In the first line - a harsh and real early season in the Canadian Rockies
In the first line - a harsh and real early season in the Canadian Rockies
Matthias Scherer on Killer Pillar picture © Tanja Schmitt
PRELUDE
October 25th: Barley landed with the Jet Lag in the bones we are marching up to the Stanley Headwall. We are the first team climbing Nemesis this season and the conditions are real with pouring rain and heavy wind. The ice is thin on the first pitches but we’ve seen and climbed worse in our previous early season trips to the Rockies. Over ten ascents in the past 10 years, mostly the firsts in the season.
FREEZE
Just a couple of days later still in October we set out for Virtual Reality. The thermometer shows -16C when we leave the car and the winds are up. Suffer time! I climbed Virtual in 2012, 2015 and 2017 always in November. This year one party has been up on the climb before us but the ice is still fresh and not hooked out. Some weeks later this climb will be completely picked out becoming a ladder for the ‘grade’ and trophy hunters... The temperatures drop during the day and the winds howl on: When I reach the last belay I have the screaming barfies in exponential dimensions. We climbed the line in two pitches on sometimes detached ice, but nothing compared to 2012 when the crux was a sheet of 15m high thin ice with no protection at all.
Mt. Murchison picture © Matthias_Scherer
CHERRY BLOSSOM
Some days on fun climbs and drytooling brings us back to the Headwall. Killer Pillar is on the program today. I climbed it in 2008 with Tanja and on Nemesis I saw that it is formed. One big cool pitch and of course no bolts to clip is the game here for me. The lower pillar is thin and the ice can only be scratched. I overcome the lower pillar with no pro and set three solid screws in the solid attached ice of the mid section, then I set out on the upper pillar. After ten meters there is a cool blob of ice on the wall that takes a 13cm screw and gives some protection for the rest of the pillar. Heike and Tanja are coming up and we enjoy the view on the mountains in the whirling snow around us.
PROTECTION VALLEY - A TROTTEN TRAIL
Next morning it’s bitter cold with less than -20C and we walk to the Protection Valley with Steve. A big group it is that day - first and only time for me in the Rockies to walk with other parties up to the climbs. But there are many lines up there and at the end everybody found a climb to stay warm that day. Steve and I go for “Paradies Perdu” with a resonating first steep pitch and another long fun pitch at the top. Tanja and Heike climb the Dirtbag Dreams and in the wonderful cold and peaceful air we walk back to the road.
interlude I
More snow is coming over the next days and we pass the time with fun destinations as the playground, Amadeus or Carlsberg in Field.
storm creek headwall I
Steve is psyched to return to the protection valley to climb the Dirtbag Dreams but there is a car again there and so we go for our second option Stormcreek Headwall. There is a good track to the end of the forest and then we break the trail up to Puzzle with a spicy last snow field to the start of the route. Steve is watching me from the save side while I am scratching and digging my way along the rock to the first patches of ice. We hammer this fun line up in in one big pitch. Then we switch with Tanja and Heike and climb ‘The Shocking Alternative’ while they enjoy the chimney on puzzle. On the way back to the car I see the esthetic ice of Buddha nature and I am psyched to check it out.
Stormcreek picture © Tanja Schmitt
interlude II
The weather turns crazy again and more climbing in Field is the solution. Cool Spring is a hidden ice pillar in one of the gorges and we’ve all never done it. The ice is super chandeliered and the tube at the exit fragile with the water visible rushing through it.
Cool Spring, Field picture © Matthias Scherer
Stormcreek headwall ii
Finally some quite weather on the horizon and another early morning on the Stanley Parking. No one around and we set out for Buddha nature. The climb has a good pitch of “M6” as a start and all the cracks have a “nice” ice layer in them which makes finding pro an interesting game. No running here, scratching and cleaning before the cams sink in. Two more fun pitches on ice makes this route a cool day mixed climbing.
Matthias Scherer on Buddha Nature picture © Tanja Schmitt
au revoir les amis
I wake up in the night - I forgot to put my phone into flight mode and I see a message from Jeff: Pierre et Max décédés - do I have a nightmare?! No the message is still there. They have fallen. Two dear friends left us and we all cry while realizing the loss. Their deeds, skills and passion have been outstanding - two flames burning bright and giving inspiration to us all.
La Goutte
The early morning sees us breaking trail up to the Trophy Wall above Banff. No words get spoken we all need the curing silence of the mountain. Hours later we are at the foot of “La Goutte”. It towers above us - reborn and untouched. I see in Heikes and Tanjas eyes great motivation and they need it in the next hours while they battling their way up the two pillars. All true to its original grade Heike and Tanja do the season FA of this outstanding ice line.
Tanja Schmitt on La Goutte picture © Matthias Scherer
fearful symmetry
We cannot rest and so it’s great that Steve is psyched to go to the Ghost next day. Rumors will it that Fearful Symmetry is formed and I remember November 2013 when I twice got rejected by this line with too low and too high temperatures. The approach into the Recital Hall that day proves to become kind of the crux. The canyon is impassable and Steve has the good idea to take the summer path that goes up to the rock routes right of Aquarius. A lot of healing walking that day again. It is one of those days where nobody cares about the final outcome but the whole team is just happy to be together out there striving forward and feeling the power of an archaic nature all around.
Aquarius honors its name and is an interesting mind game that day. Then we stand at the foot of Fearful again. I am happy to be here with Steve, Tanja and Heike. I overcome my memories from 2013 and dive into the wonderful fragile exposure that only freestanding ice pillars can call their own. Being here that day with all that just happened is my way to overcome my grief. With every step I climb up I feel all my lost friends close to me. Their spirit will never die! The quest is eternal.
Matthias Scherer on Fearful Symmetry picture © Tanja Schmitt
The exit of Fearful Symmetry is thin and fragile that day - the line was in demanding conditions with some cleaning and chandeliered sections on both pillars. Steve comes up and we put quickly a V- thread to join Tanja and Heike who were filming and taking pictures that day. In the red light of the sinking sun we follow the trail back to the car.
french reality I
The temperatures drop drastically in the next days. The Headwall is calling again! Tanja and Heike want to climb French Reality and I suggest to go in two teams to film their ascent. Steve is joining us and with temperatures around -20C we set out. The trail breaking is intense where we leave the main track. Good that we brought snowshoes. Then we stand underneath the Wall and now the ‘interesting part’ of doing the track starts. It never gets easier to do this - but finally we all stand safe under the start of the route. Steve gets up the first pitch while I am filming Heike from above seconding. Then I go for the next pitch. I climbed French in 2008 and 2015 and this year the mixed pitch is drier than in the other years making it a bit more demanding. Steve comes up and bunkers in, while I am going into filming position. Heike is setting out and is scratching her way up towards the exit of the narrow chimney at the end of the pitch. There is an exposed step here but with power and determination she sinks her tools into the snice and pulls herself up. Tanja, Steve and myself are battling in the meantime with the cold. The wind picks up and we have to decide what to do. The ice pitches above us look rad. There was a V - Thread at the top of the mixed pitch but the ice looks fresh and unclimbed. I climb on but realize right away that the ice pitches now will offer super real climbing. The ice has lots of tension - no wonder seeing how cold it is. My fingers are cold and while I reach the old bolt belay before the crux pitch my hands are numb. Hell yeah, the blood is coming back in a hot rush and some moments later I have the pleasure to witness the same “fun” on Steve. The whole team decides to stop here that day and start to rappel. The crux ice pitch remains untouched. Back at the car temperatures are below -20 C.
Whiteman Falls
What to do when the temperatures are down to -25C? It is November 29th and we haven’t been to the Whiteman Falls this season. Whiteman has a lot of water pressure like the big Fossen in Norway and so its safer to climb lines like this with low temperatures even though the ice will be super hard.
The approach through the canyon has the fun of the open pools with some exiting drytooling and solo climbing above open water this year.
No team has been up here this year. Tanja is on the lead that day and is heating up while climbing up the first pitch. The right side of the upper pitch is still a shower and so we place the belay this season on the left. Steep ice followed by a extreme chandeliered section brings Tanja up to the well formed steep exit of the pillar. Heike and me are seconding up and we all enjoy the look down from this great classic ice line, that once more again was good fun.
interlude iii on rusty bolts…
Temperatures don’t change and stay solid below -20C. We decided to have a check in Field, hoping that it would be maybe a bit milder there. But the thermometer shows merciless -24 C at the parking. Nevertheless we go up to have quick look on Pilsner Pillar, knowing that it will be nearly impossible that day with these low temperatures to touch this still freshly formed freestanding. And indeed the ice looks great with perfect features for climbing but without even putting a tool into it, it’s a clear no go that day. There is a mixed line on the right and Heike quickly racks up. Some athletic drytooling moves brings her up to the icicles and she is scratching her tools with uttermost care into the hypertensioned ice. I am the last one to do this pitch and soon I enjoy the liberating feeling of leaning out from a bomber torqued pick onto not so bomber ice. I scratch my tool into the stalactite and swing carefully my whole body onto it. With as less weight as possible I climb my way up to the top of this great pitch. Another good day in company of Mr. Freeze.
Heike Schmitt mixed climbing in Field picture © Matthias Scherer
french reality II - resist, prevail
Tanja and Heike are keen to finish ‚French Reality‘. The forecasts says inversion of temperatures and with -21C at the car we are optimistic that they might be right. We have still our track and therefore the approach goes fast in a bit more than an hour from the parking. Indeed the thermometer shows only -15C when Heike starts up the first pitch. Tanja and me are following up. I have all the camera equipment stashed under my Down parka, trying to keep the batteries as warm as possible. In my head I memorized already some of the captures I took from Heike from above during our last visit. So I try today to capture different angles from below. No lack of forward drive today here and soon Tanja and me are seconding the second mixed pitch up. Tanja takes the lead and the short ice pitch brings us over brittle ice up to the crux pitch. Still fresh, still scary the ice is looking down on us. The ice is screaming with every touch. No option for Tanja than to clean quite a bit of all those fragile daggers. We try our best to not get hit and prevent our ropes from being damaged. Tanja is unleashing the power of the Berserker when she is making her way up the dry resonating icicles. After a good fight she reaches finally better ice and quickly finishes the pitch. Following up, Heike and me get warmed up by the athletic and technical moves through the weirdness of the chaotic formation of icicles. The climbing is serious and exposed with poor protection. A good moment for us to reach then the cave at the top of the climb. No V-Threads to be seen here. No signs of any ascents in the ice pitch before. Season FA 2019 of French Reality goes to Tanja and Heike.
Tanja Schmitt on French Reality picture © Matthias Scherer
The Pencil - accept the unknown
Next morning I am in the car again driving up the Icefields Parkway with Steve. We want to have a check on the weeping pillar. But when the dawn is rising we see that he still needs a bit of time. So we look for a different objective. Driving back the Highway we stop and have a sight on the ‚Pencil‘ the massive ice pillar looming in the middle of Polar Circus. This formation is widely know as a bit unstable but this season it seems well formed. We decide to give it a closer look. The ropes stay mostly in the pack till we get to the base: An enormous cone on that the pillar is towering. We have a short conversation and then I start to climb upwards. A v-thread at the start of the pillar shows where others decided to retreat before. It is an impressive sight for sure but the ice looks great: steep with lots of features. I am swinging on the pillar and enjoy the climbing on the concrete hard but super interestingly shaped ice. The pillar is far away from the rock and the exposure high above the Parkway is fascinating. Athletic moves bring me up to the last meters. Here I have to traverse to the left and the pillar has an overhanging section that requires some good and precise placements of the tools. The last meters to the belay are wet and the ice funky. Steve is coming up and Spindrift is all around us. The season FA of the Pencil is done. We decide to enjoy a bit longer the ambiance of this oncoming bad weather and when we finish the last rappels in a dramatic sunset I know why I am here: To feel my life in every breath ! To look with dear friends outward together in the same direction and climb towards the sky…
my deepest thanks to tanja heike steve and ann for their friendship !
from left to right: Matthias Scherer, Tanja Schmitt, Ann Dalton, Heike Schmitt and Steve Swenson - picture © Matthias Scherer