Here’s How I Climbed 50 Routes on Yamnuska
I always start the year on easy classics and I've never been shy to bail if something feels off
The first technical route on Yamnuska was done in 1952 with Grillmair Chimney and since then there have been nearly 150 different routes and variations added to the mountain’s south face. My first attempt at a route was in 2004 with Direttissima, a nine-pitch 5.8. I thought it would be easy because I’d been climbing 5.12 at the crag, but I was wrong. My partner and I bailed off Direttissima. But then after a lot of humbling experiences, I slowly gained the knowledge that allowed me to climb some of the classic routes on Yamnuska.
I’ve climbed at famous sport crags in France and on rotten alpine north faces in America, but there’s nothing quite like climbing on Yamnuska. It has a lot of loose rock, runouts and hard route-finding. Storms can creep up from the north and it can hail in summer. The climbing on Yamnuska should be taken very seriously and you should not underestimate the grades. A climb graded 5.8 on Yamnuska does not mean it’s meant for a 5.8 climber.
I think I’ve been so successful on Yamnuska over the past 20 years because I’ve always approached the climbing with caution, that and a little bit of luck. Of the 50 routes I’ve climbed, some I’d never do again and some I’ve climbed upwards of 20 times. And to be clear, for me success on Yamnuska isn’t always about an ascent, it’s just about getting home safely at the end of the day.
Below are 10 rules that I follow for climbing Yamnuska, but of course everyone has their own approach, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Click on the video below to watch David Smart on Kahl Wall.
My Yamnuska Rules
Start Easy, Every Year: Even if I climbed a techy 5.11 the previous summer, I always return to the easier routes in spring. It allows me to wrap my head around the exposure, run-outs and loose rock. I’ll start on Easy Street, Unnamed and Kings Chimney and then move to Grillmair Chimney, then do a few routes on the East End, and then work my way up to modern mixed 5.10s, and then get back on the 5.9 and 5.10 trad routes like Forbidden Corner and Kahl Wall.
Good Partner: I only climb on Yamnuska with people who I trust with my life and would never go up there with someone I hadn’t climbed with before. Even when I was an ACMG guide, I only took clients up Yamnuska after we got some time together at a crag.
Don’t Cave to Pressure: Never climb with someone who pressures you to lead. It’s one thing at a sport crag to get motivation, but it’s another on Yam. Despite having partners over-encourage me onto pitches I wasn’t comfortable with, I’ve never bowed to pressure. I have, sadly, seen under-skilled climbers pressure their partners into dangerous pitches which has led to accidents. Yamnuska is not a place to climb under pressure from others.
Alone on the Route: I never climb below another team. Even the well-travelled routes on Yam have loose rock. I always have a plan B, which sometimes includes leaving Yamnuska for another cliff.
Trust Your Gut: I’ve racked up below classic 5.8 routes on Yamnuska but then bailed because it didn’t feel right. Walking away from Yamnuska without doing a climb is still a great day out.
Layers: I always bring a pack with a warm jacket, food, water and a communication device. I’ve had snowstorms roll in during the middle of summer and have had lightning strike my route on days with no precipitation in the forecast. Be prepared for the approach, climb and descent, all of which might have different weather conditions.
Double Ropes and Rescue: I always use double ropes on Yamnuska. Climbers have died because their single rope cut during a fall, so always use doubles. Also, doubles make bailing a lot easier. And learn the basics of multi-pitch rescue systems, such as raising and lowering – it can save your life.
Know the Route and Rack: Before I try any route, even the ones that I’ve climbed before, I study the topo. The route-finding on Yamnuska is hard even on the all-bolted routes. There are long traverses and even down-climbing sections. And I’ll always bring a few extra pieces of gear on my rack, as I never know how spooked you might get on a long pitch.
Keep Moving: Yamnuska is not a cliff where I want to chill out halfway up a climb. My goal is to always be moving, because if anything happens I want daylight on my side.
Keep Your Guard Up: I’ve always got my guard up on Yamnuska, from attentively watching my partner on lead or second, to keeping an eye on the weather. You never want to be caught off-guard when you’re six pitches up a meandering route.
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