This past spring and summer, thanks to my wonderful girlfriend and her family, I learned a bit about sailing on the west coast. I always wanted to learn and now I've finally started, I've always dreamed of owning a sailboat. The sailing lifestyle on the coast is amazing! It can be crowded in the gulf islands in summer but the scenery and adventure are great. At the end of last summer we did a sailboat/zodiac trip to boulder /DWS some sandstone sea cliffs. The result was one two amazing days of awesome climbing on incredibly unique features (I should really write a TR and show the pics). Although friable the climbing is incredible with potential for miles of coastline.
Ever since then I've been fascinated with water assisted adventures. It just so happens I read the account of Rob Woods adventures in Waddington and circumnavigating Vancouver island the week before my first sail.
There is something about coastal climbing that is special. The history of mountaineering on the Island has some great epics. I believe it was you Tami who told me the story of someone (was it Woszny?) that put an ice axe through his leg.
Wow guido, great slides. When I was younger I feel like i took this place for granted but it was because I hadn't taken the time out to explore the coast past a few bushwhacks close to home and some fishing trips in the gulf islands. I'm so glad I have been able to experience some amazing adventures the last few years that always make me proud to call this home. I'm sure you're seen the sun set and rise on the west coast and it is one of the most beautiful sights on earth.
If any of you guys want recent info on the Knights inlet or other non aircraft ways into the Coast range I suggest talking to the people at the NOLS PNW branch as they send three trips into the range every year.
Rob and Doug Scott made the first winter ascent of Waddington.
Nope. The FWA was by Dick Culbert, Barry Hagen and Al Steck in February 1969, followed a few days later by Bob Cuthbert, Bill St. Lawrence and Les Wilson. The guidebook (2003) notes it as the only winter ascent to date.
(Possibly there have been winter ascents of the northwest peak, and it's often visited in spring, but that's not the summit.)
Hmm, didn't know that NOLS operated in Canada. Do you need some sort of permit for that?
Synchro- It was The Woz, his ice axe and the 'shrund on Foster but he didn't jam it into his damn leg, he stuffed it into his gut. Broke both his kneecaps too.
After trying to make himself a shish-ka-Bob using one of his ribs for a skewer and some internal organs for... oh whatever, dude winds up in the hospital.
I guess lip stand during avoidance of some bears while patrolling the Whistler dump was tough to put on the hospital form. Sort of like the Spinal Tap scene where the police recommended that the death of a band member was; "best not investigated".
Stu of course informed us that it only hurt when he laughed.
So we told him as many jokes as we could remember.
Christ Anders don't you have anything better to do than fact check all my postings. Perhaps I can run everything through your data base next time. "It's the truth, even if it never happened it's the truth." LOL
I am really interested in seeing trip reports and photos of the Waddington and other ranges to the north.It's so wild and remote by todays standards and still full of gems.Hopefully the explosion of new routing in Squamish will spread to these amazing places.I'd like to do a more in depth trip report with pics but don't have the time right now so here is a quicky slideshow of a ski-climbing trip across the Monarch Icecap.We had a great time but my memory of the ridiculous packs we carried has never left me. I vowed never to combine ski trips with technical mountaineering as there is tooo much stuff.It would be interesting to see how much weight you could save with the latest light weight gear available today compared to the gear of 1983(that we thought was the latest and greatest). I was 21 at the time and only in BC for 3 years at that point. After seeing places like this I realized BC was the place for me. Hamilton and the coke ovens of Dofasco were a distant memory.
It's better to watch right on Youtube on the large screen as full screen is poor quality.Some photos credited to Wayne Saunders.
Snychro, if you live in Comox, and want granite, why not just bop across the inlet to Powell River? You've got the equivalent of about five Squamish Chiefs just a few hours away.
Nope it got too hot and Bruce pulled the plug and went home to Golden... I'm sitting around with a week off and no partners. May go back to work and reschedule holidays for a cooler week.
Tricouni if I read the journals right you were laid up sick in camp after eating rancid bacon while your pals scooped the FA of this one?
Yeah, I was pretty sick that day and the day before. Don't think I got out of the tent except for a quick barf. Upset to miss the FA, but we couldn't spare the extra day to wait for me, because we were getting low on food and it was stil a 4-day pack out to the road.
Here's a picture of Ratcliff (centre) and Talchako (big pyramid on the right) taken the day before, June 15, 1962. Dick and Ashlyn climbed Ratcliff by the right hand skyline.
Ratcliff centre) and Talchako (big peak on right) from ridge above Success Lakes
Some local sendage. Pacemaker on the NE face of Robie Reid I hear got its 3rd ascent recently... supposedly even more of the bolts are gone now than reported on the second ascent, sounds like the big rockfall scar may be to blame.
Also Tiara Tower near Mehatl finally had a second (?) ascent, south ridge 5.7
Let us know!