The Call Of The Curtain
or, climbing on Curtain Call, 125 meters, IV, WI6
Jeff on the approach. The snow crust was just thick enough to support us, most of the time.
Looking up from the base of the approach ice (approx. 40m of WI3/4.) This climb is much larger than I thought based on the book description.
The “hall” behind the bottom of the curtain. Huge, with stunning ice formations!
Climbing into the cave through a hole in the curtain…
The photo of the Nomic in the header at the top of this blog is actually of Jeff’s tool, and the photo was taken during our first outing to Bear Spirit. This time around, the tools are mine. Although, ironically, the picks are borrowed! New header coming soon.
Looking up the right side of the curtain.
Jeff scouting possible lines. The curtain was fraught with cracks new and old, so we decided to take the safest, most solid line up the far right instead.
We’ll have to come back here!
Jeff even makes downclimbing and traversing tricky WI5ish ice look quite easy.
The initial 40-odd metres of our line were rather uninteresting. Then, we got to the mushrooms. That overhang by around 3 feet.
Funky climbing!
The 2nd pitch pillar. We decided that given how laced with cracks the bottom curtain was, this pillar – with a crack visible from the road – should probably not be climbed.
Said crack runs 3/4 of the width across the pillar. We considered the far, far left…
Wouldn’t want to be around here when the sun hits those daggers!
A stellar route in a stunning setting – we are definitely coming back to this one.
Last days of the Weeping Wall
Another awesome day on the ice, as Mike and I headed out for our first climb together. The Weeping Wall beckoned, and as it was forecast to be a cold, cloudy day, we figured it was safe to climb. From the parking lot, the ice looked sunbaked over most of the wall, but we found a bluish line up the middle-left side. Quick walk later and we were climbing!
As it turned out, the sun was out in full force and even as we were climbing in the shade, quite a few icicles came down beside us! We made it off the south-west facing wall of ice before the sun hit and after a rather lengthy rope-tangled and wet rappel later, we were back at the truck and headed home.
All in all, another great day out!
Mike leading the first pitch, the bulk of the Weeping Wall towering above.
Mike stepping out into the 3rd pitch.
Not many photos this time around, I guess. Short but good day out!
Learning from Professors
This post has been a while coming, but somehow I’ve been away from the computer for almost two full days! I can’t explain it. *shakes head*
Anyway, here’s what I learned [sic] on Professor Falls, which I climbed with Farzad on Sunday:
– It may be cold on Trophy Wall, but Professors gets hot: my usual softshell and base layer proved way too hot.
– Way too hot means my glasses get fogged up.
– Fogged up glasses mean that placing pro sucks, and leading WI5 gets seriously hard.
Obvious? Yeah, kind of. The forecast did call for only 2 degrees, so I figured being a little higher, and in the shade, would be quite a bit colder. Not so.
In light of this, I am now searching for an ultra-light outer layer that can substitute for my tried-and-true Arcteryx Gamma MX. Preferably, it’ll be light enough to be paired with my favourite new base layer piece, the Patagonia R1 Hoody, which is pretty warm for a base layer.
I’ve already looked at the Arcteryx Squamish Hoody but it doesn’t feel like it’ll stretch enough. It needs to have a hood, not ride out from under a harness, be DWR treated, stretch enough to climb in and preferably be abrasion resistant enough to last more than a season. Suggestions?
Other than my glasses fogging up, the climb was a blast. Beautiful blue ice, wonderfully hooked out placements and if my glasses hadn’t fogged up, a sweet 30m of WI5-ish mushrooms to finish it off. Next time!
Another great view of the, uh, Fairholme Range?
Farzad finishing off the first pitch.
Simply stunning.
Farzad leading one of the shorter steps.
The party ahead of us on the last pitch. I tried heading up the ‘interesting’ right side, but got too fogged up about halfway and had to bail…
Farzad coming up to the last belay.
For some photos of – gasp – me, check out Farzad’s photos:
The CCT* strikes (out), again.
Last Saturday, 0459. As usual, I wake up just before my alarm is set to go off. We’re aiming to climb the Sea of Vapours, and since it’s a weekend, and it’s one of the most sought-after climbs in the Rockies, and since it’s in easy 4+ shape this year, we’re expecting a lot of people so an early start is imperative.
After a quick breakfast and some last-minute packing, I’m good to go by 0525. Of course, my climbing partner lives in his own timezone so we don’t actually leave the driveway until way after six…
“Why do I even bother waking up on time?” I wonder as we drive up to Banff, only to find two vehicles already there, one with an ominous SoV scrawled in the dirt on the back…
Thursday, 0459 Yep, same thing, up moments before the alarm. This time, though, I am not packed with gear and clothes scattered all over the house. Even without much hurry, I’m packed, fed and watered within 35 minutes, 5 minutes later than our as-scheduled departure time. Which, since we’re on Jeff-time, means we don’t leave the house until 0630. Getting scooped again is quite likely, even on a Thursday. This time, though, we’re prepared – in case we miss out on SoV again, I’ve packed some rock gear to protect the very thin, grey-iced, delaminated and scary-looking bottom pitch of The Replicant.
Clearly visible from the highway as you drive between Banff and Canmore, The Trophy Wall is high up on Mt. Rundle, and should be obvious even if you’re not a climber. Host to three magnificent streaks of ice – The Terminator, The Replicant and Sea of Vapours – it is a bastion of hard climbing. Revolutionary when they were first climbed in the early 90’s, these routes are still not taken lightly.
Arriving fashionably late at the parking lot, we determine the only other car parked there is a climbers’ vehicle, and as we hop on our bikes, Jeff is hopeful that maybe we’ll pass them on the road.
After a 2-hour bike and hike, we’re at the base just as the other party starts up SoV. We fight through the deep snow up to The Replicant, toss our backpacks in the snow and start the rationalizing.
“That looks thick enough to take a stubby. Could get a nut in there. It looks better up there, just that there’s no pro for the first 20m. Hey, come up closer to the base. It’s more overhanging than it looks from there! It’s really grey and delaminated. This piece is like 6-inches away from the rock. But it does look better up higher. I’m just worried that there won’t be anywhere to put a V-thread to bail if we have to. The snow is deep, can always jump? I guess we could sling the ice? How many slings do we have? How much do they cost?”
Jeff finally decided that it was, indeed, climbable and – just – protectable. Rock gear weighing down the harness, he started gently tapping his way up the fragile shell. First piece – pink tri-cam wedged into a crack. Second piece – barely-in stubby tied off with a screamer. Third piece – solid 13cm! No screamer needed! And we’re off…
The CCT aka The Casual Climbing Team. A nickname I’ve come up with to (somewhat) describe our casual shoulder-shrugging, ass-sliding, snow-wading, route-finding nonchalance. We get lost, scooped, bail, struggle up easy ice and yet still have a blast. Very non-competitive for a “team.”
The first glimpse of the Trophy Wall from the trail. From left to right: The Terminator (unformed), The Replicant (that thin streak in the middle) and Sea of Vapours (that long one on the right).
The sun hitting Cascade, but hasn’t made it down to the valley yet. This view is worth the bike/hike alone.
The guys that scooped us on SoV left the parking lot at 5am. Seriously?? 5am?? When did they wake up?!
The, um, mountain range across the valley. I need to learn the names of these peaks. Someday.
Ginger first steps up thin ice. Our first piece was a pink tri-cam another few feet higher.
Jeff super-excited to get a screw in. Not that 6cm of a 10cm stubby in questionable ice slung with a screamer is good pro…
You can’t tell from this angle, but this is seriously overhanging ice.
Spindrift, yeah! I don’t know why, but I love the feeling of spindrift falling over me. As long as I have a hood up, that is.
My headspace just wasn’t where it should be, so Jeff led the next pitch too. Next time!
Thin, overhanging and fragile. “The hardest climbing I’ve ever done,” says Jeff.
The belays may be cold, but at least the view is good.
Ok, somewhat more dramatic than in reality. But, this ain’t a documentary!
Rafal Andronowski Photography 