New Bolted 12-Pitch 5.11a in Rockies
Creature from the Black Lagoon climbs a featured line up Mount McGillivray in the Bow Valley
With fall only a few days away, there’s still plenty of time to attempt this new 12-pitch 5.11a on Mount McGillivray in the Bow Valley. Found about an hour west of Calgary, this fully bolted route is a great addition to the Canadian Rockies.
Creature from the Black Lagoon (not to be confused with the famous V16 with the same name) climbs a tall wall above Lac des Arcs, a few kilometres east of Canmore. It follows a line left of Old Man Rules, a fully bolted 10-pitch 5.10 that has become popular over the past few years. The approach takes about 25 minutes over a one-kilometre distance up 320 metres of elevation gain.
Creature from the Black Lagoon can be divided into two routes, with the first five pitches being Black Lagoon, a 155-metre 5.10a that dries faster than the entire 12 pitches. Matt Laird announced the new route on social media, see his topo and more beta below.
Mount McGillivray has a number of fun multi-pitch routes, including the four-pitch Morning Side 5.8 bolted, and the six-pitch Gobi 65 5.10a mixed. There are also several crags with routes up to 5.14 in a canyon that were only recently developed – find more info here. There are still plenty of days to run a lap of Creature from the Black Lagoon before the snow flies.
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