last pitch, if ten metres of easy ice could be called that, was a formality.

“However, like many formalities, it was an important one. In a way, this little lick of ice at the top of the wall justified the route’s existence. Still, there was no question that the chase was better than the catch.”

Visit and follow Slawinski’s climbs on his blog here. He is one of the last Canadian climbers who keeps an up-to-date blog with great stories.

Just another day of scratching up rock and having fun. Here's Raphael showing me how to climb like a ninja. #field #mixedclimbing

A post shared by Fred Giroux (@fred.giroux) on Mar 13, 2017 at 11:16am PDT