Louise Falls
min temp -10 deg. C, max temp -4 deg. C, 80m climbed. Total 1215m climbed.
After our little epic journey on the Professor Falls we were both feeling pretty tired so we decided to drive up to Lake Louise. We did a little climbing on Louise Falls in the afternoon. I led the bottom part (70m or so) in one pitch which proved to be more 'interesting' than expected. For a starter our 60m rope was obviously not long enough so the last part had to be simulclimbed. The ice on the bottom part was a little brittle but I charged through it carefuly protecting it on ice screws knowing that the top part'd be easy & would need less ice screws. Not stopping to set up belay I continued climbing the second pitch up soggy wet ice with 2 ice screws & Jo simulclimbing below me when rope stretch was reached. In these moments the trust you have built up in your partner on previous climbs really pays off. A slip of either of us would've been dicey but the terrain was easy enough to simply keep moving.
We set up belay & two wet rappels brought us back down to the flatland life on Lake Louise: horse-drawn sleds with tourists from the Chateau Hotel gawking at those two crazy guys coming down *their* tourist attraction.
After our little epic journey on the Professor Falls we were both feeling pretty tired so we decided to drive up to Lake Louise. We did a little climbing on Louise Falls in the afternoon. I led the bottom part (70m or so) in one pitch which proved to be more 'interesting' than expected. For a starter our 60m rope was obviously not long enough so the last part had to be simulclimbed. The ice on the bottom part was a little brittle but I charged through it carefuly protecting it on ice screws knowing that the top part'd be easy & would need less ice screws. Not stopping to set up belay I continued climbing the second pitch up soggy wet ice with 2 ice screws & Jo simulclimbing below me when rope stretch was reached. In these moments the trust you have built up in your partner on previous climbs really pays off. A slip of either of us would've been dicey but the terrain was easy enough to simply keep moving. 
We set up belay & two wet rappels brought us back down to the flatland life on Lake Louise: horse-drawn sleds with tourists from the Chateau Hotel gawking at those two crazy guys coming down *their* tourist attraction.
posted by Anonymous at
8:19 PM
