The journals are out, and have this annual summary of new routes in the Rockies. For those interested in getting after it, a list of the routes I could track down.
Available online, but the AAJ edited out the route of the year, so a photo below:
Scroll to the bottom of the AAJ online page for some cool photos.
http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/13201216119
Canada
Rockies Summary
Whether it was the late effects of the COVID chill, or a very smoky summer, 2021 was not the most active year in the Canadian Rockies.
In early spring, on March 5, Alik Berg and the author climbed a foamy, sticky ice strip on the northwest face of Mt. Vaux (3,310m) with Berg continuing to the summit for Western Neve (800m, WI5 R M5). A tree line bivy positioned them the next morning for a few vertical ice pitches, which led to 300m of moderate mixed ground, followed by 250m of technical ice before reaching the north-west ridge and a stroll to the summit in a storm. About a week later Berg teamed with Uisdean Hawthorn to make the coveted second ascent of the Mt. Wilson (3,260m) test-piece Dirty Love (V 500m, M7). They first climbed Totem Pole (200m, WI5), before linking it into Dirty Love for a 26-hour 1,700m car-to-car outing. Three days later the team added Amnesiac (500m, WI5 M7), a first ascent of mixed ledges to sustained ice pitches on the northeast face of the east sub peak of Mt. Whymper (2,844m), visible from the Radium highway.
Also in March, Luka Bogdanovic and Shawn White cycled 11 kilometers along the north shore of Lake Minnewanka to a drainage holding the incredible find of The Odyssey (200m, 7 pitches, WI4). With its remote yet easy to reach location requiring only a 15-minute hike up the drainage following the bike approach, the south-facingroute is bound to become a popular yet adventurous moderate.
In mid April, Merrick Montemuro, Sebastian Taborszky, and Paul Taylor headed to Moraine Lake and found a striking line of ice in the bowl left of the Perren approach to Mt. Fay (3,235m). On the right hand side of the spectacular wall below the Fay glacier, they climbed Play with Fay (345m, WI6). The same team added Last Harvest (110m, WI3/4) across Hector Lake from the Icefields Parkway near Orion Falls on April 20, at the end of the ice season.
Brette Herrington and Dylan Cunningham aimed for the headwall at the top of the northeast face of Mt. Niblock (2,976m), where on April 20 they came away with Just a Nibble (14 pitches, 5.10 WI5 M6 R). With technical rock sections climbed in rock shoes after mixed ground leading to the side of the headwall, they climbed to the northeast ridge, descending it without tagging the summit. There remain other possible routes to the summi..
The summer alpine scene seemed particularly quiet. In July, Alik Berg and Juan Henriquez added a major new summer line to the huge east face of Mt. Chephren (3,266m). Smoke and a Pancake (1,100m, 5.11-) was climbed over two days, and takes the buttress between the winter routes The Wild Thing (1,300m WI5 M7) and The Dogleg Couloir (V+ 1,300m, M7 A1) on good quartzite for the first 600m and the upper 500m alternating between limestone and shale ledges. At the end of the summer Berg and Maarten Van Haeren completed the first traverse of the Trident Range outside Jasper. They began with the northeast ridge of Perevil Peak, the technical crux. The next day they completed Vertex Peak, Majestic Mountain and Mount Estella, on the last day they went over Manx Peak, Terminal Mountain, down to Marmot Pass and finally over Marmot Mountain, all on quality quartzite. Navigating counterclockwise through the range, the team covered approximately 16 kilometers in the two days.
Dylan Cunningham had quite a summer. First he climbed Smokeshow (IV 850m, 5.6 45°) on the
northeast buttress to the north summit of Mt. Mummery (3,328m) on the far western flank of the Rockies north of Golden BC with Tanya Bok. This was at the end of the Alpine Club of Canada General Mountaineering Camp in mid August, harkening back to an adventurous time in that venerable institution. On a more technical level, he also snagged the third ascent of the Cheesemond route on the east face of Mt. Assiniboine (V 1,200m, 5.9 A2) with Ryan Richardson.
Over the summer Craig McGee, with a few partners, established Diamonds are Forever (5.12-, 10 pitches) which climbs the east face of Mount Louis to finish on the right hand edge of the prominent diamond formation the mountain is known for. Starting just to the left of the Eastern Dihedrals (Slawinski, Holeczi), the mixed protection route can be continued to the summit of Louis or rappelled with two ropes.
On October 5, Ryan Leavitt and Patrick Jones climbed a new rock route on a likely unclimbed peak, Elevator Tower #2 (2924m), east of Elkford in the southern Rockies. With loose rock they climbed 12 short pitches up to 5.8 and placed bolts for anchors due to the rock quality.
The first new route in winter conditions, in October, was a moderate line on Mt. Whyte (2,983m), above the Lake Agnes teahouse. Whyte Noise (430m, AI3 M4) by Sebastian Taborszky, Austin Goodine and Paul Taylor became an instant classic. A few thin ice pitches lead to a romp up a snow couloir to a moderate mixed exit to the ridge and the summit block, and was repeated quickly by a few parties looking for early winter climbing. Also in mid October, but of an entirely more dangerous and striking nature, Chris Petrauskas and Taylor Sullivan held their breath for serac hazard and climbed “a beautiful 10 pitch, mixed/ice line on the left side of Mt. Temple’s north face headwall.” Stringing up the Lights (WI4+ M3+ R) is severely threatened by seracs, climbs to the right of the Elzinga/Miller and was the first new route on the famous north face since 2008. In October the author and Van Haeren headed up the north face of Storm Mountain (3,095m) looking for the mythical unrepeated Wallator route but veered off right into easier ground when confronted by vertical cracks. Their route is a variation that holds many ledge and corner systems. It led to M5 climbing and a snowed up slab. There are almost endless variations possible to the 4 existing routes on this ledgy face..
In a more conventional vein, Sebastian Taborszky and Bruno Pierre Couture climbed a three pitch mixed route in Field just to the left of the thin ice of Big Sexy Yodel. Aggravated Turtles (130m, WI5+ M6) was also quickly repeated by a few parties, and is a great option useful when the ice next door is unclimbable, which is often the case.
Finally, in late January the author finished a moderate drytooling project, which follows weaknesses to the left of Mixed Master. Astringent Apprentice (300m, M5) was started with Sam Eastman, then climbed to the last pitch with Uisdean Hawthorn, and finally climbed in good mixed conditions with Raphael Slawinski.
Ian Welsted – Canada
