After many years of skiing on the North Shore mountains of British Columbia and looking across the border to the north face of Mt.Bakerin the North Cascades, I knew one day I had to ski it. A lot of factors have to come into play too pull it off — weather, work, desire, motivation and fear.
Ironman and the Turret loom behind camp
You know the rest of the saying. Sometimes it hurts to say it, but you can say it with me right now. “Try, try (try, try) AGAIN!” This is kind of a basic tenet of alpine climbing, or maybe all climbing really; actually, life itself. So what am I trying to get at here?
If you followed my last post, it was a video from the a trip I took to the Adamant Mountains in 2008, a recap of some attempts, successes and failures from a great 10 days in the mountains. A lead in to climbing there again this season. And we did climb there again this year…
July 13th we (Craig and Jeremy) decided to drive to the Golden, BC to pack and prep to fly into our glacier camp at the base of some amazing summits. Camp would be a 10 minute walk from 2 unfree-climbed 600m alpine big walls. Drool.
But for the few days leading up to our departure, way too much time was spent looking at the weather models, trying to figure out if we had any chance of some long awaited BC summer high pressure. For details I can’t really get in to (let’s just say extenuating personal circumstances of a team member) we decided to give it a try anyway, and by the morning of the 14th we were waiting to fly in from a random logging road, and watching the black clouds prevent our passage.
Having wanting to ski the remote Glacier Peak in the North Cascades for a while now, my brother and I finally lucked out with promising weather and hit the road for three days. With a great late snow season we were confident there would be snow left to ski, even if it was almost August, and we were fueled by our inspiration was to keep the turns all year spirit alive.
Osprey Athletes, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, adventure
So the summer plans have been in the works for a little while, and this year it is a return trip to the Adamant Mountains of the northern Selkirks in British Columbia.
In 2008 I headed there with fellow Mountain Guide Craig McGee to try our hand at a few routes. This year we are going back to try and complete some unfinished projects…b ut in the mean time here is a sampler from the last trip. It provides a good glimpse into what alpine rock climbing is all about. Enjoy!
With the Tour de France in full swing we’ve got Europe on the brain, so for week two of our photo contest we figured it would be only fitting to feature a classic “What’s In Your Pack?” Euro style. Flickr user AeroSoph knows just what it takes to climb the highest mountain in the Pyrenees, Pico Aneto: an ice axe, an Osprey and of course, some delicious baguettes. That’s good use of those outer pockets!
We want to know what’s in your pack! We’re running our photo contest is running all month so there’s plenty of time to submit! We’ll be selecting one photo a week to feature here on our blog, and all weekly winners will score a Digi Stow! At the end of the month two people will win a Farpoint 70, perfect for packing on your next adventure. To take part, just upload your photos to our Flickr pool, tag with “whatsinyourpack” and be sure to write a description of just what’s hiding inside your pack.
It has been quite some time since I last wrote, and quite some time since I was last in the U.S. The winter in Montana was a good one aside from the tragic loss of Guy Lacelle. He was one of best ice climbers world wide, not only in ability but in his pure and genuine love for the sport.
As the snows began to melt I blasted off to Costa Rica to attempt riding on the swells of the massive Pacific. We spent 7 days on the remote Peninsula de la Osa among howler monkeys and flocks of Macaw parrots. Most days I would have no more than a pair of shorts and my machete for harvesting the abundant coconuts. Mornings and evenings were for surfing, mid-day was for siestas. After 10 days of work I managed to get a flight to Cuba, a nation I have always wanted to visit. I spent a night in the city: shared a bottle of rum with 6 employees at an ice cream shop, smoked my first cuban cigar with a family who practiced afro-cuban voodoo, and caught some spectacular Cuban rhythms!
The next 4 days I was in Vinales the famous tobacco producing area that also happens to be Cuba’s epicenter for sport climbing. I passed the days climbing on the overhanging-stalactite covered walls of the Karst geological formations with motivated local, Yorobys. Climbing in these expansive overhangs requires thinking three-dimensionally. The skills needed to transfer from steep mixed rock to daggers of ice could be applied to this new-to-me style of climbing.
After Cuba it was off to Mexico to work on the Yucatan.
The whole month of June I was in the midst of the saturated air of these three nations, sweating form day one until my return to Montana. The locals I met along the way made it a memorable travel.
I will have to say that I’m happy to be back home in the cool and dry high mountain air. I got to spend 4 days in Bozeman prior to blasting down here to the Tetons to start the summer guiding season with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides. Yesterday, we took 3 young kids up the classic “Guides Wall” a 5-pitch 5.8 in Cascade Canyon. Feels good to be back on the rock.
It was just supposed to be a casual day: go for a short tour and get some photos. The weather was so unpredictable for May and June that we had to ignore the forecast and go for it. I was getting ready for a marathon bike race — The Squamish Test of Metal — the next day, and wanted to take it easy. We started our ski day hiking in a whiteout, but to our amazement when we got to the glacier it was a perfect bluebird day. “Let’s tour for 500 feet,” we said. But once we got going it turned into going another 5,000 feet to the summitt. The skies were clear, the wind was calm and the travel was fast, so we had to go for it.
Volcanoes have an appeal that even sharp peaks in the North Cascades can’t equal. They are massive! From their steep faces and crumbling icefalls, cracked glaciers and sloughing moraines to their encroaching forests, glassy lakes and gorging rivers, their grandeur is far-reaching. From Interstate 5 driving or on the back roads of Washington, you can see their snowcapped facades shimmering under beams of the sun or the moon.
Osprey Athletes, Osprey Culture, Outdoor Activities, Product
At the end of every ski season I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Not because I am excited that the winter is over, more so that I am excited I navigated through the avalanche mine field successfully, that all of my guests/clients were safe, and that seasons are changing, and it is time for rock shoes and chalk.
Running a backcountry ski lodge (Valhalla Mountain Touring) in the wilds of British Columbia is definitely a dream come true, but after you work 100 days in a row, give or take, in avalanche terrain, you are ready for a break.
So this year, my wife and I decided that we would spend 5 weeks cruising around France, sampling the finest in French limestone, red wines, cheeses and baked goods. I may have put the rock first in that list, but the other items may have brought more joy in the end…
We started our journey with 10 days in an area known as the Gorges du Tarn, 1 pitch steep and pocketed limestone cragging, where we could attempt to transfer our ski legs in to climbing arms. We threw ourselves at pitch after pitch of overhanging jug hauls until the aching forearms made us quit and return to our ‘Gite’ to drink some wine (a gite is a French term for a small studio vacation rental. These cost anywhere from 20€ to 30€ a night and are all over France). After a bunch of days we decided we had just barely enough fitness to go try our hand at some long routes.
Jas tries her hand at 'C100 Francs' in the Gorges du Tarn
Ever since I started rock climbing, I heard mythical tales of the Verdon Gorge. The 1,000-foot deep limestone canyon required you to rap in and climb out, with no easy means of retreat. Grades were supposedly REALLY hard, and the runouts between bolts were astronomical. GULP. So there was no choice on our next destination — the Verdon — and to see if the rumors were true.
Far and away, my favorite type of climbing is to do long, multi-pitch free routes. I love doing pitch after pitch of hard climbing way above the ground — maybe that is why I have made Squamish, BC my home with its plethora of hard multi-pitch free climbs. This is what the Verdon Gorge is all about.
I did some research enroute and found us an incredible gite to stay, just right up our alley. The place is called ‘Mayreste‘ and is run by this great couple named JF and Anita. It is a few kilometers away from the gorge on a quiet piece of land with stunning views, running on solar power and spring water. If you go to the Verdon, you have to stay with these guys!
The solar panels at our Gite in the Verdon.
Now there was nothing left to do but climb, and I had a slew of classic routes for Jasmin and I to tackle. We parked at the top of the cliff, walked for 30 seconds, and were at the rap anchors. With wide eyes and butterflies in our stomachs, we decided to start with ‘La Demande’, the first full length route in the Verdon, completed in 1968. Being the first full-length route, it follows a big weakness in the cliff, with cracks and chimneys for large portions of the climb. Jasmin and I are both trad adventure climbers, having done our crack and chimney penance, so the 11 pitch 5.10 route went relatively fast, and before we knew it, we were drinking wine back at out gite. So far the Verdon wasn’t as hard and scary as we thought… But were we getting too cocky?
Jas gets ready to rap into the Verdon Gorge
Next up was something a little harder, Pichenbule, a 5.11+, that weaves its way up the walls for 12 pitches. Back we went to the canyon rim, and rapped in with overcast skies-but rain wasn’t really in the forecast. The first 4 pitches of the route went relatively fast, but then the drizzle started. Being at a ledge, we weighed our options — we had a choice of a 5.5 escape route back to the top, so we wouldn’t have to rap down and walk out 15km back to our car in the rain. We decided to take that option, but halfway up the weather seemed to get better, so we rapped BACK down to the ledge and started back up the original route. Oops, 2 pitches into that route, the skies began to laugh at us, belching heavy rain and hail on us. Luckily we chose another 5.10- escape route at that point with well bolted hand cracks taking us back out of the the canyon. Three soaking wet and lightening electrified pitches later we were back on the rim, running for the car. At least we weren’t walking out all afternoon in the rain!
Jasmin soaking wet while we claw our way out of the gorge.
After some rest (and gear drying!) we decided to try and tackle one of the classic test pieces of the Verdon. ‘La Fete des Nerfs’ which translates to something like the birthday of nerves. Hmmm. At 10 pitches long with all of the pitches being harder than 5.10 and half of them around 11+/12- we were in for a hard day on the rocks. We started early, packed light and rapped in, psyched for the hard climbing and the adventure.
Yeah, there were some big run outs and the climbing was hard, but Jas and I were warmed up for the adventure and right where we wanted to be. A few falls, over all, but pitch after pitch of brilliant climbing, under steel blue skies, with amazing rock. It was so great to be there, and it makes my hands sweat just thinking about it. Lucky for me, I chase my dreams and make sure they come true — and climbing in the Verdon has been a dream of mine for a long time.
After ‘La Fete des Nerfs’ we moved on with our road trip, sport climbing in Ceuse, and then some more amazing multipitch routes in Presles, but by far and away my time in the Verdon was the most memorable of our 5 week road trip. Now I am back home, climbing the granite of Squamish and super excited for the alpine rock climbing season to start here!
For more info on the Verdon Gorge check out this online article
Osprey’s very own Sarah Harper Burke is taking part in a great endeavor this summer: she’s climbing Mt. Shasta as part of Climbing Against the Odds, an annual mountaineering expedition by the Breast Cancer Fund for breast cancer prevention.
Osprey has long been a supporter of the Breast Cancer Fund, and Sarah’s excited to take part in this year’s expedition. We sat down with her to learn a little bit more.
Why did you decide to join the Climb for the Cure?
This was an opportunity presented by Osprey. Osprey has supported the Breast Cancer Fund for years. This was the first time Osprey has taken the next step of support by sponsoring a team member on the climb.
I’m sure you’ve been working hard to train for your climb, what has kept you inspired?
As I continue to learn about the Breast Cancer Fund, I’ve realized how connected their attitude towards prevention is to my everyday experience. I’m inspired to help spread this message throughout my community. Also, I am a complete novice at mountaineering. This physical challenge is like non- other I have experienced. That alone has been a great push.
What impact do you think your climb will have?
Climbing Mt. Shasta is a challenge that I hope will grab people’s attention. This is no small walk in the park. This is a large group of cancer survivors and their families climbing mountains as a way to represent what odds they can overcome. It’s inspiring!
The Breast Cancer Fund is all about studying the environmental causes of breast cancer. Why is that important to you?
I have not been personally affected by breast cancer but am concerned about ways in which I can prevent it. I’m learning about how some cosmetics and plastics can have a serious effect on my body.
With breast cancer affecting so many women, what do you think ordinary people can do every day to raise awareness and support those fighting cancer right now?
Money talks, even in subtle ways. We can all help spread the word of prevention with how we spend our dollars. Make sure you are purchasing BPA free plastics, choose safe cosmetics, buy hormone free meat and dairy. Little changes in the way you spend can send a huge message to manufacturers.
Now comes the exciting part: Sarah’s in the midst of fundraising for the Breast Cancer Fund — she’s trying to raise $7,500, and she’s a little over $3,000 away from her goal — and we want you to take part! By donating money to the cause, you’ll be supporting the BCF’s work to expose and eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer.
We think that’s definitely worth supporting, and just for a little extra, we’re throwing in a little swag. We’ve got 20 Transporter duffles up for grabs for the first 20 people who donate $50+, and to top it off, a big pack prize to the person who puts us over the next $3,000 donated. So hop on over to Sarah’s fundraising page and help the cause and get the chance to score some sweet Osprey gear!
[Photo Via]
If you spend any time climbing in Minnesota, make sure to take a day this year to give a climbing crag some love. The good folks at Minnesota Climbers Association have a ton of great clean-ups happening this year. These are a great way for climbers to get involved in the community, and allows us to give back and help keep the areas we frequent clean and beautiful.
Visit the Minnesota Climbers events page for details… What are you waiting for? Mark your calendar and take part!
PHOTO courtesy Apex Adventure Alliance, LLC.
