Watch Rockies Climbers Send One of Canada’s Hardest, a Six-Pitch 5.14
Simon Yamamoto and Dexter Bateman repeated Castles in the Sky 5.14a in Alberta in summer 2021
In July 2021, Simon Yamamoto and Dexter Bateman both redpointed the famous six-pitch Castles in the Sky 5.14a on Castle Mountain in Banff National Park. Yamamoto sent first, and after Bateman broke a hold, he returned for the send. Watch footage of Bateman sending below, which was filmed by Yamamoto and Kenzie Beeman.
Sonnie Trotter made the first ascent in 2014 with a number of partners, the final send with Sam Lambert. A number of climbers have repeated it, including Sasha DiGiulian, Mike Doyle, Sam Tucker and Jonathan Siegrist. Trotter returned and linked Castles in the Sky with The Moat 5.11c and Eisenhower Tower 5.6 to create the 15-pitch War Hammer. Batemen joined Trotter during his first ascent of War Hammer in 2017.
Yamamoto and Bateman grew up in Canmore and were on the same junior climbing team. Both have repeated a number of test-piece Bow Valley routes into the 5.14 range, and this summer Batemen climbed The Beckey Chouinard 5.10 in the Bugaboos.
Bateman wrote a lengthy climb report about Castles in the Sky on Sendage, in which he said, “I climbed feeling very bad, and dehydrated, and my arms were cramping. The whole time going up, I didn’t care if I sent or not. Just before I got to the crux, I remember thinking that I felt good, but my negative thoughts came back to me. ‘You’re not even at the crux, stop, you’re not going to get it’ I got to the crux and thought “ok time to fall” somehow my hand managed to catch the hold, and I went on to send the route. The whole way up I kept telling myself in my head ‘time to fall’ and I never did. I was stoked. Anyways, I guess that’s the power of negative reinforcement?”
Castles in the Sky 2021
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