Tourist Trap is Rockies 500-metre Mixed Route
This is the first big new ice/mixed route of the year in the Rockies
Winter came early to the Canadian Rockies this year. Early snow led to big runoffs that have being going through freeze/thaw cycles, the results has been a number of ice and mixed routes forming.
Niall Hamill and Patrick Maguire made what they thought was the first ascent of a new 500-metre 5.8 WI3 on Mount Babel near Moraine Lake above the town of Lake Louise. After some research, it turns out the route was first climbed by Dave Edgar and Jen Adolph.
“We spotted this line while walking back from Mount Tuzo where we had intended to climb an alpine route, but backed off due to white out conditions.” said Hamill. “The route is in a very obvious ice filled gully just above moraine lake, in plain view of hundreds of people each day. When the road to moraine lake is open the approach is only about 25 minutes and the line offers moderate but interesting climbing for 500 metres.”
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