Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2016 - January 2017 i Gripped: The Climbing Magazine

It’s somewhat surprising that activities as distinct as shredding a line of fresh powder, grinding up a squeeze chimney, cranking down on an overhanging boulder problem and front pointing up a frozen waterfall all share a common past. Movement in the hills under our own power is the common spirit binding together these seemingly disparate activities. Mountaineering is divergent and evolving, branching outward, generating new techniques and modes of travel. From the three traditional disciplines (rock climbing, ice climbing and glacier travel) have sprouted: aid climbing, sport climbing, bouldering, mixed and waterfall ice climbing, scrambling, ski mountaineering, siege tactics and fast and light alpine ascents. The contemporary mountaineer has a beautifully diverse palette of ways to get into the hills. Given our propensity for exploration, we’ve always wanted to see…

Rampart Creek Wilderness Hostel has been a basecamp for ice climbers for decades. The comfortable shelter is along the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper. The area has hundreds of ice and mixed climbs, not to mention great backcountry skiing. The hostel is in a great position for ice climbers to base themselves for a weekend or a week of winter adventure. There are a number of cabins, each can sleep six people in bunks. There is space for drying ropes, gear and more. The lights are solar-powered and there are heaters that keep the rooms toasty. There is a wood-burning sauna, campfire pit, big self-catering kitchen and parking for a number of vehicles. The hostel is only 10 minutes south of the Weeping Wall area. There is no phone…

My ice tool traced a curve against the sky and pounded into the ice, but there was little ice to accept it. Only thin layers of sugary slush. May as well be climbing frozen cotton candy. Over the previous weeks of my first ice season, I’d heard of many ways to describe ice, such as plastic dinner-plating, thin and wet. But, I’d never encountered sugary, the kind of texture that reminds you of the well-known and often repeated first rule of ice climbing: do not fall. While staring up at an imposing wall of sugar-ice, the rule transformed into a mantra. I had been standing on a fragile platform of ice, halfway up Malignant Mushroom WI5, in the Ghost River Valley, a remote part of the Canadian Rockies. The climb…

The Grampians is one of the world’s top bouldering areas with problems from V0 to V15. The rock is similar to the popular South Africa destination, Rocklands. Niccolò Ceria is a leading Italian climber who visited the Grampians three times in the past two years and said, “For a totally focused boulderer, Australia means the Grampians.” The journey begins with a trip to Melbourne and then to the Stawell, a little village located east of the Grampians National Park. Or you can rent a cabin in Wartook, a town close to the southern end of the park. The roads are rough and if you rent a car, get travel insurance. There are deadly poisonous animals, so consider approaching in shoes and pants. There is almost always a bush fire risk.…

Black Diamond Iota Headlamp $48 Black Diamond gave their headlamp line an overhaul and the new Iota is one of the results. The Iota is perfect for climbers because of its compact size. It’s the headlamp you leave in your pack for any occasion, just in case you need it. It can recharge with a USB cord, is waterproof and has four settings. A great stocking stuffer! Edelrid Ohm US$130 One of the best gifts you can get someone who spends time sport climbing. The assisted-breaking device helps to even out the weight difference between a climber and a belayer. It is installed at the first bolt on lead and if the climber falls, the Ohm increases rope friction. Great for lightweight climbers who hang out with partners heavier than…

One of the most important skills a good ice climber possesses is the V-thread. When made correctly, they can be the fastest and most efficient way to descend an ice route. For new ice climbers, the thought of rappelling off of only a small section of ice can be unnerving, but confidence grows with experience and practice. Here are 10 steps to making a V-thread. Step One: Find a thick blue section of ice for your V-thread. Avoid old, hard snow and thin ice close to the rock. You need a dense piece of ice to support your body weight. Step Two: If the area is not smooth, use the adze on your ice tool to chip away at the surface. The deeper you go, often the more solid the…

Rich Wheater bridged the gap between film and digital photography years before others gained fame on Instagram and Snapchat. Wheater has contributed to Gripped since its earliest issues, including six cover photos over the past 15 years. It’s hard to pick up a back issue and not find one of Wheater’s images. He has branched out to photograph other outdoor sports and has published two guidebooks: Vancouver Rock Climbing and Vancouver Trail Running. After two decades of photographing climbers, he continues to produce award-winning shots. We touched base with Wheater at his home on the West Coast. Gripped: How long have you been shooting climbing and do you miss film? RW: Since 1994, so 22 years. I started whilst completing a diploma in Outdoor Recreation Management, at Capilano College in…

Lawrence White joined the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC) in 1999 while living in Vancouver and pursuing his bachelor’s degree in tourism management. In 2002, he moved to Canmore and began working for the ACC. White began in the mountain adventures portfolio and then became the facilities director before taking on the role of executive director in 2007. Gripped touched base with White at the ACC headquarters in Canmore. 1 What mountains can you see from your office? I can see the Three Sisters, the Ehagay Nakoda range with Ha Ling and Mount Lawrence Grassi, and Mount Rundle. It’s a great view. 2 What was your first trip with the ACC? I think my first trip was a winter 2000 ski trip to Tryst Lake Chutes in K-country. I’ve been…

Anna Clare Smith had a radiant energy that exploded from her lungs in the form of a raucous laugh that echoed around the world, from the hallowed granite of Yosemite, to the petrified ice lines of the Bow Valley, to the towering spires of Baffin Island. She was an inspirational climber, not because she was particularly strong, but because she blazed a trail up famous, hard and bold lines where most climbers fear to tread. Anna didn’t care about sending. She chased the experience, the high and the wild, the remote and the majestic. She marvelled at how privileged we were to be about to access and explore such gorgeous places and do the things that brought us great joy. She tragically left this world on Sept. 30 while on…

Aspire is new to the Toronto area and as a mixed climbing gym/training facility it provides a much needed space. Building off the buzz around America Ninja Warrior, it has a large space with an always-changing “ninja training facility.” The 1,400-square-metre space is mostly filled with climbing terrain. The walls were designed by Rockwerx and include top roping, lead and a good-sized bouldering area. With so many climbers blending workout routines such as parkour, climbing and cargo nets, swinging bars, ladders and straps, Aspire promises to be a popular location for the new generation of combined sport climbers. Like any climbing gym, the people who work there are as important as the space itself. General manager Joë Layno has been in the Ontario climbing community for a long time and…

Mont Pinacle rises on the north shore of Lake Lyster in southern Quebec. Along the south-facing wall are dozens of quality granite routes, some as old as the sport of climbing in Quebec. In the centre of the mountain is a 130-metre-tall wall with a classic ice route called Le Gringalet WI5 and a number of classic rock routes. Mont Pinacle is a must-visit area for climbers visiting or living in Eastern Canada. The Mont Pinacle experience begins by driving east of Montreal towards Sherbrooke. The landscape is mostly flat with farm fields and small houses. It’s hard to imagine a granite wall anywhere in the area. You take hidden turns and follow curving roads into a hilly area. Soon you drive into the town of Baldwin Mills, which is…

The Ghost River Wilderness area in the Front Range of the Rockies is considered by many to be one of the best places to climb ice in Canada. Known to climbers as the Ghost, it is located west of Calgary and north of the Trans-Canada Highway as you enter the Rockies. Year after year, climbers head to the Ghost to test their skills on the dozens of routes. Whether you are looking for long flowing ice routes or steep pillars, there is something for everyone. Ice climbers divide the region into three areas: North Ghost, South Ghost and the Waiparous. All three have world-class ice routes at every grade and you should be able to find something that interests you. During the weekdays, you can have the whole area to…

Anyone who has been immersed in climbing for a long time is sure to have climbing heroes and I am no different. My heroes are people that I respect and admire not only for their climbing ability but also the contributions they have made to the sport. Of course my heroes have changed over time and I’ve been fortunate enough to have met quite a few of them. I have stood star-struck in the presence of heroes, I’ve climbed with them, I’ve had beers with them, I’ve been disappointed by heroes and I’m sure I’ve disappointed them. I grew up in Kelowna, B.C. and spent a lot of time climbing in Skaha Bluffs. My first climbing heroes were the local hardmen and route developers. Anyone that could climb 5.12 was…