Storm

Storm

The topo above describes the routes detailed in this post. For information about the routes Cloudburst and The Unconditioned, click here Mid February and I was back at the Stanley Glacier parking lot. All signs of travel led straight up to the headwall, but once again...
Fall 2023 Roundup

Fall 2023 Roundup

Fall ’23 Roundup A friend recently told me that his wife asked him, upon returning from an expedition, “Why do you want to climb so much right now, didn’t you just get back from a climbing expedition?” His response was, “Yes, but we didn’t do any climbing!” That much...
Serra Traverse

Serra Traverse

Some rad organizations supporting adventures in Canada made this trip possible: Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival (VIMFF) in coordination with Arc’teryx, and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) in coordination with Canadian Geographic....
Lunchlord Buttress

Lunchlord Buttress

“Any alpine route with one good pitch is destined to be a Rockies classic,” Maarten said, grinning. “And this one has at least six.” “The descent has to be quick and straight-forward to become a classic,” I replied. We had been on the move for some 16 hours, and were...
The Zone That Keeps On Giving (Choss)

The Zone That Keeps On Giving (Choss)

Although ice conditions were lean this winter in the rockies, calling it a bad season can mostly be chalked up to a lack of imagination. With many lifetimes of climbing potential across the range, we have a tendency to get focused on specific zones each season....
Naga – New Mixed at Storm Creek Headwall

Naga – New Mixed at Storm Creek Headwall

(Photo: Zac Colbran) NAGA (M8 WI5+) FA Grant Stewart, Ethan Berman. March 28,2022 Climb the first two pitches of Scar Tissue and traverse to a two-bolt belay beneath a black streak. Pitch 1: Climb ice blobs to reach bolted face climbing that continues up through roofs...
Who are the real mountain people?

Who are the real mountain people?

“An Exploratory Adventure to the Cordillera Real in Bolivia”. This title succeeded in winning Brian Houle and I funding for our expedition, but the significance of the words has changed in the last year and a half. We based our trip off a handful of photos taken...
Full Moon Corner and The Lower Flanks of Storm Mountain

Full Moon Corner and The Lower Flanks of Storm Mountain

Today out my window in downtown Canmore I watched it snow, and then rain, and then snow again, as if the seasons are colliding in the ring, throwing quick jabs back and forth, even though we all know who will inevitably be proclaimed victor in the next round. The fall...
A wee bit of bailing

A wee bit of bailing

` Since I started alpine climbing, which was not all that long ago, I’ve been relatively successful. For example, my first big expedition, which was to Bolivia, resulted in several new routes and a few other cool summits. On my second big trip we climbed the Cassin...
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