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Water of Life is New 5.10d Alpine Route on Mount Macdonald

A free variation to a famous route from 1974 climbed by the Waterman cousins

Photo by: Niall Hamill of Tony McLane on Water of Life

Last fall, Tony McLane and Niall Hamill climbed a new route called Water of Life on the Little Face on Mount Macdonald near Rogers Pass, B.C.

The 600-metre 5.10d is a free variation to the original 1974 Waterman Route. Hamill wrote a trip report with some photos from his and McLane’s two-day ascent, which you can read here.

The Waterman Route was a visionary 600-metre 5.8 A3 climbed b John and his cousin Alan Dane. The Waterman cousins pushed the limits on big mountains during their time. John Waterman is, of course, best remembered for his solo of the southeast spur of Alaska’s Mount Hunter in 1978, which took him 145 days, and for going missing while attempting a solo ascent of Denali’s east buttress.

John Waterman’s trip report in the American Alpine Journal after their first ascent reads: My cousin Alan Dane Waterman and I made a new route on the Little (east) Face of Mount MacDonald, some five miles east of Rogers Pass, which finished on a shoulder of the mountain (climbed a day later to the summit by Dane under extenuating circumstances). The steep route took four days and three bivouacs, two in the rain and one without water. We used many pitons, with difficulties up to A3 (including one “waterfall” pitch) and F8. The rock was generally good, quartzite with good cracks. There were no signs of previous parties. NCCS V, F8, A3. We also made a new route on the north face of Mount Stanley of 14 pitches, with some rock but mostly snow.

Below is a photo by Jon Walsh with the line followed on the FA of Water of Life.

 

 

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Lead photo: Niall Hamill of Tony McLane on Water of Life