Top canadian climbs and climbers of 2016 gripped magazine. A crossing had been proposed as early as 2005, however financial uncertainties. Developed by greenland group and designed by hok, construction on the tallest building of 67 stories commenced in 2016, and at that time was targeted for completion in 2020. From the summit of snowpatch spire, the bugaboos, british columbia, canada. Approaching the beckychouinard route on south howser tower. For the past three years we have proudly partnered with the american alpine club to help support the live your dream grant. Bugaboo adventures 2020 black sheep adventure sports. We climbed the sunshine route on snowpatch spire which had lots of. May 27, 2016 this would make our days longer, but it was a much safer alternative to the bugaboosnowpatch col. After a rest day, we left camp hoping to attempt a new route on the north face of snowpatch spire. One thing that all these climbs had in common was the fact that there always happened something, from minor shitty things to real epics. Note the location of the timbered rib to the left north of burgundy creek which drains from the basin below the. There are fixed anchors in many places along the route, including the top of the tower.
Bugaboo mountains august 2018 a trip to the bugaboo mountains of eastern bc with kat vollinger, climbing the west ridge of pigeon spire, the kain route on bugaboo spire, super direct on snowpatch spire and mctech arete on crescent spire. Or we could try to link a few moderates and get a tour of the area. We could try one of the harder free lines on the easily accessible snowpatch spires east face. On the north howser tower the best choice is the west face, climbed for the first time in 1971. The beckeychouinard south howser spire, west ridge pigeon spire, northeast ridge bugaboo spire, snowpatch and surfs up snowpatch spire attract worldclass climbers. Bugaboo snowpatch col to climb the classic towerspigeon spires west ridge, bugaboo spires kain routei always looked at the black north face of snowpatch spire. We discovered why the deck of playing cards we found in the hut had only 51 cards. Photo taken from the west face of snowpatch photo by luke laeser. The direct north summit route, established in the early 80s is probably the first really sustained free climb established in the park, repeat ascents report it to be fairly underrated at the original 5.
From there, the pipeline will travel through greene and jersey counties in illinois and st. The rest of the route follows the crest, up fun cracks, and then chimneys 5. Over the last decade or so, the 500m east face of snowpatch spire has been transformed into one of the finest alpine free climbing walls in north america. A short ramble up a steep slope with loose scree and boulders saw us on the son of snowpatch snowpatch spire col just as the first glimpse of light came across the horizon. Fritz wiessner, 1938, made the best attempt before bedayn and arnolds success. Exchanging boots for approach shoes at the pigeonhowser col. This is a famous and popular route, one of the 50 classic climbs of north america. Jasmin caton and cam shute have climbed a new route on mount gimli in the valhalla range called dark and stormy 5. I was intrigued by the beckey chouinard route on south howser tower a fifty classic as well as snowpatch spire the spire which towers above applebee camp. Bugaboo spire is one of the tallest peaks in this area and offers two classic routes the ne ridge iv, 5. Sunshine is on the north face, which can be approached by following the trail from the hut about a quarter way up toward the snowpatch bugaboo col to a large, loose ledge. We climbed the sunshine route on snowpatch spire which had lots of fun meatandpotatoes crack climbing. There are both bolted and free routes throughout the group. Join us to explore one of canadas premier alpine climbing destinations classic routes, aesthetic granite lines, stunning summits, majestic glaciers.
Spire london, previously known as hertsmere house, is a construction project located in west india quay, near canary wharf. The following day we slept in and prepared for a bigger objective. Howser spire or howser spire massif, is a group of three distinct granite peaks, and the highest mountain of the canadian bugaboo spires. Snowpatch spire 10,050 feet this dominant buttress holds over 50 routes from 5. Snowpatch spire has worldclass hard alpine free routes september 3rd, 2016 by gripped posted in news, profiles, rock, rockies, routes snowpatch spire stands at 3,063 metres at the centre of the granite bugaboo towers. A reportedly popular climb on the west ridge of snowpatch spire. The north tower at 3398 metres 11,150 ft is the highest, the central tower is.
More than 2,000 feet of scrambling and climbing led to a summit with sweeping views of nearby snowpatch spire, the canadian rockies, coastal ranges, and surrounding glaciers and ice fields. The north tower at 3398 metres 11,150 ft is the highest, the central tower is the lowest, and the south tower is only slightly lower than the north measuring in at 3292 metres 10,800 ft. The start of the technical climbing on the route was fairly easy mid fifth class. A threespan cablestayed structure, construction began in may 2015, overseen by farrans construction and victor buyck steel construction. Rock climbing in the bugaboos sylvan rocks climbing. Snowpatch was the last of the bugaboo spires to be climbed. After a couple misstarts, we did some loston snowpatch route, to the left of north tower direct and right of flamingo fling. Head north to bugaboo provincial park, a fortress of worldclass granite in a quiet corner of british columbia.
Aug 12, 2011 much harder and with a longer approach was fingerberry jam on fingerberry tower 5 pitches, located next to the howser towers and north summit direct on the west face of the snowpath spire. It is a ninepitch crack system on the north buttress of the mountain. Custom pdf personalised uptodate pdf for north howser tower. The direct north summit route, established in the early 80s is probably the first really. Id been to the nearby rockypoint ridge and got a headon panorama view of these spires, but never been to the core area. Or we could go all in on all along the watchtower, a remote and long climb on north howser tower. Air north, yukons airline offers yearround scheduled flights between the yukon and british columbia, alberta, northwest territories, and ontario.
We descended down the krausmccarthy rappel route on the west face of snowpatch spire. Anyway, i like pushing my limit so thats it, after scrambling up crescent spire and north crescent tower on the. A decision was made to stomp around the crescent glacier to gain perspective on our next approachs to pigeon and bugaboo spire via snowpatch col. Liberty bell, concord tower, lexington tower, minuteman tower, north early winters spire, and south early winters spire. The vowell glacier and surrounding spires from south howser tower. The tom egan memorial route, established as a pitch aid line grade v 5. Designed for the average joe climber, the live your dream grant is exactly what it sounds like. Another must on snowpatch spire is sunshine crack iv 5. Read the detailed account of the sends on walshs alpinestyle. Spicy red watchtower north howser tower, bugaboos, bc.
Most of snowpatch s viable free routes are on its western face. Aac publications snowpatch spire, east face, new routes. Climbers and hikers often use the 40person conrad kain hut. Bugaboo alpine rock mountaineering alpine rock in nelson. The area is also home to two of the famous 50 classic climbs of north america. There are many classic climbs up the spire, including sunshine crack 5. Bugaboo mountains august 2018 jaz morris photography. Canadian rockies alpine guides the bugaboos, world. After snowpatch spire was ticked, only one major peak remained unclimbed, south howser tower. Climbing in north america states that the successful team quickly concluded that.
Since the pigeonsnowpatch col icefall area could only be descended with rappel stations couldnt be traveled up, accessing the west side of the snowpatch spire would take much longer than traveling through the bugaboosnowpatch col. Washington pass climbing liberty bell, concord, lexington. Countless climbers have watched as the duo worked on one of the most difficult alpine routes in america. Bugaboo spire, snowpatch spire, pigeon spire, and the sphinx center after enjoying about 30 minutes on the summit, it was time to begin the long series of rappels to get down. Formerly best known as an aidclimbing venue, it is now covered in free routesmostly difficult ones, usually with at least a couple of 5. In the late 1930s, snowpatch spire was talked of as the continents number one. This photo is taken looking up at sam leading pitch 3. Sep 08, 2011 south howser tower, beckeychouinard 5. Bugaboo spire climbing guide british columbia climbing. Climbed the ridge directly instead of down to the left. The north summit of snowpatch is in the foreground. Snowpatch spire is located southwest of the conrad kain hut, some 30 minutes long hike from the hut across the crescent glacier.
Its right in front of you when you reach the hut, the distinctive snowfield that gives the mountain its name front and center. Snowpatch spire, south howser tower, north howser tower, and other summits, new routes and first free ascents canada, british columbia, bugaboo provincial park author. Louis counties in missouri before connecting with existing laclede gas facilities. Climb out right not directly up the gorgeous dihedral and follow flakes and. The canadianamerican trio of jason kruk, will stanhope, and matt segal have completed the first free ascent of the west face of howser spire s central tower in the bugaboos at 5. Jon walsh and colin moorhead sent two new routes this past weekend. This version of the buckingham route doesnt go all the way to the summit of snowpatch, but has climbing only up to 5. We were both really psyched but also tentative to try the beckychouinard route on south howser tower iv, 5. Now, it is a popular moderate route to the top of this amazing peak. Alpine starts are key in the bugaboos where the routes are long and afternoon storms are common. From all sides, the spires present a variety of highquality multipitch climbs, from halfday 5.
The mountain is located at the southwest corner of the vowell glacier, within the bugaboo mountain range in the purcell mountains, a subrange of british columbias columbia mountains, the highest of the three spires is the north tower at 3,412 m 11,194 ft. The northeast ridge of bugaboo spire with lisa and pavel. Of the pitches, 12 are new and one is shared with the route deus ex machina, an a3 pitch that walsh and berg free climbed at 5. Since the conquest of most of the great faces and routes on the forepeaks in. Around, down and up we ascended the south crescent tower. Erin smart laying out gear to dry out after the storm in the bugaboos. The climb ascends the far north side of the west face of snowpatch spire. A day spent putting up new routes on private land north of fort collins. From all sides, the spires present a variety of highquality multipitch climbs, from half. Stanhope and segal projecting the tom egan memorial route on snowpatch spire. Aug 26, 20 we both really wanted to climb something on the huge west face of north howser tower, and after researching a bunch of options, it seemed that starting up spicy red beans, then doing a runout traverse pitch into all along the watchtower was the option that provided the most wellprotected, straightforward climbing with minimal route finding.
After the lightning passed we retrieved our metal climbing gear from under a blanket of hale at the base of the route and retreated down the ridge. All routes on the west face are approached via the bugaboosnowpatch col located on the north end of snowpatch spire. Buckingham route, the enjoyable way, snowpatch spire. Ridge of pigeon spire is one of the most enjoyable technical british columbia climbing scrambles to be found anywhere and the smaller crescent spires offer enjoyable climbing at.
Bugaboos 2016 beckeychouinard, ne ridge bugaboo spire. Eastpost spire is the most popular scramble objective and offers a. Jon walsh and colin moorhead sent minotaur direct 5. The three separate peaks, collectively known as the howser spire massif, are the north tower, the central tower and the south tower. Html guide warning guide view may take some time to load for areas with large numbers of routes instant pdf generic precreated pdf for north howser tower there are too few routes to preprepare an instant pdf. Either of the two will be a major undertaking and standing on top of bugaboo spire should be every climber. Mar 19, 2011 good view of portion of north tower remaining after initial collapse, sometimes referred to as the spire. July 28, 20 2728m bugaboo provincial park, bc the famous bugaboos is one of the mustvisit places in north america. Lisa on our third pitch with snowpatch spire in the background.
In the present there are over ten routes there, many of them demanding very good climbing skills. Destinations include whitehorse, dawson city, inuvik, old crow, yellowknife, vancouver, kelowna, calgary, edmonton and ottawa. May 22, 2015 this col gives access to some of the bugaboo spire climbs including the very popular kain route and pigeon spire which is supposed to be one of the best 5. Rising directly above the pass are six named spires. Rock climb buckingham route easy version, the bugaboos. Several pieces of antique booty guarantee that the line was not new, but still really good. Bugaboo spire, crescent spire, and crescent towers are in the background. Route finding in the alpine, climbing with a heavy pack.
It is great climbing but it does have more of a cragging feel then the main spires in the bugaboos. Morning sun on snowpatch spire and the bugaboo snowpatch col. Park your vehicle in the big pullout on the highway about 4,250ft. Snowpatch spire sits in the middle of the bugaboo group, so has a great view of the bugaboo glacier peaks, pigeon spire, the howser towers, bugaboo spire, crescent spires, and applebee dome camp. This part is tricky and one can get in trouble if they dont do it right. Snowpatch spire is the centerpiece of the bugaboo group. It runs up the left side of the eastern face of snowpatch spire and descends the western face. Snowpatch spire has worldclass hard alpine free routes. In the late 1930s, snowpatch spire was talked of as the continents number one climbing problem. West face of the south tower of howser spire fred beckey o n e o f the great mysteries in the bugaboos has been the west faces of the howser spires, which are not only the most magnificent walls in the range but are on the highest and most alpine peaks. However, as we wandered across the crescent glacier, we noticed the east face basking in sunlight. Snowpatch spire, south howser tower, north howser tower, and. Glacier travel, route finding in the alpine, climbing with a heavy pack, long climbingdescent day. Climbers traversing the upper vowell glacier en route to bugaboo snowpatch col far below.
After pulling around and over the gendarme, the south summit is now only a few short pitches away. The only class 4 scramble route is on the north tower. All routes on the west face are approached via the bugaboo snowpatch col located on the north end of snowpatch spire. A spectacular brown granite tower surrounded by three glaciers, the bugaboo glacier to the south, the vowell glacier to the west, and the crescent glacier to the north. Local live your dream grant winners touchstone climbing. So far only two routes have been established there.
From paisano pinnacle, it is a hop, skip, and a jump to the start of pitch 3 of the north face of burgundy spire. The rain never came that day, so we sunbathed on rock slabs and submerged ourselves in freshly melted snow as it tumbled over miniwaterfalls off a rock bench. Popular guided routes in the bugaboos professional. Exploring new ground on the pitch 6 variation of the tower arete. Over the past decade, the east face, which rises above applebee campground, has had more attention than usual for attempts at hard free routes. Chris approaching the alpine cragging around crescent spire and crescent towers, only thirty. The east face of snowpatch spire showing the route welcome to the machine pitches, 5. This year we were able to fund 84 dream projects by individuals looking to push their limits and realize their climbing ambitions. After a couple misstarts, we did some lostonsnowpatch route, to the left of north tower direct and right of flamingo fling. July 31, 20 although poor weather in the bugaboos had changed my plans with alec for us to stop by gimli peak on our way in, the storms had passed and we had a brief, but solid, weather window. The col looked scary, we were very glad we decided to do lions way and not pigeon which had been our earlier plan. Overview snowpatch spire is the centerpiece of the bugaboo group.
If, like most people, you enter the bugs via the trail to conrad kain hut, you wont have to ask anyone for directions to snowpatch. The approach scramble takes a left to right trending ramp, directly above. Bugaboo spire kain route and pigeon spire west ridge ascent route. Stanhope, segal free bugaboos tom egan memorial route at 5. Applebee camp and snowpatch spire in early morning.
For routes on the north face follow the trail from the campground or hut toward the col and north. The proposed 65mile steel pipeline would interconnect with existing rockies express pipeline in scott county, illinois. Using the common approach from the east, the massif only becomes visible when one reaches bugaboosnowpatch or pigeonsnowpatch col. Looking up at the north face of burgundy spire from the top of paisano pinnacle. The west face is a m sheer drop into east creek which flows out into duncan lake. Looking over brenta spire, crescent spire, and the cats ears to cobalt lake. The snowpatch route on spowpatch spire in the bugaboos is a classic if for no other reason in that it is one of the most prominent and visible routes from the kain hut. Pigeon spire, south howser tower, bugaboo spire, and snowpatch spire all conjure up some of the great moments in the history of north american alpine climbing. Formerly best known as an aidclimbing venue, it is now covered in free routes mostly difficult ones, usually with at least a couple of 5.
The route starts on the left of a small pinnacle, and for the first three pitches keeps left of the crest of the ridge proper 5. From there we climbed over bugaboo snowpatch col to set up our bivy by pigeon spire to position us for climbing the beckeychouinard route on south howser tower the. On top we were able to see the entire route to pigeon spire, the granite nunatak we hoped to climb the following morning. A common sight in the bugaboos over the past few years. Snowpatch spire, south howser tower, north howser tower. We couldnt resist its allure, and so at the last second 11 a. After colin arrived at the belay at the end of the fourth pitch he. The easiest route on snowpatch spire is the southeast corner iv 5. After climbing over the col walk south to your desired route. The famous beckeychouinard route on south howser tower v, 5. They deserve a place high on the priority list of anyone with an attraction to wilderness setting and a love of the classic alpine environment. Aug 30, 2011 the spire is a giant granite monolith which sticks out of an icefield like a sharkfin from the flat of an ocean bay. For routes on the north face follow the trail from the campground or hut toward the col and north face is to your left once your in the col.
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