A Wildhorse Adventure

A Wildhorse Adventure - By: Allen Rollin I could call this your typical Kootenay adventure, but where would the fun be in that. Being whisked away into Ski Land for an epic 4 day hut based ski touring adventure with 3 bros and a ton of snow with more forecasted to come sounds kinda normal ( for around here), but a unique Wildhorse adventure is what ensued, full of all kinds of experiences, twists, turns and great times not soon to be forgotten.   THE ADVENTURE It all started with a scrumptious coffee at Nelson's day bar called Oso Negro, the meeting place and where the day's stoke often begins. From there a very snowy drive followed to the quaint village of Ymir just south of town. We crossed the bridge and started to drive up the snow filled Wildhorse Creek Rd. where even bigger snowflakes and coated cedars greeted our smiling faces. Tyler and Nick, our friendly escorts were busy digging out their snowmobiles and toboggans in preparation of our drive in. We piled our bags into one toboggan and jumped in the other, a combination of 2 toboggans strapped together with seats and a plastic shield to guard us from the fresh snow-wash of the snowmobile. The ride up was fantastic, 15kms of rolling forest service rd. to our first destination; the Cat. We jumped into the cat and Wildhorse Cabin was our next stop. Tyler drove the cat while Nick was free to go slash some pow with the snowmobile while he waited for Tyler's return. He zipped off with a huge smile on his face as we plodded happily up the ridge to our destination. 30 minutes later we were deposited onto Wildhorse Ridge and the Wildhorse Cabin at 2000m with a load of fresh snow and a very high dose of stoke. We shook hands with Tyler and were left to ourselves for the next four days!   We didn't spend much time unpacking and instead opted to go skiing. The first afternoon was amazing, we basically could ski right out of our cabin into 30cm's of fresh blower. We got 3 runs in and orientated ourselves with our area and the ski possibilities. The hut itself was rustic but offered everything we needed. Beds, comforters, pillows, dishes, kerosene heater, tables, propane cooking stove and even a nice lantern that illuminated our little downstairs cave. We were to have the place to ourselves for the whole trip so we made ourselves at home. A big dinner and a couple of sips of whiskey later we were in bed excited for the big day to come. Day two was the big day. We adventured into cloudy conditions where we were greeted with rhime on top of the more exposed slopes. We poked up into the Qua Peak area where we found some amazing north and east facing slopes. Our stability assessments and ski cuts produced small 10cm isloated slabs so we decided to stay out of the big alpine and instead skied some unbelievable open shots and glades. Our circuit seemed to be perfect we got 4 different runs in through cool larch forests and deep conditions. Our legs had just enough juice to make it back to the hut (we had to ski up 400m at the very end of the day back to the hut ) where our stomachs and thirst demanded quenching. After a few drinks and an amazing curry dinner some serious Jenga playing ensued. The warmth of our hut, big day and our tasty Maple Whiskey sent us to bed early with a storm brewing outside.   We were all awoken at some point during the night by powerful winds that seemed like they were threatening to blow our hut down. When we thought it was over it kept on blowing without relent. No good sleep was had so by morning we were all a bit slow getting out of our comfortable bunks. Now came going outside to use our high tech outhouse. The wind was still blowing so furiously that with our little pit toilet missing a side, using the bathroom was quite a hilarious challenge. On day three we were greeted by wind scoured slopes everywhere and it looked like all our fresh pow from the day before was all but non existent. Our first run was discouraging but once we poked around we discovered a wonderful north-east facing slope that offered up some great skiing that was helped out by the influx of another storm dropping tons of snow that afternoon. We retired to the hut early that day, rested up, had dinner and played some Yuker. A wonderful card game passed down through our eastern Canadian generations. After a great sleep that night we were greeted by clear skies and fresh, dry snow the next morning. It seemed like a ending to good to be true. We packed up, cleaned up and set out early to get as much skiing in on our last day as possible in order to meet up with Tyler and the cat that afternoon for our ride out. We skinned up a beautiful ridge right from our cabin to the summit of Wildhorse Peak where the skies broke and the sun showed its face. Stoke was high, the snow was light and fresh and I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.   Needless to say, our last day of skiing was amazing, it really topped off the whole experience. Once we were packed up we had still not communicated with anyone for a ride out so we left our big packs at the hut to be picked up by Tyler and skied down confusing cat roads and wonderful glades while it was copiously snowing to the snowmobile/cat meeting spot. On the way down we finally got a radio call from Tyler saying that he was just heading into the Qua Valley to drop off some more skiers to the Qua Hut (1 hour ski from our cabin, and it was already 3:30pm) and that we would have to wait at the cat meeting point for at least an hour. It was assuring to hear his voice and know that we were going to get picked up and not have to ski down the logging road 15km to the trucks.   We sat in the front cab of the cat trying to keep warm and in high spirits (which wasn't very hard) sipping the last of the whiskey and reminiscing of the good times we'd had the last four days. Once dark fell Tyler and the lights of his other cat glistened through the trees in the distance. We were going home. It turned out that Tyler was all by himself out in the wilderness and that he had blew a track on one of the cats (which he had to fix by himself) that afternoon, hence why we ended up departing in the dark. We rode down in the back of the cat 15km back to the trucks where we found them buried in the weeks snow. Tyler waited till we could dig them out, we shook hands, thanked him for the adventure and we all went on our way. All in all it summed up to be one of the best skiing adventures I've ever had and I cant wait till the next one!!

Backcountry Skiing In B.C - Resources

The season is off to a good start here in British Columbia. Just the end of November and there has been lots of sunny, stable days with blower snow! There are many resources out there for skiing including awesome guidebooks, websites, word of mouth and many others. I will outline a few different ideas to get you started and psyched. Have a great winter and play safe!

 A great resource for all of Canada and especially B.C, this website has it all. Great route descriptions, an online forum (with lots going on) and lots of other great information on Backcountry skiing/snowboarding. Check it out

Link: Backcountry Skiing Canada Home Page

Roger's Pass is a mecca of Backcountry Skiing in Canada. Tons of terrain, big mountains, deep snow and great skiing. The area lies in Glacier National Park and while there are regulations that you must follow, it keeps this place wild and in good shape for years to come. Making a visit to the new Discovery Center beside the hotel is a must.  They have very experienced park staff members, a great public use guidebook of ski tours in the area, a voluntary check registration book and other great resources as well. Some areas do require you to register (and obtain a free permit) as well as you must have a valid park pass to use and park in the area. Here I have included a link to get you started. There are also many guidebooks to the area that should get you an idea of the classic ski tours around. Remember this is big country and avalanches are common here so play safe and have fun!

Link: Rogers Pass - Parks Canada


GUIDEBOOKS:
 A couple of great guidebooks exist for skiing/riding in the wonderful Backcountry of B.C. Here a just a few of them that are worth purchasing and having in your collection. 

Summits & Icefields -Columbia Mountains

Roger's Pass Ski Touring Guide

Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis

Alpine Ski Tours In The Canadian Rockies

West Kootenay Touring Guide

Whistler Ski Touring Guide

AVALANCHE FORECAST/BULLETINS/INFORMATION:

The two most important and awesome Canadian Websites:

Link: PARKS CANADA - Avalanche Information & Bulletins
Link: Canadian Avalanche Association Website/Bulletins

And one last great website with lots of good skiing/climbing info posted by mountain guides in Canada:

Link: Mountain Conditions Reports - ACMG

Ellison Provincial Park Rock Climbing - New Routes!

As I finish my time here in Vernon, I have been focusing on finishing a few climbing projects at Ellison near town. Although there isn't a whole lot of potential here, the few new lines that have been put up are really good and basically climb or combine existing routes in a more direct
(ie: fun) fashion. There is one potential new route as well (has been re-cleaned but could of been climbed back in the day). All in all a some great additions to an already awesome area. Stay tuned for an updated guidebook coming soon as well! Here they are:

SKYROCKETS IN FLIGHT
5.10B - MIXED - 4 BOLTS + GEAR TO 5" - 22M (Variation)
 Start by climbing the nice corner/crack line through a wide (8") section (Little Sister). After the wide section clip a bolt and mantle a big ledge with a huge boulder on your left (heading straight up to the right where Little Sister continues up the blocky terrain). From here continue up the face to the arete where a crux greets you surmounting the bulge on the arete (great exposure!). The climbing eases from here to the bolted anchors (fixed biners) on your right. Bring some long slings and watch for rope drag.

UNNAMED (AFTERNOON DELIGHT)
5.7 - TRAD - GEAR TO 2" - 20M
A great easier addition to the climbing here with a Squamish type feel. Climb from the base of the Basalt dyke/intrusion into some blocky/juggy stuff on your right. Fiddle in your first piece and cruise through some wonderful laybacking and awesome hand jamming (good gear) to where you surmount a bulge and finish in the main corner. Bolts to lower.

THE DARK KNIGHT 
 5.10+  - MIXED - 3 BOLTS + GEAR TO 2" 24m (Variation)

Start way down low at the base of the cliff at a awesome layback hand crack. Start by climbing the clean crack to a ledge then scramble over right to the arete. Climb the arete with increasing difficulty on crimps and layaways with a crux at the final bolt. Once under the roof, get into position and muscle through the very steep crack on finger locks and wild moves. Avoid moving way out right and finish direct for full value. Chains with fixed biners to lower.

Dance Mix Ninety-12', A fun dance mix

Dance Mix Ninety-12'

Free Soloing

Dean Potter on HEAVEN with Half Dome in the background

Free Soloing: To climb with no rope in a state of pure focus.
Alex Honnold and Dean Potter, both Americans have taken this to a new level. So inspiring (not that Im into free soloing 5.12) that these dudes have the focus and the skill to make it up this stuff with no rope.  Just some footage I would like to share about their feats these days. ENJOY!

Dean Potter on the Rostrum & Alien Roof Alien Roof at Yosemite with his Base Jumping pack! Free BASEing at it's finest!

Alex Honnold on his Triple Crown achievment: Mt.Watkins, El Cap and Half Dome in under 19 hours, climbing over 7,000 feet up to grades of 5.12+......Unreal! Makes my hands sweat :)

 

Recommended Route(s)

Lake Louise is an icon of mountain scenery and beauty, and for those who do not know, it's also an incredible climbing destination. Lake Louise boasts a huge amount scrambles, summits, icefields, ice climbs and rock climbs, basically a mecca for any type of climber. Back of the Lake is no exception. Steep exposed climbing of all kinds on bulletproof Quartzite looking over the emerald green Lake Louise. I could recommend tons of routes but recently I got on this one steep sport climb on a cool little cliff that climbs soooooo well. I didnt even know it was there after all this time. Check it out if you climb 11b, there isn't much better. And did I mention it has a wild roof to finish that will attract spectators(tourists) for a show!

THE DUCK OF DEATH - 5.11B - SPORT - 10 BOLTS - 25M

Start climbing right out of the pond in a fractured crack on pinches and cool jams past two bolts. Now the game changes, crimp out to the right and pull a small roof, then climb up into a funky corner system and work your way through the crux exiting the corner. A big flake section (jugs) leads into the big roof, take a rest, clip, reach out and do it! But what do I use?......sneaky but big jugs greet you over top! So good! Old ass anchors to descend (into the pond :). Classic.

 

New Route/Variation at Ellison's Dog Beach Wall

A great addition to this cliff that combines two previous routes, the Dark Knight varitation climbs an awesome direct line up the aesthetic pillar over Okanagan Lake to a final overhanging finger crack through the big BAT roof.

THE DARK KNIGHT (variation) 5.10+ - 23m 
MIXED - 3 BOLTS & GEAR TO 2" ***

Start way down low at the base of the cliff at a awesome layback hand crack. Start by climbing the clean crack to a ledge then scramble over right to the arete. Climb the arete with increasing difficulty on crimps and layaways with a crux at the final bolt. Once under the roof, get into position and muscle through the very steep crack on finger locks and wild moves. Avoid moving way out right and finish direct for full value. Chains (over the edge) to lower.

Lower part of the route:

 Upper section:

Cougar Canyon - Bouldering Update!

A couple of new boulder problems have been put up in the Moss Hollow area at Cougar Canyon here in Vernon, B.C. Great additions to an already cool little alcove with 2 classic problems. A cold refrigerator kind of breeze offers some relief from the hot summer sun and provides a great atmosphere to work these routes. The MEGA MAN area or what I'm now calling the BURROW (the rats and caves and such) now has two face climbs, a steep cave like problem and a slopey traverse climb. All four routes have exhilarating finishes and offer a wide range of quality holds. Basically bring a couple of pads, some good friends and this little spot should be enough to fill your day. With the new Cougar Bouldering guide and this new topo you should be good to go...........

MEGA MAN AREA - AKA: (THE BURROW)

1 - MEGA MAN - V5 ***
Start down low to the right and follow the slopey rail to a wild left pinch and a big throw to the finish. Amazing holds and features, a must at it's grade at Cougar.


2 - VEINS - V6 ***
Find the best holds down low in the cave, move to the lip and pinch your way to a good hold and an easier finish. Some beta makes this one a little easier,

3 - POSSE - V1 ***
Climb the left side of the face on crimps, laybacks and sidepulls. Lots of cool stemming and a fun finish up high!

4 - TOXIC - V3+ ***
Stand start on the crimpy rail. Some dynamic and balancy moves await those with good footwork. Bigger holds to finish. Grade still open for discussion.

Recommended Route(s)

En route to the WHITE WALL

 I am a huge fan of the Boulderfields in Kelowna. An awesome setting, approach and climbing, if you are into some steep aesthetic climbing, then this is the place for you. I will keep this simple because Jani and Karen have done a great job outlining the area in their 'Kelowna Rock' guidebook. I am merely posting a great topo/photo of the WHITE WALL, which hosts 4 great routes of high quality that people should be climbing when they climb here (and that are not all included in the guide). All the climbs are full value, long and feature great wavy rock with a ton of variety packed into each climb. Thanks Jani for putting up these great climbs! And did I mention these routes are in the shade after about 1pm and are adjacent to the Grad Wall and Wedge Wall that offer a ton of great climbing. Here it is!!! Explained left to right.

1 - Body Language 5.11b - Bolts - 30m **
Easy climbing leads into a body tension crux and then cruiser holds to the finish! Slopey!

2 - April Flowers 5.10b - Bolts - 30m ***
Some cool pockets lead into 2 tricky sections and a steeper finish. One of the best for its grade at the Fields! High Value.

3 - State Of Shock 5.12a/b - Bolts - 30m ***
This one begins with a fun steep start and then some more slopey climbing (fun). A wild throw at the crux with diminishing holds leads into a wonderful juggy finish! Great rock!

(Test Driven By NATO 5.10a - Bolts 22m ((dotted red line, could be a nice line if it were cleaned up))

4 - Heavy Metal 5.11c - Bolts - 23m ***
Climb big sandy holds to a roof and exit left (read: bolts split left and right) into some delicate and tricky climbing. The holds then get better for a bit until you get to finish up the steep prow. Great climbing!

Here's the photo! Enjoy

Climb Smarter & Safer

I personally have used this technique ice climbing, where my anchor is quite set back from the top of the real climbing. Using terrain that is suitable is the key. There are other tricks to doing this but this gives you the idea.  Play safe!

Tech Tip - Trad - Extending an Anchor on a multi-pitch route

By Molly Loomis
Illustrations By Keith Svihovec

A guide’s technique for belaying novice seconds

As the adage goes, speed equals safety in the mountains. But this doesn’t mean speed instead of safety. Maintaining constant visual and vocal contact between you — presumably, an experienced climber and/or guide — and a neophyte under your tutelage will yield easier passage through terrain otherwise known as time-suck territory. The more Beta you can offer him whilst he cleans a stubborn piece of gear or works through a dumbfounding crux, the less time you’re likely to waste shouting commands and vital advice into the wind or hanging around, waiting for an electrical storm to swoop in.


A Brand-New Masterpoint
There are many ways to extend an anchor, in order to come down from the top of a pitch and keep an eye on your second. But often the question remains, how do I, once the second climbs up to me, keep him on a top belay (instead of transitioning into a lead belay) while he moves from the extended anchor up to the primary anchor — potentially a necessity in tricky terrain or in certain “institutional” (i.e., climbing-school) settings? The following technique should be utilized by experienced climbers or guides only, and on terrain below your limit.

Illustrations By Keith Svihovec

One
After constructing a bomber anchor atop your pitch, attach yourself to the anchor’s masterpoint with a münter hitch (instead of the typical clove hitch, etc.). Next, use this münter to lower to your desired belay stance (the side of the rope leading down to your partner is your brake strand). Because you’re attached to the anchor with a münter hitch, you must keep your hand on the münter’s brake strand at all times. If you want added security, tie a knot some feet down the brake strand and clip it to your belay loop.

Illustrations By Keith Svihovec

Two
Once at the perfect spotting perch (e.g., a small ledge), pull up three feet of slack in both strands of the climbing rope. Because you have to pull slack through the münter hitch, your belay will be compromised momentarily. Standing on casual terrain will increase safety, as will that brake-strand backup knot clipped to your belay loop.

Illustrations By Keith Svihovec

Three
With your three feet of slack, tie an overhand- on-a-bight using both strands together, with the knot above both you and your second. This knot will now function as an extended anchor, as well as a tie-off to lock off the münter hitch on which you just lowered yourself. Attach a locking carabiner and an auto-blocking belay device (e.g., Reverso) through the eye of your overhand-on-a-bight; this will be the new belay point for your partner.

Illustrations By Keith Svihovec

Four
As your partner works his way up the route, coach and congratulate from your perch, pulling in slack through the belay device and stacking it as he comes. When he reaches your stance, back up the belay device by tying off the brake strand with a figure-8-on-a-bight and clipping it to the masterpoint. (This blocks the rope from feeding through the belay device in the unlikely event that the belay device should slip.)

Illustrations By Keith Svihovec

Five
Now you and your partner can simultaneously climb back up to the original, highest anchor. As you climb, slack will generate in the system between the overhand-on-a-bight (to which you both are attached) and the münter hitch. (In order to maintain the belay while climbing, you must pull down on the münter’s brake strand.) Considering the multi-tasking involved — climbing while keeping a hand on the brake — and the potential consequences of taking your brake hand off the rope, it is important that you use this configuration on terrain well within your comfort zone.

Six
Do not release your brake hand until you are both clipped into the main anchor. Finally, disassemble the extended anchor, restack the rope, and fire the next pitch.

Molly Loomis, a mountain guide, has used this technique more than once to encourage a second.