New WI6 Pillar Climbed in Canadian Rockies
The esthetic line of ice is found on top of the fun Rite of Passage near Emerald Lake
Despite the Canadian Rockies being home to thousands of established ice climbs, there seems to be countless classics waiting for first ascents.
Yoho National Park’s Emerald Lake is home to several must-do early season flows (when they’re formed), like Blessed Rage, a 230-metre 5.7 WI6 that was soloed on its first ascent, Cold Choice WI5 110m, Cold Comfort WI5 110m, and Rite of Passage, a 250-metre WI4+.
This week, Maarten van Haeren and Paul Taylor climbed Rite of Passage only to find an unclimbed pillar of steep ice on the cliff band above the final pitch. They went on to make the first ascent of the 70-metre pitch at WI6, naming it Pump Bump. “Such a lucky wonderful find in our home range,” said Taylor.
This new route comes not long after two other tall mixed lines were established in the Rockies, read more about them here. Most well-known Rockies ice climbs have been climbed this month, including Whiteman Falls WI6, Nemesis WI6, Curtain Call WI6, Polar Circus WI5 and Cascade Falls WI3.
In 2020, a new WI6+X multi-pitch got a first ascent in the Rockies – read about it here. Regular ice climb updates are made daily on the Rockies Ice and Mixed Conditions page here.
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