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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 18, 2016 - 08:31am PT
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The recent thread about the added bolts on a route in Baffin made me wonder about things...if people add bolts to established climbs, there MUST be people aside from Regan and Yeti who go there to climb! At the moment, I imagine Baffin to be a wild, COLD place, with fierce polar bears, crazy base jumpers, guys that put up solo first ascents on 30,000 M big walls during two day windows, when temps go up to -40F - send time!
Polish guys, freezing, hook placements on fully detached flakes, looks FUN!
http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web12s/newswire-superbalance
BUT, people from CA go there, I have hope...
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/898044/BAFFIN-Climbing-Skiing-Trip-report-w-pics
Some climbers go early in the season (around April through May) and summer time, around July. Seems like it is much warmer and actually possible to free climb and stuff in July? Do people go earlier because they want to access walls approaches to which will simply be too broken up to complete in the warm months? How much does it cost to get there? Is there a beta page which could be useful?
Anyone (aside from locker) who feels like spraying some pictures, beta or talking sh#t is welcome to contribute to the thread and keep it interesting.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Mar 18, 2016 - 08:34am PT
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SICK PUPPIES .
SO, V ARE YA GONNA GROW SOME CHEST HAIR?
and ask those (micro) NUT brothers to show the pictures that have gone away!
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2016 - 08:44am PT
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No chest hair, will buy a wig.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 08:55am PT
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Pretty sure people even went there before the internet. ;-)
Yes, you will hate life when yer crotch deep in slush with a white bear chasing you.
When it is colder and the snow is better he will catch you quicker so you won't be
terrified as long.
^^^ A front paw - the rear are twice as big.
You have read our Ghost's story of his trip, haven't you?
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 09:05am PT
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Always wanted to but haven't known anyone who's actually gone. Mt. Asgaard looks awesome. Doug Scott's Big Wall Climbing had some nice, mouthwatering photos as well. Seemed to be more happening in the '80s. Charlie Porter. Rick Sylvester skiing off Asgaard for the Spy Who Loved Me opening scene, then not much other Mike Libecki going and doing his solo stuff. There has to be someone on this site who has some info for you.
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rwedgee
Ice climber
CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 09:13am PT
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All you need to know;
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/2684838/TR-FA-ON-BAFFIN-ISLAND
BURT BRONSON, THE GREAT
Big Wall climber
HARDMEN LAND
Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 10, 2015 - 01:53am PT
WHILE I TYPICALLY PREFER TO CLIMB BAFFIN ISLAND IN JANUARY, I DECIDED TO TAKE A ONE-DAY SUMMER TRIP UP TO THE ISLAND OF THE NORTH TO SEE IF I COULD FA A NEW LINE. I WALKED TO THE BASE OF SUPERBALANCE, AND STARTED CLIMBING A NATURAL CRACK ABOUT 300 FEET TO THE RIGHT. THE INITIAL MOVES, A SITSTART TO A V10 SLOPER ON A DELICATE ICICLE, LEAD TO ABOUT 450 FEET OF SUB-TIPS CRACK WHICH WENT AT ABOUT 5.13D. UNFORTUNATELY I ONLY BROUGHT A SINGLE RACK WITH ME AND NO BELAYER, SO I WAS ONLY ABLE TO USE THREE PIECES OF GEAR FOR FIVE PITCHES. AFTER AN ADDITIONAL 27 PITCHES OF MOSTLY INTERCHANGING A4-A5 (WHICH OF COURSE I FREE CLIMBED) AND SOME OCCASIONAL 5.14C, I MADE IT TO THE "GREAT MOTHER". THE GREAT MOTHER, CLEARLY NAMED AFTER NO WOMAN, WAS A MASSIVE ROOF THAT EXTENDED ABOUT 900' OUT AND ABOUT 1400' UP.
THE ROOF INVOLVED MOSTLY BACK-TO-BACK V9 MOVES FOR SEVERAL PITCHES WITH THE OCCASIONAL AI9 MOVE OVER THIN ICE, OR FOR GIRLY MEN WHO LIKE TO AID, A5+. AFTER COMPLETING "GREAT MOTHER", I APPROACHED THE LAST AND FINAL PITCH, WHICH OF COURSE WAS THE CRUX. THE MOVE, A 9-FOOT ALL-POINTS-OFF DYNO OFF TWO ICICLE PINCHES TO A SLOPING LEDGE COVERED IN ICE WITH NO GEAR FOR 90' WAS CHALLENGING, BUT I STUCK IT FIRST GO. UPON TOPPING OUT I REALIZED I ONLY HAD 45 MINUTES TO REACH THE GROUND OR ELSE I WAS GOING TO MISS DINNER (WHO CARES, THE WIFE CAN WAIT). ACCORDINGLY, I DOWNCLIMBED SUPERBALANCE (VII M9 AI6) AND WENT ON MY WAY.
WHILE I DID NOT NAME THE ROUTE NOR GRADE IT AS I TYPICALLY DONT, THE LOCALS APPARENTLY NAMED THE ROUTE "EL GRANTIE SUPA BURTA, VIII, M9, AI9, V13, WI10, 5.14C, A5+ (X)." WHICH LOOSELY TRANSLATES TO THE GREAT, SUPER BURT. AS A REMINDER, KEEP CLIMBING MANLY. STICK CLIPS, BOULDERING AND CLIP-DRAWS ARE BEST LEFT TO THE WOMEN
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nopantsben
climber
europe
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Mar 18, 2016 - 09:13am PT
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You should first decide whether you want to go to the East Coast or the Asgard region. Different worlds, from what I hear. I've only been to the East Coast and could send you beta etc. for that. Your best bet might be asking Dave Allfrey or Cheyne Lempe, they went to the East Coast last year and most probably had gotten beta from Mike Libecki, who is like the Godfather of wall climbing in Baffin. I had most of my info from Dave Turner, which was very good and accurate, and I would suggest also getting in touch with him.
Despite all the help, we obviously still managed to make some gumby mistakes...
I'll list those that come to my mind.
-We didn't bring enough food
-We didn't bring enough coffee (biggest mistake of all)
-We completely underestimated how valuable alcohol would be in Basecamp (they are not legal on the airplane, I believe).
-We went there in June/July and should have been more prepared for wetness, both in the air and on the ground.
-We didn't bother with proper fishing gear.
-We got all stressed out about the gun. This can be figured out in Clyde River.
-We bought all our food at a Wallmart. The cashier software couldn't take it. Biggest purchase volume ever in that Walmart, the manager told us. Worst quality food I have ever bought, anywhere. Will buy the sweets elsewhere next time.
-We didn't really have a good solution to bring water up on the wall for a long time. This didn't turn out to be a big problem, but it could have been.
Mistakes we did not make:
-We had a big tent to cook and hang out in.
-We brought two Sat phones instead of just one. One of them broke after two weeks for no apparent reason. We would've been f'ed without the second one.
If I went again:
-I would go to Sam Ford Fjord
-I would go in May-Mid June
-I would bring both Wall and Alpine Style Equipment
-I would go as a team of three at least.
-I am pretty sure I would love it :)
It's a mega grand place and it was the most (not sure which word to use here) experience of my life. The most everything experience of my life.
I wrote a TR about it, not a super good one, but it's something:Baffin TR
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 10:37am PT
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A major fantasy of mine, to climb there, now probably not going to happen...
Forthcoming Expeditions
A strong University of
Washington party is visiting
Alaska this summer with three
objectives : The South Face of
Mount Huntington, the unclimbed
Rooster Comb (10,180ft.), and
Mount Hunter (14,570ft.), which
is also virgin. The team comprises
Neils Anderson, Al Givler, Chris
Chandler, Dick LeBlont, Graham
Barbour, Malcolm Moore and
Debbie Wolfe. An Anglo-
American party, consisting of
Tom Frost, Chris Bonington, Jim
McCarthy and Sandy Bill, has its
sights set on the nearby, 5,000ft.,
rocky East Face of The Moose's
Tooth. Farther north in Baffin
Island another Anglo-American
party is set on big wall climbing:
Doug Scott, Dennis Hennek,
Phil Koch, Jeff Upton, Guy Lee,
Ray Gillies, Steve Smith and Rob
Wood hope to climb some of the
big walls in the Mt. Asgard
region.
Some interesting...
Mountain 15 page 10
Hennek must have slides of this... and stories!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 10:55am PT
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NORTH AMERICA
BAFFIN ISLAND
An Anglo-American expedition sponsored by the M.E.F. and John Player Ltd., and comprising Doug Scott, Dennis Hennek, Phil Koch, Guy Lee, Steve Smith, Ray Gillies and Rob Wood, with Mick Burke in the role of film-maker, went to the Mt. Asgard region bent on big wall climbing. Eight peaks were climbed, most for the first time, and a number of fine rock routes resulted, notably :
Mt. Asgard: South Peak
Lee, Wood and Koch made the first ascent, via the South Ridge (Grade 4, 3,000ft.). The climbing was mainly on Severe/Very Severe rock. But the pleasant outing turned into a minor epic near the summit: bad weather closed in, and the climbers had to bivouac on the summit plateau. An exciting retreat down the ridge took place the following day.
Breadablick : North Face
This very elegant rock face yielded a superb 2,000ft. rock route (HVS, A1 ) to Lee and Koch. The rock was excellent throughout, and they were able to place good nuts wherever aid was necessary. Hennek, Scott and Wood made a second ascent, which was filmed by Burke.
Mt. Freya: East Peak
Scott and Hennek made a new route on the North East Face: 3,000ft. of slabs, topped by a 1,200ft headwall. The standard was nowhere more than Very Severe. Smith, Wood and Gillies made a second ascent. Bad weather foiled the party's more ambitious plans.
Mountain 19 page 7
was the movie every released?
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 11:04am PT
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Supertopo to the rescue. Nice.
Do it while you're young V. I wanted to go since my first trip up the Captain in 1983, but wishing doesn't make it so. Just go.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Mar 18, 2016 - 11:14am PT
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I hope gumbyclimber will chime in, as he's been there a lot
I've done a couple of trips to Baffin Island, and if there's one thing I'd say it is that, contrary to what you might believe from the articles and trip reports you see, there is more than just big-wall adventure to be had.
There's every kind of climbing you can imagine, from snow slogs, rock climbs of whatever length and difficulty you want, alpine climbs of whatever length and difficulty, ice, big walls, small walls... You name it, it's there, in a setting you will never forget.
And don't forget the mindblowing ski touring and insane descents. Or, if you're completely crazy, consider the kite-skiing...
I've posted a few pictures here and there on ST, but never done a TR. Mostly that's because we didn't do any paradigm-shifting first ascents, just went up there and had fun.
If anyone thinks it's a good idea, I can put a bunch of photos together in a single TR.
Oh, and about deciding when to go: My beta on that is from the BVWB Era (Before Vitaly Was Born), so who knows if recent climate change has made it obsolete. But, for what it's worth, we never regretted going early. Yes, it was full winter conditions (although with no darkness), but the weather was reliably stable and sunny for the whole month of May both trips. No T-shirt climbing in sticky slippers, but back then I was more interested in winter climbing anyway.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 11:21am PT
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The Big Walls of Baffin Island
by Doug Scott
"Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the Mountaineer Camp out among the grass and gentians of glacier meadows, in craggy garden nooks. .." John Muir
The Anglo-American Baffin Island Expedition began with noble intentions, but, faced with the problems of mounting costs, we compromised our ideals to the detriment of the expedition. As this situation is likely to recur amongst climbers going on small expeditions it seems relevant to explain our problems and offer a possible solution.
It was to be a 'magic' expedition to the big walls and unclimbed peaks of the Canadian Arctic.'Big' is usually bad; so we would be few in number, a group of close friends amongst whom competitive climbing and ego tripping would cut no ice. We would not include people solely for their fund-raising potential. We would not commit ourselves to print before the venture, nor arrange restricting contracts with publishers. We were determined to be governed by the exigencies of the mountain and our natural climbing reactions, rather than by those of commercial advertising and rash commitments made in the City or in the pages of Mountain.
Of course, we failed. It was my fault. Well, the leader couldn't be blamed as there wasn't one. We never did go in for that, as the right man will always come up with the right suggestion at the right time and someone will always weaken and put a brew on. No, it was my fault because, out of necessity, being the only one in Britain for a time during the postal strike, I made most of the preliminary decisions which we all had to suffer thereafter. I let the number get out of hand and we ended up with nine - all good blokes who you couldn't turn down, and we needed them to help pay for a winter air drop. But it meant we were to become bogged down with spiralling logistical problems. Then not everyone knew each other. Phil Koch, from Vermont, knew only myself and Dennis Hennek, who came from California and knew only Rob Wood from Leeds (late Calgary) apart from me; Steve Smith, Ray Gillies and Guy Lee, all from Nottingham Climbers' Club, knew Rob but no one else and certainly not Pat Baird from Montreal. Only Rob knew him. A week before departure, Mick Burke came along as camera-man. And we all knew him by reputation.
The return journey from Nottingham to Pangnirtung, in Baffin Island, was to cost us £24O each. With additional expenditure on equipment, food, and exorbitant Nord Air freight charges, a personal contribution of about £500 was required. We needed help! I let Mountain use a photo of Mount Asgard on its front cover and gave it a news item. We were also reported in the national press. Definite commitments grew.
The film was my doing (or, rather, undoing). John Player generously gave a last minute donation of £500 after hearing that we were short of money (it certainly helped to supplement the £100 M.E.F. grant). They wanted very little in return except for mention in the local paper. Their directors asked me if we could make a film. I jumped in feet first and accepted a £3,500 undertaking on behalf of the expedition, with Mick Burke to film it. Whilst Players had done this sort of thing before in other fields it was to be their first mountaineering film ; they could not be held responsible in any way for what followed. The phone bill soared as a hot line was opened between California, Calgary and Nottingham; opinions were aired and the dangers debated of filming on our type of expedition. As Mick and Rob had climbed the Nose on El Capitan together they had a special relationship which helped soften the blow. When Mick arrived, after losing all the filming gear at Montreal Airport, our fears were completely allayed: not because he had lost the gear (that turned up again) but because he fitted in so well. A typical ex-hitchhiking crag rat, he was soon yarning all the way from Langdale Slate Quarries to the Annapurna Rock Band. On our previous Nottingham Climbers' Club campaigns to the Sahara and the Hindu Kush, once the last donkeyman had gone back down the valley, we could largely relax, forget the pre-expedition ballyhoo, and let the climbing develop spontaneously. With a film unit, however, comes a constant reminder that results are required, and stated objectives have to be realized. So we spent many days carting 350 lb. of camera gear on abortive carries into the mountains, only to be thwarted by severe storms. We also climbed the 2,000ft. North Face of Breidablik twice to ensure Players had some sort of film. Other good days we spent taking cut-away shots around Base Camp. The result was that we missed the'Big One', Asgard West Side: by the time we got around to it there was no settled weather left and winter had arrived.
On the debit side, then, there was a feeling of failure in the air as we had not realized our main 'objective'. Furthermore, the expedition was less of an adventure than it might have been with a smaller party. We had used helicopters on account of the large group and the heavy film gear, and this reduced our manoeuvrability and our feeling of isolation. Primarily, prior commitments had restricted us to stated objectives and to some extent prevented the spontaneous climbing we had envisaged, namely: to go and find appealing lines up big walls, something absolutely classic, routes we knew we would want to go on climbing even when it was snowing and blowing a gale. It took us a vital month to realize these intentions. The interest of the team was also towards Alpine climbing, as opposed to Big Wall climbing. In fact, here was an area reminiscent of the Alps in the eighteenth century, where, out of hundreds of peaks, only a few easily accessible ones had been climbed - and then only by their 'via normals'. Steve and Ray,in particular, had intended to climb several more peaks by attractive snow couloirs and elegant arêtes, but spent their alpine days carrying tripods and such like up crumbling moraine and slushy glaciers. In fairness, it is easy to forget the bad storms that kept us immobile for up to ten days. On balance, the bad weather was aS much to blame as our commitments for our missed opportunities.
On the credit side, we did visit nine virgin summits, rising from approximately 1,500ft. to 6,500ft.; we did climb the North Face of Breidablik, the 4,000ft. slabs and head wall of Mount Killibuck - both two-day climbs - and the steep South Ridge of Mount Asgard, South Peak. We had considered putting all our resources on the 3,500ft. West Face dihedral of Mount Asgard when the weather deteriorated in August. Siege climbing is not uncommon in Patagonia, where fixed ropes are left behind a leader to ensure a safe retreat when storms threaten; but here we thought it more appropriate to return next Summer (or leave it for someone else) to climb it in a single push, Alpine-style, during a mild July. We were also tempted to tackle the 4,500ft. West Face of Mount Thor, but as this would have required considerable bolt ladders we left it for the distant future.
Compromises had been made, but fortunately not on the mountains. Such was the build-up that we had given these peaks that further incentive might well have encouraged our climbing them at any cost; but the exploits of Maestri and Harding, and their repercussions, were very much in our thoughts. It was good that we did not abuse our privileged position as the first big wall climbers to visit the mountains of Baffin Island; but then we had not climbed the most demanding routes so any feelings of smug complacency on this score are ill-founded.
The incomparable majesty and haunting beauty of the fjord, the glaciated valleys and the mountains were worth every frustration mentioned before. Indeed, on reflection, the expedition was enormously successful in terms of our strengthened relationships with each other and our memories of this truly wilderness area. We will remember, too, the gentle eskimo tenuously preserving his unique life-style forged down the generations in an incomparable struggle against the inhospitable Arctic. And we have something to remind us of all this and the magnificent climbing we did together - a beautiful film!
We still dream of wandering back to this wilderness, carrying all we need on our backs, to climb those magnificent clean-cut dihedrals. Maybe we would take only four people, four ropes, fifty krabs, and iron rations; walk in unaided and unfettered, to learn, perhaps, the secrets of Asgard's West Face, or the 2,500ft. overhanging prow of Friga, or any others that should take our fancy. Sadly, we may never be able to capture the adventure that might have been, for a second visit seldom has the same fascination of discovery.
This dream could only become reality when the problem of fund-raising is resolved. It is impossible for the average climber to acquire sufficient funds without shedding all personal responsibilities. The Mount Everest Foundation has considerably assisted British expeditions to all parts of the world over the last twenty years. Because the Foundation is now eating into its capital the grants are unlikely to become larger. Yet expedition costs continue to rise. Perhaps the day will come when the financial benefits creamed off by retailers, publishers and TV companies will go back into climbing via the M.E.F. It was a fine idea to plough the profits from the successful book and film of Everest '53 back into climbing; but since then the only additional contribution to the capital has been from Chris Bonington's successful book, Annapurna South Face. Perhaps we could see the establishment of B.M.C. controlled outlets for climbing and associated equipment, not unlike the Y.H.A. shops. Perhaps the new B.M.C. climbing magazine will be able to make some contributions. Perhaps, too, the B.M.C. could sponsor the publication of expedition, technical and guide books whose authors would be paid an honorarium while the profits went back into climbing. It might be worthwhile for the B.M.C. to act as lecture agent on behalf of the growing band of climbing lecturers. But the areas where the largest slice of cake is lost to climbing are in the film and TV world. Here, the B.M.C. could assist climbers with film and TV contracts, at the same time negotiating a portion of the estimated profits for themselves and thus for climbers in general.
There does seem to be a very good case for controlling the growing exploitation of British climbing. I have approached the subject obscurely from the problems faced by a small
expedition: other climbers will no doubt be able to present a better case from their own observations and experiences on the home front.
Surely our national climbing organization should divert some of its energies away from the testing of obscure pieces of equipment; away from the standardization of Mountain School procedure (where there is no real adventure since personal judgement is so limited by concern for safety), and instead put more thought into the essence of mountaineering : the pioneering of new routes in good style and in adventurous surroundings.
SUMMARY
Baffin Island/Cumberland Peninsula. An Anglo-American expedition comprising Doug Scott, Rob Wood, Guy Lee, Steve Smith, Ray Gillies and Mick Burke from Great Britain; Phil Koch and Dennis Hennek from the United States and Pat Baird from Canada. Peaks climbed were: Mt. Pingo 6,300ft. (Hennek and Scott); Ungardaluk 6,400ft. (Hennek and Scott); Mt. Anaguq I and 2 (Baird, Smith and Wood) ; Mt. Bilbo (Gillies, Lee and Wood) ; Mt. Killibuck: East Face (Hennek and Scott, Gillies, Lee and Wood); Breidablik: North Face (Koch and Lee, Hennek, Scott and Wood) ; Mt.Frodo (Koch, Lee and Smith) ; Mt.Asgard: South Peak, South Ridge (Koch, Lee and Wood).
Mountain 22
thanks to Jim Phillips for sending me many issues of Mountain that I did not have and which I would not have been able to post these articles, and to Debbie who somehow finds time to abet my mountain passions, including searching for issues that aren't in my collection.
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2016 - 12:26pm PT
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All, thanks for contributing beta, especially Ben! A lot of good stuff!
Ed, this is not a history of what HAS BEEN climbed there thread. The whole forum looks like the majority of us live somewhere in the northern states and climb giant bigwalls. :)
F*#k Ben, you guys did some bad ass climbing there. If you want to go in the future and need someone to belay or something let me know. Would be happy to join and may or may not have a few other psyched people who would be willing to go.
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 12:34pm PT
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Eh, stuff there's not so big.
So 40, maybe 50 feet?
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Fat Dad
Trad climber
Los Angeles, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 01:13pm PT
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...whatever, V...
you don't always get what you want... But if you try sometimes, you'll get what you need.
Nice contributions Ed. Hard to believe such big lines go at such a modest rating (though I suspect they're pretty old school).
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Blakey
Trad climber
Sierra Vista
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Mar 18, 2016 - 01:55pm PT
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Somewhere on here is a piece I wrote about a trip to Baffin in 1975.
I did not have a camera! So it relied heavily on photyos harvested friom the net.
Last year I received an email asking if I knew what I was doing 40 years ago......
The upshot was a reunion between the surviving members in the UK. They have kindly provided digitised photos. Once Ive got all of them I'll revisit the TR and illustrate it correctly.
Meanwhile some tasters.....
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Vitaliy M.
Mountain climber
San Francisco
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2016 - 02:05pm PT
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Nice contributions Ed. Hard to believe such big lines go at such a modest rating (though I suspect they're pretty old school).
Looks like 5.8+ at most.
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overwatch
climber
Arizona
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Mar 18, 2016 - 02:09pm PT
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So incredibly cool looking, what a dreamworld! Thanks for the vid Mr. H
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nopantsben
climber
europe
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Mar 18, 2016 - 02:55pm PT
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I think Ghost has some very good advice, especially on the multitude of climbing styles that the place offers. I think the potential for stuff that is 5.10-ish alpine climbing is pretty much untapped.
I will be in the Valley in May. I would be psyched to climb something, V. I will be in touch via the face booklet..
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 06:05pm PT
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hey, nothing wrong with 5.8+ posts... IMHO
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cotuclimber
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Mar 18, 2016 - 06:22pm PT
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Killer videos. One day will be a lucky day. Should add you all on facebook as well.
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gumbyclimber
climber
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Mar 18, 2016 - 11:34pm PT
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As was said above, the Pang/Auyuittuq/Weasel Valley is a totally different animal from the Eastern Fjords/Sam Ford/Gibbs area. The walls in the eastern fjords mostly come out of the ocean and necessitate going in AND out prior to the ice breakup in June. the Weasel Valley is usually idyllic in July and August and you go in after the ice flows out in late May or June.
Asgard IS awesome. The rock is incredible- perfect red granite with huge purple crystals and plentiful cracks. Pick a section of the wall that looks as steep as you want to climb and head up.
I sorted out Steve Backshall's trip and hung out with him for a bit. Super nice dude. His trip was complicated by his partner getting injured on our Tyrollean across the river. I was meant to stay longer but it had been a rough season already and I bailed early after soloing the Scott route for maybe my fourth time up it. We were initially stuck in Pang for two weeks waiting for the ice to flow out. It was kind of grim.
Ed: Don't give up on this dream! The Scott Route on Asgard is, by Leo Houlding's account, the best rock climb he had ever done. It's like the easy bits of the Nutcracker for 3000 feet then you do Serenity crack to get off. We brought Geoff Gledhill with us, who turned 70 prior to the trip, and he did the route twice. Beta goes REALLY far for getting up the route quickly; it can be very easy to lose 10 or 12 hours. Plus, if you have the extra $1000 or so you can ship your kit to Pang and have it dropped by skidoo at Summit Lake in April or May and walk in with basically nothing. It is absolutely achievable for you.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Mar 21, 2016 - 08:35am PT
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Asgard Outing
by Paul Nunn
One Spring evening in 1966, the Rev. Frank Wilkinson, Chaplain of Peterhead Prison, ran quickly through slides gathered during long years as a missionary on Baffin Island. It was fairy-tale country, remote, ice-bound in half-light for much of the year. The long fjords sliced into granite mountains of unrelenting compactness, while they in turn were half enveloped in great ice mushrooms, ice caps which dominate the geography of the area, make its weather, and spill over the top of many a Yosemite-style wall. I wanted to go.
A 'phone call in May 1972 settled it. Doug Scott, Dennis Hennek from California, Tut Braithwaite and myself were to go. It seemed an excellent scheme, for I had always thought Eric Shipton ought to be right: that little expeditions are more likely to be good expeditions, even at their most extended; and I could think of few places more suitable than Baffin for such an approach. Anyway, the battle of Everest seemed to me to have undermined the very term 'expedition', which now implies multiple forms of exploitation and rigid organization for which the only compensation for many individual climbers is pretentiousness. The alienation of heart, combined with the extreme graft involved, seems to me to be the complete antithesis of what mountaineering is all about. A small group, friendly, intimate, motivated but not utterly achievement-orientated, promised to get away from all that.
I was a late arrival. Doug had got some money from the Mount Everest Foundation and Dennis had meticulously ordered food, both in the U.S.A. and from the Bay Trading Co. in Baffin; he had also organized most of the equipment. There were no strings: the plane left in a couple of weeks.
We assembled in Hudson Heights near Montreal, where Mrs. P. Baird entertained us royally. Dennis proved to be anything but the lean, rock-drilling technocrat that I had half expected. Instead he was a muscular, blond, fun-and-pleasure- loving character who seemed to enjoy the occasional discipline of climbing, and who was prepared to take great pains to do it well. Within a few hours we seemed like a team.
On July 3rd, we flew to Pangnirtuhg, a dusty Eskimo settlement across the Cumberland Sound. Blue skies, after a murky journey, boded well.
From the beginning there was a sense of unreality in this land of myth and magic enjoying its brief summer. On July 4th, Jok Polliollok and another Eskimo took us by sledge and skiddoo twenty miles down the fjord ice towards the mountains. There was a gala atmosphere, even when a sledge broke under the weight of five people and a boat. The Eskimos played at shooting imaginary seals and we golloped food and brews together when we arrived under the great face of Mount Overlord. It was a light-hearted and fortunate start, for the sea-ice was late, and we were saved at least two days.
Then we conned one another. None of us had ever carried such monstrous loads as we assembled. Food for nearly three weeks, tents, big-wall gear, fuel : the pack frames bent and creaked under the load, and so did we. Somehow, tottering upright, we trekked off from the dump at the fjord head into Weasel Valley's pebble flats. After two days of wandering up these flats and through moraines which disappeared into soaring granite walls and a grey snowladen sky, we camped to rest for a day by the frozen waste of Summit Lake.
Again the ice was useful. On consecutive days we tramped six miles over the lake-ice, taking half-loads to the Turner Glacier and a camp below Asgard. On July 9th, we stamped out tent sites by a glacier lagoon. It was snowing quite heavily, but we were all pleased - the carry was over.
Snow shoes were essential to get far on the glaciers in 1972. Crevasses were deeply covered, making unroped wanderings hazardous, though we sometimes indulged ourselves. It froze for only a short time at night, leaving a weak crust. The camp was idyllic, on the snow at the junction of two glaciers, by the blue lake, with the plumb-vertical walls of Freyr Peak opposite and Asgard behind. Rocks trundled from an outlying minor summit, but we were adequately distant from their path. Moreover, we were well fed and well equipped, and on July 10th the weather began a lasting good spell.
Our first objective, the main cause of our weight crucifixion coming in, was the West Dihedral of Asgard. Doug and I broke a track on the 10th, and dug a trench up deep insecure snow on the lower slopes. The dihedral is a real siren, drawing the eye up its clean-cut features for over 1,500ft. On a sparkling morning, we snow-shoed over the light crust to the base of the face again. Cloud rolled in dazzling furls over the ice cap to the north. Doug and I carried gear, while Tut led up the initial 1,500ft. of snow and mixed ground. It was unsafe and avalanche-prone, with little security. A last lead of over 400ft. led to the dihedral base.
Doug set off up an iced chimney with Dennis seconding, while we cut a large platform. It seemed that the donkeywork was over. For today, tomorrow, maybe the day after, we would swing and dangle, hammer away, and sleep in our hammocks in the relative safety of the vertical. This opinion seemed confirmed when the 400ft. slope avalanched in a sea of slops, although it was modified by ice lumps falling from far above and blowing in a keen wind into the dihedral.
But our confidence was premature, however well-equipped physically and mentally we might have been. Apart from the cold on this side of the mountain, which could have been a problem in a really prolonged attack, the dièdre was not a pegging fault but a closed granite joint with aberrant, unlinked cracks. Dennis found himself faced with a painful choice at 200ft. - the first of several long bolt ladders or nothing. The bolting seemed premature, and perhaps ultimately undesirable. In the early hours of July 12th we reached camp after about twenty hours' absence.
Snoozing re-appraisal led to a quick decision. Late on the 12th, Tut and Doug broke tracks to the North-East Ridge of Asgard North Peak. Next day, lightly equipped, we all set off in relentless sun. For me, personally, the route had immense appeal; it was a smooth pillar of slabby and near-perfect granite, about 3,500ft. high from the glacier. It was to be an Alpine-style push with no provision for stopping.
Doug and Dennis led through up the magnificent lower slabs, while for a time Tut and I suffered the divorcing experience of prussiking. Then, about mid-day, we led on. It was a flood of pleasure to me, with corners, jamming cracks, delicate slabs, and a gradual steepening of angle as the upper pillar came nearer. We stopped once for food, and then followed a crack system of escalating difficulty, deeply reminiscent of all the best Alpine granite climbs I have experienced. We used few pegs, nut protection being usual. In the late evening, a cold mist flung a grey cloak over us. At midnight, after about ten hours of leading, Tut and I relegated ourselves to the rear for the headwall.
The red granite, compact but split by a crack system, reared up towards the summit. There were four hard pitches for Doug and Dennis, and airy swinging prussiks on lightly frozen ropes for us. Dennis did the all-star lead on a Curbar-style 140ft. crack. It took at least two hours of real struggle and was extremely difficult, especially coming as the penultimate pitch of a hard climb. Doug finished it off up a gritstone jamming crack at Hard VS, straight to the summit. During the sojourns we dozed in our duvets, waiting for the sun to re-appear. At 6.00 on the 14th we were on the table-top summit in brilliant sun.
The aftermath was deflating. The glacier lagoon had flooded and the tents were threatened if not awash, fifty-five miles out from Pang. Good weather has its costs. Attempts at a quick descent of the original route were defeated by obnoxious, deep, wet snow, which reduced us to a commando crawl, ludicrous and deadly serious as we sank into crevasses. It was easy to see how people fail to make it under such circumstances. Fortunately the lower glacier was better, and we reached the snowshoes and the camp thirty-three hours after departure.
The blue tents were dry but afloat on the packed snow under them. With joyous, tired sploshings they were rescued, and re-erected uphill. Six more hours and they would have been drowned. Two-ton eyelids slumped to sleep, despite the relentless arctic light.
Two days later we began the tramp out. There was more to do, but we were tired and a little self-satisfied. We crossed a col below our route with 70lb. sacks, and descended dreadful, deep powder on the Caribou Glacier at less than a mile an hour, tripping occasionally as the snowshoe tips crept under the crust, and finding difficulty in swimming out with the sacks pushing our faces into the morasse. After a snooze at Summit Lake, we continued down to camp in a fine spot below the 4,500ft. face of Thor. With battered feet and still heavy loads, our retreat became a ramble. Time was taken up with peering at flowers and wildlife, and snoozing and eating food remnants.
We took the best part of a week to cover the fifty miles or so to Pang. By then the mosquitoes were coming to life, the pack-ice was breaking rapidly, the arctic summer was weakening enough to allow a little night, the food was eaten and it was time to go.
We had no commitments, except to ourselves, and they were satisfied. Success was aided by fortuitous good weather and a late winter. Dennis's meticulous organization, End especially the freeze-dried food, made the carry possible. Without air-drops or great expense, we got ourselves from Pang fjord head to Asgard, and back to Pang. We did a dream of a climb, and each led his quota. Almost all the climbing was Very Severe, or harder, so all our egos were satisfied. As an exercise in logistics, and as an intensely personal experience, the expedition was gratifyingly complete. Amazingly, it was a product of motivation which was less 'achievement-' or 'summit-orientated' than most such excursions. Perhaps therein lies its validation.
SUMMARY
Baffin Island/Cumberland Peninsula: Mt. Asgard. Attempt on the West Face Dihedral of North Peak and the first ascent of the North-East Flank of North Peak by an Anglo-American team consisting of Doug Scott, Paul Nunn, Dennis Hennek and Paul (Tut) Braithwaite. July 1972.
Mountain 26
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Ian Parsons
climber
UK, England
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Mar 21, 2016 - 10:30am PT
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Thanks Ed. Would you mind posting this on the retrobolts thread as well; it's the route in question. You can just see the actual pitch - Hennek's "all-star lead" - as the lefthand crack in the summit tower in that upward photo.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Mar 21, 2016 - 08:41pm PT
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Vitaly, this one's for you. My effort to help you keep the stoke alive.
You've heard of Mt. Asgard, right? Best-known peak on Baffin. 4,000 ft monster aid routes on one side, and the moderate Scott route on the other side -- which Gumbyclimber has described as 3,000 ft of the easy parts of Nutcracker with a Serenity Crack finish.
But that doesn't even begin to describe this single mountain. Yes, there are the huge west face routes. And yes, there is the Scott route on the other side. (And the Swiss route if you want something relatively short and easy).
But look at this picture. Everything you see is "Mt. Asgard." Not just the towers at the north end, but a whole series of summits stretching south (and more out of the picture). Every kind of climb you can imagine, at every grade you might desire.
And that's just one mountain in a range that stretches for almost 1,000 km. You could drop Mt. Asgard into it anywhere, and it wouldn't stand out. And you could drop Yosemite Valley in there and never notice it again.
Ben and Gumby have talked about the "Two areas". The northeast coast and the Asgard area. But that's a gross oversimplification. Akin to describing the California Sierras as just Yosemite and Bishop. Or the Rockies as just Banff and Jasper.
Whatever you want, it's there waiting for you. But enough said. Check out this photo of Mt. Asgard and tell me there's not a route there for every climber at every ability level... And ten thousand more such peaks in every direction.
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gumbyclimber
climber
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Mar 22, 2016 - 02:23am PT
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True, there is unclimbed rock, snow and ice all over the place up there. Depends on how motivated you are. Most people who go there are on their first trip and tick the really stand-out peaks: Asgard, Overlord, Northumbrea, etc. If you are keen on ice/snow then you may want to skidoo in earlier and then hang out for the warm weather in July/August. 6 weeks on the ground there is barely enough time to adjust to the daylight, routine, and environment. Since 1998 the ice has broken up in May or early June and the summers have been almost cloudless. We got caught, however, in '14 by the ice breaking up on July 3rd or somewhere thereabouts. Was snowing/sleeting sideways for two weeks and changing direction constantly. Lucky I was to have Inuit friend's houses to crash for Internet, showers, Xbox, raw seal liver, and whale. Some of the best unclimbed rock for the motivated is up behind Thor. The farther you go up the glaciers the more arduous and dangerous they become so you may need skis and it is a ways up the talus out of the valley to get there.
Best time to go in is as close to the solstice as you can and leave by September 1st. Winter snaps overnight and when everything on the glacier freezes you can totally hose yourself for water and the descent- which can be done in running shoes until it becomes a skating rink.
There is a lot of rockfall in Baffin. A lot. I have seen what you would call significant geologic events. A lot of the snow/ice gulleys that look super sick are bowling alleys and you should observe that and take care with your timing. Don't ever camp in the 2 or 3 kilometres past Mt. Thor.
I would not recommend the Swiss Route on Asgard except for maybe early in the season when it has lots of snow. It is ridiculously loose and rotten rock.
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Regan
Big Wall climber
Poland/Scotland
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Mar 22, 2016 - 06:03am PT
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I found Mark Synnott guide book as very useful.
Mark Synnott, Baffin Island. Climbing, Trekking & Skiing.
You can also google TR about Mark "Twid" Turner expedition in Steward Valley.
If you will got to the East Coast, just drop me email...
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Just saw this :
Steven Amter
climber
Washington, DC
Mar 20, 2009 - 03:11pm PT
4Deuce: Nice blueprints.
I have to correct something though. Friends were available in the U.S. before 1980 - I know I was using them in 1979 and never ordered anything from overseas... We could buy them at Rock and Snow in the Gunks, and also, I believe, in places like EMS. I still have, and use some of those friends.
In fact, in the summer of 1979 my party had 2 full sets up to 4" to use in aid climbing on Mt. Thor, Baffin Is. (The big ones had not yet reached the market, but we got them special directly from the company.) This was one of the earliest such uses in wide, long cracks.
I also know that custom made small sized friends, and maybe TCUs hit the Gunks by no later than summer of 1983 - I bought some from Steve and Corey Rich, who were making them, and possibly visiting western climbers who were also making and selling them.
Steve Amter
and thought if he has not seen or posted to this thread it would be fun to got some input. . . Calling Steve Amter
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Ian Parsons
climber
UK, England
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In fact, in the summer of 1979 my party had 2 full sets up to 4" to use in aid climbing on Mt. Thor, Baffin Is. (The big ones had not yet reached the market, but we got them special directly from the company.) This was one of the earliest such uses in wide, long cracks.
Steve Amter
I've no idea whether Steve went back to Thor in 1979, but it was definitely July 1978 when Jim Fotheringham and I encountered him, Rick Cronk and Ron Sacks on their way in to Thor as we were walking out. Friends had hit the market earlier that year - February, I think; sizes 1,2 and 3. Three months later (October) in Yosemite we were able to borrow a prototype #4; it had "JARDINE" stamped on it, and a retaining slot for the trigger so it could be carried in "compact" mode. As far as I'm aware these were not commercially available at the time.
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guido
Trad climber
Santa Cruz/New Zealand/South Pacific
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Hennek has a scanner but not a high quality one. Dennis had a long conversation with his old mate Doug Scott the other day and I just bet if Ed offered to scan Dennis's Baffin slide the offer would be welcome. Just thinking!
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BLUEBLOCR
Social climber
joshua tree
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Can't believe this shirt is 21yro..
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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I'm happy to scan Dennis' slides!
I think I did scan some of Dennis' that Ken had...
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Ian Parsons
climber
UK, England
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I've no idea whether Steve went back to Thor in 1979
Hah - should have checked! I see that Steve Amter did indeed return to Thor in 1979, along with Michael Sawicky and Ron Sacks; AAJ 1980.
I think there's a useful point to derive from Steve's experience in 1978. As I recall they were unlucky enough to arrive in Pangnirtung only a couple of days or so after the cut-off point for travelling in by skidoo (which changes from year to year) - ie during the period of "limbo" before it becomes possible to travel by boat. As a result they were forced to spend a good chunk of their available time in the area simply getting themselves and their kit by foot from Pang to the head of the fjord. They first arrived in Pang only two or three days after us but were still walking in as we headed out; we, by pure luck, flew in to Pang about four hours before the departure up the fjord of what was probably the last skidoo trip of the season. A dose of the same bad luck would have probably completely scuppered our fairly tight timetable.
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Kalimon
Social climber
Ridgway, CO
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Thanks folks for the awesome historic images, can't wait to see more.
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Steven Amter
climber
Washington, DC
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Hi Gnome ofthe Diabase, Ian, and everyone else -
Steve Amter checking in.
Wow Ian, its been nearly 40 years, but I very much remember meeting three(?) climbers who had been climbing in the Weasel Valley for something like seven weeks when we finally made it to head of the fiord in 1978 - I guess that was you! And you are right, we (and a bunch of other teams) were stuck in Pangnirtung for ever waiting for the ice to clear enough to take a freighter canoe.
I even have a picture of you that I included in our a slide show I used to give on our Baffin adventures. (Didn't remember your name though...) I used it to illustrate how rugged conditions could be there, but how one could acclimate after a few weeks. In contrast to how absolutely fresh-faced and warmly dressed we appeared when we first arrived, I pointed to you guys as looking like three of the leanest, toughest, but most "french fried" individuals I had seen in a while. You weren't wearing much clothes and what you wearing was in tatters as I remember it. Yet, by the time we left for home, we looked pretty much the same condition.
I going to alert Ron (one of my Baffin partners that also met you.)
I'm jazzed to have found this thread.
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Steven Amter
climber
Washington, DC
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Side note to Ghost:
I read (in your bear attack post) that you used to be a Park Ranger for Auyuittuq National Park. Cool! By any chance did you know the (first?) head ranger, Bob Redhead?
I remember him fondly. Among other reasons, when returned to Pang at the end of our second expedition (1979), he put us up in his house for a few days, and fed us gloriously. We had some very interesting conversations. Besides being great at his job, he was a really nice guy with a nice family.
I just found out he passed away in 2012, at age 70. For those who are interested, here's a link to his obituary. It sounds like he had a wonderful life.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/robert-bob-redhead/article4092473/
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Ian Parsons
climber
UK, England
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Hi Steve!
Yes - it was a very long time ago. I was obviously wrong about the canoe; I'd got the idea that you had walked. But sitting around waiting must have been a trial, and full marks for sticking with it and getting something done in the end. To be honest Jim and I were somewhat taken aback to see the fjord still full of ice as we flew in on the afternoon of 7th July; we assumed it would have been long gone by then and that we'd simply go in by boat or canoe. It seems that 1978 was a bit of an anomaly, and it was pure luck that we were just in time to get a skidoo.
Two other teams came out at about the same time as us. Ken Nichols and Les Ellison were probably a couple of days ahead of us; you may have met them, although it sounds from Ken's account in the 1979 AAJ as if they got back to the fjord head before the sea became passable by boat so had to walk out. As I recall they'd run out of food and were heading for home with all speed! Jim and I had a more leisurely trek back to the fjord head in the occasional company of three guys from Colorado: Denny Hogan - route on Huntingdon, I think; Mike - with whom I later drove from Eldorado Springs to Yosemite and did Washington Column South Face, but whose second name I've unforgivably forgotten; and a third guy whose name, I think, was Pete. With our varied staggering rates we didn't necessarily move as a single group, so it's a guess which particular three you actually met. There was also a large team from Aberdeen in Scotland based at Summit Lake for the whole time that we were there; I think they left at the end of July so you may well have seen them as well. In fact Jim and I only had a total of three weeks out from Pang; a week on the approach and return and two weeks at Summit Lake - hence my suggestion that a delay of the sort that you suffered would have completely wrecked our trip.
Good to hear from you, and I think there are a bunch of people eager for any recollections that you can pass on.
Ian
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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I read (in your bear attack post) that you used to be a Park Ranger for Auyuittuq National Park. Cool! By any chance did you know the (first?) head ranger, Bob Redhead?
Ah, the wind blows out of the past...
I was never on the Auyittuq Park staff, but I did know Bob Redhead, and he did hire me to do some exploration there and write a sort-of guide to skiing in the park.
And I echo all your comments about what a great guy he was. We got to know him fairly well, and he and Robin would visit us when they were in Vancouver.
Sad to hear he's gone.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there say, guys...wow, i missed this one too...
most likely, i skpped over, fast, due to the 'beta' knowing that i would not
have anything to post...
but--i went looking for stuff on mt asgard, here,
after seeing a film clipp on it...
say, ed!!! wow, i sure love and appreciate all this info here, on the baffin area...
thank you for thinking about everyone...
here is what i saw, due to a friend sharing stuff from england...
[Click to View YouTube Video]
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Gumbyclimber: Some of the best unclimbed rock for the motivated is up behind Thor.
The only time I went behind Thor was in a whiteout, but I did get some good pictures on another trip from up high and across the valley, and it should give you an idea of what gumbyclimber is talking about.
This is Mt. Bredablik, which is just North of Thor. (The first big shadow up on the glacier to the right is Thor) I think the rock he's talking about is the towers behind and just to the left of Bredablik.
Here's a closer view. Bredablik in the foreground, and I think the towers to the left of it are what gumbyclimber was talking about -- Vitaly, book your flights now!!!
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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May 19, 2016 - 10:45pm PT
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^ Wow! Really well done video from Cheyne Lempe.
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originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
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Aug 10, 2017 - 12:38pm PT
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Anyone have any info on the Scott route on Asgard? Sounds dreamy
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Ian Parsons
climber
UK, England
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Aug 12, 2017 - 05:10pm PT
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Anyone have any info on the Scott route on Asgard?
If you're planning a visit it's worth noting - if you haven't already - that the entire lower section of the route is several hundred feet to the left of where it is shown on the photo-topo in the 2008 guidebook; I'm guessing that the confusion arose as a result of identifying its position relative to the so-called "Death Gully", when in fact there are two separate features on that side of the mountain which bear this designation.
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Rickster
Trad climber
Pine Bush,NY
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Aug 16, 2017 - 04:47pm PT
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Ian Parsons et al, Being on Baffin in '78 with Steve Amter and Ron Sacks, we did in fact find Ken Nichols.... walking out solo from Overlord. His partner arrived in Pang, also solo a few days ahead of him and flew out. The fiord had pretty much cleared by then, so we hopped a boat with one of the Inuit rangers in search of a lone climber hiking out. Some time later we caught sight of Ken laboring under a huge pack south bound for Pang. Mission complete, after a cozy night at Peyton's Place, he flew out the next morning.
Our 28 days on Baffin were spent mostly waiting in Pang for the fiord to completely clear of pack ice. It had started to break up upon our our arrival, but too broken up to snowmobile north to Overlord, but not enough to boat all the way in. Finally caught a break, caught another boat, and spent the remaining time hiking in, sitting out some more weather in the emergency hut across the river from Thor. After staring up at it for a few days, we went for the NW Buttress rising up left of the main face. Three days up, down and done, waited another bout of bad weather and hiked out.
We four Baffin Boys, just had a 39 year reunion and got spanked on Mt. Shasta a few weeks ago.
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Jul 24, 2018 - 12:31am PT
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bump...
S....
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BooDawg
Social climber
Butterfly Town
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Aug 15, 2018 - 05:28pm PT
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I've seen Hennek's slides of Baffin, and they are GREAT! When I spoke with him recently, he was working on his slides from China...
He's had SO MANY great adventures!! I keep hoping he'll post some of them here!
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