New Eight-Pitch 5.11 in Bugaboos is Furry Friends

In July, Ethan Berman and Uisdean Hawthorn made the first ascent of Furry Friends on Lost Feather Pinnacle in the Bugaboos. The new 355-metre eight-pitch 5.11 alpine rock route follows corners and splitters.

Squamish-based Berman met Hawthorn in the Bugaboos as the season was starting to ramp up thanks to improving conditions. Hawthorn would go on to have a big summer in the Bugaboos with routes like All Along the Watchtower VI 5.12 and the first ascent of Voodoo Chile, a 500-metre 5.11 on North Howser (read more here).

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Ethan Burman on pitch 5 of what we think is a new route on one of the pigeon feathers. A good 10 ten days in the Bugaboos last week. Got some mixed weather and cold temps but still managed to get lots of good climbing in. Felt great to be hanging out in the mountains again with a good group of friends and even better to be climbing granite. @mountainequipment @scarpa_uk @edelweiss_connection @tisoonline #rockclimbing #mountainadventures #bugaboos #climbing_pictures_of_instagram #alpineclimbing #haveyoubeentothebugs #MEclimbing #getoutside #eastrevy #mountians

A post shared by Uisdean Hawthorn (@uisdeanhawthorn) on Jul 30, 2020 at 12:12pm PDT

Berman spent last winter in the Rockies and the a number of noteworthy climbs, including the first ascent of the 700-metre M6 WI5 Eye of the Storm (read more here).

The route is named after the many critters that roam the campgrounds and walls in the Bugaboos. When you camp in the park, you’re camping with many “furry friends” that sometimes nibble at your gear and eat your food.

“The parking lot was empty,” Berman wrote on his blog. “The bivy was still full of snow. The sky was spitting rain and whipping wind. No one was around. Not even our furry friends.” When the animals arrived, it was time to climb, but to also be on guard.

“We tried to keep the atmosphere as cordial as possible, only hurling the occasional rock while yelling a brief obscenity. ‘Hey you! You’re not my friend! That’s my third to last bag of Dorritos you stole!’ Tensions reached an all time high when Paul, having left the top left corner of his tent door slightly unzipped, and upon returning back from a late lunch for a mid-afternoon siesta, found a slightly obese and unwelcome visitor gnawing at the well-worn waistband of his harness as if enjoying the salty rim of a margarita.”

Also in the Bugaboos this summer, Jon Walsh finished his 5.12 called Gravy Train on Fingerberry Tower, visit here to read more about the multi-year project.

To read more about the climb and for a pitch-by-pitch description visit Berman’s blog here.