New Multi-Pitch 5.10 in Yukon Looks Great
Let Them Eat Cake is a new four-pitch route on the amazing Paint Mountain
Yukon is known for its world class alpine climbing and remote mountain objectives, but the territory also has some five-stay rock climbing. On Paint Mountain at Haines Junction, several fun trad climbs have been added over the past decade.
The newest is a four-pitch is called Let Them Eat Cake and goes at 5.10c or 5.9 A0. It was established by Nicole Allam and John Serjeantson in spring 2023. The pitches go at 5.10c A0 25m, 5.9 15m, 5th class 15m and 5.9 30m. The final pitch is one of the best, as it follows a nice crack with solid features. See photos and a topo from Serjeantson on Instagram below.
From the highway, Paint Mountain can be seen as a left-facing buffalo with the deep gullies separating the head, should, belly and rear. There are eight established areas on the peak: Buffalo Shoulder Buttress, Cranberry Canyon, Orange Corner. Rat Mother Crack, Swiss Wall, Unnamed Area and Unnamed Slab.
One of the classic climbs on Paint is Chunder Gully, which would be a must-climb anywhere in Canada. The first pitch takes you up thin cracks at 5.9. The second pitch is more of the same, the it’s the offwidth third pitch that makes this climbs an instant classic. Head past a few bolts and into the five-inch crack. There are good seams to layback from, but you’ll need a lot of offwidth skills to get up this exposed pitch. From there, follow slabs to the top. For beta and more info visit here.
