The east face of snowpatch spire, named for a snowfield that clings to the southeast ridge contains several 12 to 15pitch climbs, including the tom egan memorial route up the right side. I began the site as a means to display my outdoor photography. Our next foray on the north face of snowpatch spire had us climbing another new route. Snowpatch route, southeast corner, and wiessners route.
The prominent lightningbolt corner of the power of lard is clearly visible to. The west face is a m sheer drop into east creek which flows out into duncan lake. The east face is the largest and most impressive side of the spire and easily viewable from the pigeon fork of the bugaboo glacier. Snowpatch spire, beckeymather route, first free ascent. The pigeon spire sits to the west of snowpatch spire dividing the bugaboo and vowell glaciers. Html guide warning guide view may take some time to load for areas with large numbers of routes instant pdf generic precreated pdf for bugaboos the file is 0. Amazingly, this route had somehow escaped the free climbing fiesta the rest of the east face had received in the last couple of decades. Rock climbing routes in snowpatch spire, the bugaboos. Washington pass climbing liberty bell, concord, lexington. The east face of snowpatch spire with the line of ascent. Abbot pass and bugaboos trip altus mountain guides. The smooth upward sweep of it burned visions of gradually.
Highlights included an onsight of fingerberry jam 5. During my many trips across the bugaboosnowpatch col to climb the. Bugaboo spire climbing guide british columbia climbing. With its first ascent in 1940, snowpatch spire mountain peak was the last of the bugaboo spires to be climbed. Bugaboo spire is one of the most phenomenal features in the climbing world. What used to be a face known primarily as an aid climbing venue, is now covered in freeclimbing lines, although mostly difficult ones, usually reqiuring at least a couple pitches of 5. Most of snowpatchs viable free routes are on its western face. Eastpost spire is the most popular scramble objective and offers a. Conrad kain once described this spire as being unclimbable. A long day over mostly moderate terrain, with the descent down the krausmckarthy route on the west face. Or we could try to link a few moderates and get a tour of the area. Taran ortlieb joined us as we fixed two ropes on the first four pitches. In may 2012 alex had an eventful trip to the bugaboos, north americas answer to the french alps.
Id been to the nearby rockypoint ridge and got a headon panorama view of these spires, but never been to the core area. The classic west ridge is by far the most popular route on the spire and the main descent for all other routes. Snowpatch spire, snowpatch route aka southeast corner 5. Beckeys bugaboo hat trick snowpatch and bugaboo spire 1959 supertopos climbing discussion forum is the worlds most popular community discussion forum for people who actively climb outdoors. Here you can get some first alpine experiences on classic multi pitch routes like the kain route. The guidebook used in the 1970s gave the route no name at all bill putnam, 1971. Climb with us in the bugaboos a spectacular alpine rock climbing area in british columbias purcell range. The classic view of the east face of snowpatch spire. The east face of snowpatch, the gift that keeps on giving. After rounding the shoulder, hike up steep gullies to gain a notch in the east ridge at 2650 m. Below we have provide beta for many of moderate classic climbs of the red rocks. 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. 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.
The largest wall on snowpatch is the east face with routes ranging from 12 to 15 pitches and almost all of them being big wall in nature. We block led on the west face, with me leading the route up to the upper shield and cindy finishing off the route with the splitter 5. For climbs on these features, you only need tennis shoes and a light axe or trekking poles. This website is an outpouring of my need to share my experiences and document the world around me. Stanhopes recent free ascent of the line makes it the hardest route in the range. July 28, 20 2728m bugaboo provincial park, bc the famous bugaboos is one of the mustvisit places in north america. Watkins, south facewashington column, regular north facehalf dome, south faceliberty cap. On the east face of snowpatch spire 10,118 feet, one of the bugaboos most prominent peaks is the tom egan memorial route. Left the east face of snowpatch spire, in the canadian bugaboos. A very satisfying day, on a fun route with a lot of varied climmbing. Looking southeast from the summit of pigeon spire at hounds tooth, marmolata, flattop mtn. After gaining the bugaboosnowpatch col, 3rd class scrambling starts up the ridge following trails and cairns. Bugaboo spire right from the summit of pigeon spire. However, this is a serious alpine climb, and further research of the current guidebook.
East face of snowpatch spire new route2014 east face of snowpatch spire bugaboos flowers in the sky love birds 2014 altus mountain guides east face new route snowpatch spire 2014 bugaboos. It stands just to the west of applebee campground and is host to over 50 routes from 5. Climbing in pigeon spire, the bugaboos mountain project. In 1990, bugaboo rock still rated the origninal south howser route, iv, 5. Kain routei always looked at the black north face of snowpatch spire, and the striking crack that it held. On august 19, colin moorhead and i rolled out of golden at 6 p. So we looked a little farther left than usual on the east face of snowpatch and began to check out the original 1959 line up the face by the legendary fred beckey and hank mather. Exactly four weeks earlier, it was easy to step across the gap and be standing on the ledge his left hand is at. When hes at home he can be found working as a heli ski guide in winters and climbing alpine rock routes in summer.
Fiftyone hours later we returned, having completed two new multipitch routes. Rock climbing in snowpatch spire, the bugaboos mountain project. The story of a bugaboos first ascent with cloud nine guide, simon meis. A climber approaches the east face of longs in early morning alpenglow. Mike drove up from portland and picked me up in seattle. That being said, it is still a good day out in the woods at alpine grade iv. Beckeys bugaboo hat trick snowpatch and bugaboo spire. This wall is shady in the morning, but basks in the sun for most of the day. Using the common approach from the east, the massif only becomes visible when one reaches bugaboosnowpatch or pigeonsnowpatch col. Cindy had never climbed any routes on north early winter spire, so we decided to do a linkup of nw corner followed by the west face.
Bugaboo provincial park is located in the southern british columbia. It runs up the left side of the eastern face of snowpatch spire and descends the western face. Over the last decade or so, the 500meter high east face of snowpatch spire has been transforming into one of the finest alpine rock faces in north america. The bugs have something to offer for mountaineers with various climbing skills. It may have been the finest display of alpine skullduggery ive ever witnessed, what happened at the base of pigeon spire in the bugaboos that day. We could try one of the harder free lines on the easily accessible snowpatch spires east face. Snowpatch spire, east face, new routes aac publications. We used surfs up on snowpatch spire as sort of a running out of gas route after traversing up and over the east face to west face of snowpatch spire via the snowpatch route and traversing up and over the east face of pigeon spire and down its west ridge. First climbed in 1916 by conrad kain, it has been a treasured objective ever since. Sunshine is on the north face, which can be approached by following the trail from the hut about a quarter way up toward the snowpatchbugaboo col to a large, loose ledge. Snowpatch spire in the bugaboos of british columbia. Bugaboos 2007 beckeychouinard, nw ridge hounds tooth. Snowpatch was the last of the bugaboo spires to be climbed. There are two classic british columbia climbing routes.
Wed been digging deep to commit to an adventure over to the megaclassic beckeychouinard on the backside of the bugs after waiting out rainstorms. Little did he realize that future generations would establish routes on this spire that are. Youll first set your eyes on this spire from the parking lot and will identify it by its huge patch of snow found half way up the side of the east face. The east face of snowpatch, the gift that keeps on giving alpine style. The route takes a circuitous path to the base of the snowpatch, then up easy ground left of the snow, and. There are many classic climbs up the spire, including sunshine crack 5. Stellar crack climbing up the south west ridge of snowpatch spire. We used surfs up on snowpatch spire as sort of a running out of gas route after traversing up and over the east face to west face of snowpatch spire via the. Snowpatch spire has worldclass hard alpine free routes. Pitch 3 continues up a left facing thin and technical seamstem over a roof.
Formerly best known as an aidclimbing venue, it is now covered in free routesmostly difficult ones, usually with at least a couple of 5. Free climbers may challenge with the east face of snowpatch spire or howser massif. We descended down the krausmccarthy rappel route on the west face of snowpatch spire. The camping had spots to hang food, metal lockers, posted weather forecasts, wellkept outhouses, and easy access to the big east face of snowpatch spire and the south face of bugaboo spire. The impressive snowpatch spire is the most obvious spire when entering the bugaboos. The westerly aspect faces the dominant weather flow, unlike the east faces in the area you can usually see the bad weather approaching. The bugaboos consist of high quality rock spires rising from beautiful glaciers, and the variety and number of rock routes is astounding. We climbed the bugaboo spire, pigeon spire, snowpatch spire, eastpost spire, and crescent spire in bugaboo provincial park. Bugaboo spire pigeon spire snowpatch spire eastpost. The current guidebook, bugaboo rock, left one name out. It is located southwest of the conrad kain hut, across the crescent glacier.
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. Climbers heading down pigeon fork of bugaboo glacier on the south side of pigeon spires west ridge. Ppt the bugaboo provincial park powerpoint presentation. One of the most spectacular climbing routes in western canada, the kain route up bugagoo spire is a complete classic for experienced climbers. Will stanhope has freed the tom egan memorial route on snowpatch spire in the bugaboos.
Here he is crossing the moat between edge of the glacier and the face. Despite his love for his home crags alex isnt shy when it comes to adventuring abroad, either. Over the past decade, the east face, which rises above applebee campground, has had more attention than usual for attempts at hard free routes. Parent range purcell mountains, east kootenay topo map nts 82k. Snowpatch spire 10,050 feet this dominant buttress holds over 50 routes from 5. The only class 4 scramble route is on the north tower. The best red rocks climbing routes red rocks offers climbers a broad range of climbing, from sport climbs to 3000 foot wall routes. Formerly best known as an aidclimbing venue, it is now covered in free routes mostly difficult ones, usually. Bugaboo spire is one of canadas great peaks and our certified bugaboos rock climbing guide staff this area very well. Snowpatch spire, bugaboos, august 1997 the classic view of the east face of snowpatch spire. During the 1970s, i often would hear climbers proudly say. So far only two routes have been established there. The route takes a circuitous path to the base of the snowpatch, then up easy ground left of the snow, and then 34 hard pitches all with some 5.