Over Slept is New WI5 in Kananaskis Country

The ice climbing season didn’t start as early as some seasons, but already there are new routes being climbed throughout the Canadian Rockies.

Noboru Bob Kikuchi and Toshiyuki Yamada made the first ascent of Over Slept, a 70-metre WI5, after thinking it was the popular route Dr. Evil.

“We initially planned on attempting First Blood,” said Yamada. “Since my partner Bob had to come back to Canmore for work by the evening.

We met at a parking lot at 6 a.m. However, it was still pitch black and couldn’t see anything. So we agreed on taking a quip nap in a car while waiting for a sky to get a little lighter.

“To our surprise, we woke up two hours later and it was too late to try the line that we initially planned. So we decided to try Dr. Evil. But we ended up with a first ascent.”

The new route climbs two pitches with a free-standing pillar. “Short but fun for early season.”