Gripped: The Climbing Magazine June - July 2016

A dream of many climbers is to climb something before anyone else, whether on a completely new route or by making a first free ascent. As more climbers push standards and seek out unclimbed lines, the number of possible firsts declines every year. We are lucky in Canada to have so much undeveloped rock remaining, but climbers must work harder than ever before to find the next first. One of the best ways to make a first is to know what has been or hasn’t been climbed. A combination of reading guidebooks and talking to locals can unlock the secrets of what’s left to do in certain areas. Local ethics will apply to how you go about making your first. If you’re free climbing an old aid route, can you…

Mammut Belay Chain 12.0 $50 The Mammut Belay Chain 12.0 is their latest belay chain in a long line of much-loved make-belaying-easier tools. A slick self-securing belay setup that uses Dyneema rigged into six loops, each rated to 24 kN. If you’re into belay chains, Mammut’s latest should be on your harness. Mountain Hardwear Micro Thermostatic Hybrid Jacket $155 The Mountain Hardwear Micro Thermostatic Hybrid Jacket is a perfect summer midlayer for the alpine. It keeps the insulation where you need it and the nylon fabric is super lightweight and keeps the weather out. A big plus is that it compresses into its own pocket. Black Diamond Pipe Dream bag $175 The Black Diamond Pipe Dream bag is made for crag climbers. We would describe it simply as a workhorse…

1. What was your go-to guidebook as a young climber in Ontario? I started with a copy of Dave Smart’s Climbing on the Niagara Escarpment. Then I picked up his Ontario Limestone guide with the picture of Chris Oates on the cover. After that, I got The Escarpment: A Climber’s Guide, which was written by Marc Bracken, Judy Barnes and Chris Oates. And like most climbers, I ended up with a copy of Bracken, Barnes and Oates’ A Sport Climber’s Guide to Ontario Limestone. 2. What decade saw the most development along the escarpment? For sheer route quantity, it was the mid-’70s to mid-’80s. But for real crag development, you would have to look at the mid-’80s to late-’90s – a period that coincided with the development of sport climbing…

Marc-Andre Leclerc Pushes the Limit in Rockies Marc-Andre Leclerc spent much of the winter in the Rockies and made his presence known when he soloed three hard routes on the Stanley Headwall in one day. First he soloed the 150-metre French Reality M5 WI6+. It was not the first solo of the route. He then rappelled and made his way to Nightmare on Wolfstreet, a well-travelled, but never soloed M7+ WI6+. He climbed the first two pitches and then finished up the wall via The Day After les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot, which crosses Nightmare. Two routes were not enough and after he returned to the slope, Leclerc went and soloed the classic Nemesis WI6+ 150 metres. It was one of the most impressive solo days in the Rockies for…

Kaska Kowalska V10 Kaska Kowalska of Ontario sent Water Hazard V10 in Bishop, which is a Sean McColl route from 2008, and her hardest send to date. New 5.10 at Smoke Bluffs West Coaster Eric Tran climbed a new bolted 5.10 slab at the Burgers and Fries wall in Squamish. The new fun route climbs up left of Pink Panther 5.11c. New Big Mixed in Quebec Jean Francois Girard and Carl Darveau made the first ascent of Aller simple pour Mars M7+ WI7- 190 m in Percé. They climbed the new route in memory of Benoit Marion. Biggish New Mixed in Quebec Serge Alexandre Demers Giroux and Louis-Philippe Ménard climbed six new routes at Quebec’s Lac du Cap, including La Split du Cap M6 100 m and Le Cap au…

“If you can climb a ladder, you can climb in the Bugaboos.” Like all great adventures, this one was born out of an evening with friends, burgers and beers. My friends Krista, Glenn and Deb were outdoor enthusiasts and I was always up for an adventure. After I heard about their future trip to the Bugaboos, Krista said, “You should totally come.” I replied, “I’ve never really climbed, is it technical?” Her response laid the trap for the biggest adventure of my life, she said, “If you can climb a ladder, you can climb in the Bugaboos.” She convinced me I could learn to climb and would be a natural. I hurried home to sign up for the six-day “Intro to Alpine Rock Climbing” course through a climbing school. I…