Watch Will Mayo and Kurt Ross Climb Andromeda Strain in Rockies

Will Mayo and Kurt Ross recently climbed Andromeda Strain M6 WI5 V on Mount Andromeda in the Canadian Rockies. “The majority of this video is comprised of Kurt hurriedly (in proper alpine-seconding style) following what is called the A1 Crack pitch.” The classic alpine line is route 10 in The Bold and Cold by Gripped editor Brandon Pullan.

Climbed the seminal alpine climb Andromeda Strain today in a snow storm, ten hours from bergschrund to cornice. Kurt Ross freed Barry Blanchard's infamous, poorly protected and technically difficult "decrepit bulge" pitch in a deluge of spindrift. This pitch bore not a speck of ice, but was plastered with snow mushrooms; somehow I got to lead the safer, iconic pitches. We topped out in a whiteout, and I led us astray descending to the Andromeda/Athabasca col. I kept too far away from the corniced ridge, in the name of safety, due to the extremely low visibility, and somehow we wound up half way down the remote southeast ridge, requiring an arduous climb back up it in order to make the tricky descent to the AA col. In a way, it feels like we climbed Andromeda more than once today. Photo @kurtross

A photo posted by Will Mayo (@willmayo.us) on Sep 24, 2016 at 1:49am PDT

“Do not be misled by his skating crampons,” said Mayo. “This young American alpinist, who made the second ascent of The French Route on the North Buttress of Mount Hunter in 2015, is one of the most capable, talented and solid alpine climbing partners with whom I have ever had the pleasure to rope up. He showed his mettle when he led a snow-mushroom plastered, yet completely ice-free, version of the following the decrepit bulge pitch in a constant deluge of spin drift.”