Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2023 Vol. 25 Issue 1 i Gripped: The Climbing Magazine

For a new route to be added to the top 100 climbs of Squamish list is a tall task, so it might be surprising that such a short route made the cut. Once you start up Emotional Rescue, you’ll never want it to end. Every move, the rock quality and position of the line are perfect. For a 12-metre sport route, this line established in 2018 by Dave Southam will leave you wanting more. It’s found on the right side of the Rock of Ages crag, located halfway up the route Frontside 180, and above Electric Avenue in Cheakamus Canyon. While there’s a hike that avoids the first few pitches of the now-classic bolted multi-pitch, those pitches do offer a nice warm-up. It starts right of a pile of rocks…

The Lofotens are a remote chain of five mountainous islands off the west coast of northern Norway that rise above the Norwegian Sea. The area is one of the wildest places you’ll ever visit. Found north of the Arctic Circle means that during mid-summer you can climb all day and all night, sometimes under a midnight sun. Due to the location of the islands, expect a lot of storms from all directions. Heavy storms will soak the rock throughout the summer, but the stone dries quickly in the wind. There are a ranges of granite peaks that rise over 1,000 metres above the ocean with routes up to 500 metres. The rock isn’t like that found in Squamish or Yosemite, instead it’s like that found in the alpine areas around…

Osprey Daylite Wheeled Duffel 40 $270 While you won’t bring this to base camp, it won’t leave your side when travelling from city to city. It’s a perfect size for carry on but seems much bigger than the 40 l it offers. It’s built to take the abuse of living on the go. It has detachable padded straps, lockable zippers on the main compartment, zipper access to the outer pockets and is built with a recycled material. The collapsible handle slides smoothly while the mesh closure keeps your stuff in place. Arc’teryx Mantis 1 Waistpack $50 Revised for this year, this much-loved 1.5-l wastpack helps organize daily essentials—and despite what you think you’ll end up wearing this every day. There’s a slip back pocket for your phone, an internal zippered…

Jon did not suffer fools gladly. And he held himself to the same standards—always dry, wry and occasionally sly. One afternoon in the ’90s, walking past where Jon sat reading the newspaper comics in a busy concourse at the University of Calgary, one of his students brightly approached: “Hey, Mister Jones! Anything funny in there?” Jon paused his reading, looked up slowly and deadpanned, “Yeah…your midterm grade.” Then the little smile. Jon had a youth in the Midlands when it was all post-industrial rust and rain and was not yet ground zero for modern climbing in England; then as a young geology graduate surveying mountains in the interior of British Columbia; and then at the University of Calgary and with the Calgary Mountain Club (CMC), tearing the doors off big…

In a past issue from well over a decade ago, Gripped featured three Squamish senior climbers: Brian Moorhead, George Hansel, and Joe Turley. Turley moved away years ago. My one memory of Turley from a climb with Moorhead and me is of him coiling the rope as he literally “walked up” the last pitch on Sparrow, a moderate climbing route on the Apron of the Chief. Moorhead and Hansel still reside in Squamish and continue to climb. Climbing is part of their identity and has been for years dating back to their youth. Hansel was on the Czechoslovakian (now the Czech Republic) climbing team in his early twenties and Moorhead traces his climbing back to his teens in Ireland. Both are immigrants to Canada, as am I. Hansel and Moorhead are…

In 2020, Kevin Capps made the first ascent of this five-star, 20-metre route directly up the middle of the Anarchy Wall in Clear Creek Canyon west of Golden, Colo. It’s found a few metres to the right of Alan Nelson’s 1990 route Anarchitect, which many call the best 5.12d in Colorado. Anarkhia has a few stiff reachy crimpy crux moves between pump-inducing slopers that go at around V10/11. The hardest climbing is over below the halfway point. The feet are smeary, and the rests are awkward undercling edges and pinches. This one is best saved for cold temperatures, as any moisture in the air will make this seem slick. The route was a project for decades, as several climbers had attempted it since the wall was first developed in the…

When it comes to road trip locations, it doesn’t matter what you’re hoping to climb, the U.S. has it all. From arid desert landscapes to rolling Midwest hills to hidden cliffs in the south to alpine adventures in the northwest to big wall climbing in deep valley—America has you covered for amazing areas. It’s home to some of the best rock climbing in the world, thanks to the quality of rock, vastness of the country and the myriad of styles. While there are countless new crags that have been developed over the decades, there’s nothing better than revisiting the classic spots. So, whether you’re looking afar for a multi-week trip or close to Canada for a local climb, here’s a list of the iconic locations. Red Rocks Las Vegas draws…

Amazing Squamish V7 Squamish had an unusually dry fall, which caused rivers to run much lower than they would in a typical, rainier year. Shannon Falls, a 335-metre waterfall south of town was affected by the drought, slowing to a trickle, which dried boulders at the base. The dry conditions sent climbers to the Raging Waters bouldering area beneath the falls. The stunning highball Panta Rhei V7 saw a lot of action. First climbed by Keenan Takahashi in 2018, the problem had not seen an ascent since due to wet conditions. Last fall, Ben Fenton and Cory Best rescrubbed the boulder and leveled out the landing before picking up the second and third ascents. Several climbers repeated it, including Simon Yamamoto, who took this issue’s cover shot of Braden Bester.…

It all about her smile, says Christina Lustenberger when I ask what fires her up about sending alpine ski missions with Brette Harrington. “It’s the way she smiles when I tell her my idea,” Lustenberger said. “It’s so big! And genuine. She’s loving life.” Those sentiments flow both ways, as was obvious when the dynamic duo shared the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival stage last October, and again when we sat for tea the following morning. “When Christina told me about Gold Card Couloir, I was 100 per cent down to be her partner! I was psyched!” Harrington said. “Christina is the master of logistics, and the most dialled skier I’ve ever seen.” While Harrington skied competitively throughout her childhood, she is best known as a master of hard, technical…

Golden is a small town located in eastern B.C. known for Kicking Horse Ski Hill and Mount Seven—one of the best paragliding and mountain biking areas in the Rockies. Golden also has some excellent quartzite rock climbing that’s been developed recently. Mount Shadows is one of several crags only minutes from town with over 25 routes up to 5.12. For over a decade, the small town nestled into the Columbia Valley had a climbing gym known as Dog Tooth, named after a nearby mountain range. The gym suffered from a lack of new routes and problems, so many locals opted out of climbing there. Not long ago, two climbers found out that the owner of Dog Tooth was about to close shop so decided to open a new gym. The…

Ice climbing seems crazy to most West Coast climbers. However, the southwest corner of B.C. holds some real gems. Squamish will get one to three weeks of ice climbing each year. Further north in Whistler and Pemberton, the ice is more reliable, as the winters are colder. The Birkenhead Valley holds some solid lines. Driving farther north from Pemberton, over the Duffy Highway, takes you Cayoosh Pass. Once over the pass, you notice a distinct decrease in quantity and depth of snow. It’s here you enter prime ice route territory. Exiting Cayoosh canyon puts you in the small, picturesque town of Lillooet, the hub of West Coast ice climbing. From Lillooet, ice climbs are found in three directions. To the northwest lies the Bridge River Canyon, to the northeast lies…

Mountain Hardwear AMG 75 $520 There’s no other way to say it, but this pack carries like a cloud. Built for carrying heavy loads into the mountains, the AMG combines comfort features with ones that make your day easier. It excels on long missions where you’re packing and unpacking daily. There are more than enough external straps and pockets and the handles are large so you can grab them with gloves on. It has a dedicated avalanche beacon pocket, crampon pocket and more. Despite its size, the integrated hip belt and shoulder straps allow you to move freely. We love the haul-bag-style flat base—a true expedition pack. Arc’teryx Bora 75 $360 Arc’teryx is known for their outstanding packs, so you know that the biggest one in their lineup will be…

The Mountain Path: A Climber’s Journey Through Life and Death By Paul Pritchard Vertebrate, 2021 On Fri. 13, February 1998, Paul Pritchard’s life changed forever when he was struck in the head by a falling rock while climbing the Totem Pole, a sea stack off the coast of Tasmania. Semiconscious and bleeding, his partner Celia Bull pulled off a noteworthy rescue. Pritchard was left suffering from hemiplegia, a condition that robbed him of feeling and movement in the right side of his body, and which caused his speech and memory to forever suffer. Over the next 18 years, he journeyed to discover himself as an adaptive person. And in 2016, he returned to the Totem Pole and climbed it to the top. Pritchard describes the years after his injury in The…

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