Icefield Adventures addon: The Rampart Creek Hostel

De plaats waar we sliepen tijdens ons Icefield Parkway avontuur was het HI Rampart Creek Wilderness Hostel, ergens langs de Parkway. Een behoorlijk afgelegen plek, zonder elektriciteit - uitgezonderd recent geïnstalleerde LED verlichting op zonneënergie - geen Internet en geen stromend water.


Kookvuur en verwarming waren op gas, water kon uit de beek - Rampart Creek - gehaald worden, en de WC was grootmoeders stijl in een apart hok een eindje wandelen van de andere gebouwen.

Behoorlijk basic dus, maar in orde. Bovendien was er een sauna, die je eerst zelf lange tijd moest warm stoken met hout, maar die we toch 2 keer benut hebben. Om af te koelen bij de sauna was er sneeuw genoeg voorhanden.

De gardien was een jonge gast met dreadlocks, een heel relaxte, fijne kerel, die het onder meer cool vond om in de meer dan een meter hoge sneeuw een kampvuur te maken.

Icefield Adventures #3 : Panther Falls

The day after Weeping Wall, of course the weather was all clear, but we were somewhat tired.



Because of all the fresh snow, a lot of possible climbing spots were out of order due to avalanche danger. Some of them weren't, among them the Panther Falls, a not so high waterfall over some kind of a cave that can be climb on both the outside and the inside. The outside had a lot of fresh snow, but the inside offered a lot of possibilities.

The Panther Falls cave is also home to one of - if not the - the world's hardest mixed routes: Musashi. No chance we would get much higher than one single meter in it, but we had the luck to see 2 Scottish climbers - Malcolm Kent & Rob Gibbons - working in it, and doing quite well to say.



So we spent more time watching them and taking pictures, than actually climbing that nice little pillar on the right side of the cage...

Icefield adventures #2: The Weeping Wall

Having enough of long approaches and eager to get to the #1 on our checklist, we went for the (Lower) Weeping Wall on tuesday.



The plan is to alternate leading the multipitch, C1sc0 taking the first lead. The ice is less brittle than what we got the days before, not wet too, and the temperature is within the acceptable range. When you are standing right in front of it, the Weeping Wall looks less high, steep and threathening too. All very encouraging...


But after the second pitch, which I lead, and which has brought us into steeper and more brittle ice, C1sc0 doesn't feel like leading anymore. Following is alright he says, so we decide to continue, me leading. To ease our mind and stamina, and to diminish rope friction, we try to not make too long pitches. It has begun to snow lightly, but continuously - it won't stop anymore for the rest of the day, bringing us more than 15 centimeters of fresh snow..

The third pitch is a rather long one, bringing me on an almost hanging belay, with very little place to stand. The fourth pitch begins with some more steep and sometimes brittle ice, leading me onto a less steep snow field with lots of fresh snow on an unreliable crust of frozen snow, sounding a bit hollow. I find some good ice at the top of it, time for the fourth belay. The top seems to get nearer...

Looking up, a short piece of good looking ice leading to some kind of cave seems to introduce the final bit of steep ice under the top, marked by the small tree we have been focussing from beneath. While climbing this small tree has grown larger and larger, but never seemed to come nearer though...
The "good looking" ice turns out to be the most rotten crap I climbed on so far, and even while I'm not climbing straight up, C1sc0 gets tons of it. He tries to hide under the backpack, his only hope being a cleaned up way to follow.
I thought to make it to the top in this fifth pitch, but the crap makes me halt for a last intermediate belay in the little caveish thing I reach, the best belay so far, as I got shelter for the snow and wind now.


The worrying thing though is the last steep piece of ice. It looks like WI5 - and it probably is - but I know the top tree is near, and I've done it before. Before I start climbing again, I ask C1sc0 to keep silent, as I know even the best meant encouragement will piss me off while leading this.
Having cleared my mind as good as possible, I start off, traversing a meter to the left, and then up vertically. No Pockets to hook, and all I chop comes down. I can have it brittle, I can have it steep, but this combination after five strenuous pitches... it's too much!
I retreat to the belay. I remember what we saw from the last belay, and how the crust of snow and rotten ice has lead me to the cave, and I realize I must traverse to the left to reach little less steep ice. The traverse is awkward, my axes searching a hold on the vertical inhospitable ice pillars, my feet trying to find a grip in the loose crap. But after a few meters, I reach some cauliflower ice inviting me up, so I ascent the last meters to the snow slope at the top. There's nothing but rocks beneath this snow, so one last little challenge before I can walk to the little belay tree, which turns out to be a huge pine tree with half a meter diameter!


While I am securing C1sc0 up, my emotions are getting to strong. Is a man allowed to weep on the Weeping wall?

I am weeping... the snow, the brittle ice, the steep ice, the rotten ice, having to lead all the way,... I don't know. But I am glad I made it. This must be my most extreme climb ever, I don't need more than this!

Icefield adventures #1: Lady Wilson's Cleavage

On day one of our Icefield Parkway wilderness adventure, we went for a nice long scramble called Lady Wilson's Cleavage, at Mount Wilson.




What was supposed to be an entertaining WI3 climb, turned out to be mostly a "snow stamping" (dutch: sneeuwstampen) trip. The small gully that should have offered us several steps of ice, was filled with snow completely, only leaving us 2 or 3 small steps we soloed, or didn't even needed or ice axes for. But the height difference and the deep snow were able to tire us anyway.

The gully ended in a steep snow field surounded by a wide curtain of icefalls, Wilson Major, which we had planned to climb too. But we were not feeling at ease on the avalanche prone snowfield - and we were right about that! - and the ice was very britle. Also the still imminent cold was eating us, so after a little try we decided to descent.


I must say the descent took us far less time than estimated, although descending steep snow slopes is historically not my favorite - this is an understatement - so we had some time left to go throw a first look at the famous Weeping Wall before heading for the Rampart Creek Hostel.

Wilderness Adventures

We're back from our 3 days' wilderness adventure!

All is OK, although we are definitely in need of a good shower now.
A more detailed rapport of our adventure - I guess you could call it that - will follow later on, but I want to call out now:

We climbed Weeping Wall!!

Needed a rest

After the Murchison adventure yesterday, we could use a day of rest, and so we did... almost nothing today.

Tomorrow the weather forecast is getting better again, and we plan to get up early for another Icefields Parkway climb. We will spend the next couple of nights in a hostel closer to our objects of desire, like the Mosquito Creek Hostel and the Rampart Creek Hostel, where there most probably will be no Internet connection available.

In other words: expect some radio silence now...

Reatreat on Murchison falls

I knew something was up the moment he strapped me on his backpack & took me out in the freezing pre-dawn cold. Being not afraid of cold is in my very nature, but this was something entirely unlike what I'd experienced before.

There was talk of unusual cold on the drive up to Murchison's falls, the target those two crazy m.f.'s had set for today. "-27" they read out loud from the car dash, but somehow it hadn't registered with me while I dozed off on the one hour drive between Lake Louise & Mt. Murchison.

"Nah, let's go anyway. Let's hope the sun warms things up a bit during the day." Stupid fucks. I'm going to break something in blade-shattering cold like this. It's not like I'm not built to withstand freezing temperatures. But metal, just like ice becomes brittle when it gets colder. I try to explain this to them, but to no avail. They are determined.

This kind of cold gets into you, especially if you're being hauled up a mountain, unable to move while you're strapped to a backpack. At least the carabiners, crampons, rope & assorted crap needed in my master's pointless pursuits stay cozy & warm in the confines of that big vinyl bag. Oh well, at least I get to enjoy the view.

My masters have something big in mind because the approach seems to continue forever, first up a frozen riverbed, then on higher ground through a pine forest and finally onto a debris-strewn field to the base of a hulk of a waterfall.

On the way up the sun peeps through the clouds for half an hour or so. So much for 'warming up' the day. I'm surprised to hear the shriek of small predator birds high above us hunting for what little wildlife is still stirring in the forest around us in these temperatures.

Now is my time for revenge, my masters have stopped walking, dropped the bags. They gaze up at the looming wall of ice & start 'organizing' their climbing stuff. I know the moment they stop walking in these temperatures hands, feet & every exposed piece of skin starts to freeze. That'll teach 'em for letting me dangle exposed in this cold for 2 hours !

It seems I'm right because soon enough my bossie picks me up with an unusually thickly gloved hand & as a bonus I hear him complain about cold feet. Humans vs. Axie Cold Test 1 - 1.

It seems he is determined in his malignant pursuit to break my blades as he scrambles up the debris field & starts whacking me in the cold hard ice of the easy lower pitch. Even though the climb is easy he decides to back down & rope up. I have a few more moments to prepare for the whackfest that is bound to ensue.

I notice things are different today. What would have been an easy pitch at decent temperatures takes an inordinate amount of effort. I can hear his heavy breathing as he pounds me into the ice, cleaning fist-deep patches of ice before getting proper purchase with my axe tips. At least the heavily cleaned bits of ice make great footsteps so the whole ordeal is just tiring, not dangerous or scary. Screwing in the protection also takes longer than usual. What a difference 20 degrees can make !

We both make it up the first easy pitch unshattered & after a long runout on a snowslope I am firmly planted in the ice to play my role as belaying aid. Since my masters are on running belay bossie uses me as an aid to waist belay his partner while he is setting up anchor at the same time. This was not in the book ...

We're both silent now as we start to cool down again after the exertion of the climb. Just waiting, freezing & taking in the amazing view while Francis belays Jo up a wet streaming patch of ice that is pitch 2. Liquid H2O at -20 ?! Wtf !?

At first, we take this wet patch of ice as a good sign. Easy on my frozen axe blades, easy on bossie's climbing. But then the invasion comes. Water dripping everywhere, streaming into Francis' clothes, instantly covering all things metal with a thin layer of ice. Carabiners clog up, the rope freezes solid, a thin sheet of ice is even covering my axe handles.

We make it up this second pitch & Francis immediately prepares to continue climbing, not wanting to waste time & get even colder. More easy wet ice at the bottom of the third pitch, we're getting colder & wetter with every step. And then suddenly, something breaks, bossie simply cannot take it anymore. He can take the cold, the fear & the wetness, but not all three at the same time ! This is just crazy ! Retreat !

I notice how the cold is messing with Francis' mind & body. All his actions slow down. He's fumbling with his gear, his gloves are frozen solid in a tell-tale 'claw', setting up the rappels seems to take forever.

We finally make it down safely & I can read the elation on his face as he poses next to the frozen solid ropes. We've made it.

Next time he threatens to take me out in this cold I'll loosen a screw, pop a bolt, break my shaft, shatter my blades. I'll do anything to convince him to stay in front of the cozy fireplace. Nothing below -15 for me anymore ! Is there a worker's union for ice axes? I'm sure it's illegal for us axes to work in these temperatures !

Koud!

De temperatuurmeter in de Jeep liegt er niet om: het was vandaag braa koud! Het is hier duidelijk ander weer dan in België.


Onder het mom van "het warmt wel op" zijn we toch vroeg opgestaan en de Icefield Parkway opgereden om Murchison Falls te beklimmen. Vergeet het ijs-sportklimmen! Dit is full-conditions! Na een uur autorijden en een aanloop van 2 uur bergop door de sneeuw stampen - en dan hadden we nog geluk dat er een duidelijk aangestampt spoor was! - konden we met half (?) bevroren vingers onze gordel en crampons aandoen en met koude tenen beginnen klimmen op het superbrosse ijs.



Cis klimt de eerste lengte voor, ik de tweede, maar als Cis op kop ongeveer halfweg de derde touwlengte zit, gaat het echt niet meer. De kou vergt te veel, en zelfs mijn goede en kwade aanmoedigingen "Allee, komaan!" "Maak dat ge boven zijt GVD!" helpen niks meer. Als Cis begint te braken is de beslissing snel genomen en wordt besloten tot de terugtrekking.
Uiteindelijk laat ik Cis zakken en klim zelf het stuk om de ijsvijzen al afklimmend te recupereren. Ik merk al gauw dat afklimmen op ijs toch ook niet alles is: je moet laag slaan en hoog je bijl uit het ijs krijgen. Maar het lukt en na de ijsvijsrelais om te bouwen tot abalakov raken we in 2 rappels veilig aan de voet van de waterval.

De tocht terug tot aan de auto verloopt zonder noemenswaardige problemen, maar intussen is het wel al de ganse tijd aan het sneeuwen en de weg ligt er nog iets winterser bij dan vanmorgen. Voor het eerst zijn we echt blij dat we een 4x4 gehuurd hebben! Bovendien is onder een bepaalde temperatuur sneeuw niet glad meer, zijn de banen hier een stuk breder dan bij ons, liggen er ook in de bergen bijna geen bochten in, dus kunnen we aan een redelijk tempo - 80km/h - terug rijden naar Lake Louise. De verwarming van de auto draait volle bak, en stilaan geraken we weer op temperatuur.

Het wordt nu wel duidelijk dat de randomfunctie van de cd-speler in de auto zijn eigen voorkeuren heeft op het mp3-cd'tje dat we gemaakt hebben voor als er geen radio-ontvangst is (wat wel eens gebeurt in dit weidse land). Alanis Morissette is duidelijk favoriet, en iedere keer de cd hapert na een oneffenheid in de weg, springt ie naar The Circle Game van Joni Mitchell.

Conclusie: als het te koud is of te hard sneeuwt, zullen we meer extra rustdagen inlassen.