Climbing!!!

I've just spent 10 days climbing in the Canadian Rockies. After rock climbing for 3 days, Timmy, J (another instructor from the centre I work at) and I climbed the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains, Mount Robson. This was pretty intense. The hike in is 12km and the overall heigth gain is 10,000ft - thats more than from Everest base camp to Everest summit! We climbed it in a 44hour trip, van to van.

Our stupid plan worked. At 8pm we set off from the van and did the hike, frigid river crossing and 5000ft of ascent in the dark. We only got 1hours sleep and then it was dawn so the three of us simul-soloed up 3000ft of rock and ice. The photo of Timmy and J on ice is where we roped up. After the butress we came to the feared Gargoyled ridge. We had a stop for a cup of tea here (what else was there to do?). The Gargoyles are feared because you traverse 1km of knife edge ridge with 8000ft drops down either side. The crest of the ridge has crazy and unstable ice formations - the Gargoyles - that you have to weave your way through.

We summited 25hrs after leaving the van. As it was getting dark and we couldn't see the descent we dug a trench in the snow and covered it with a tarp. Needless to say it was very cold all night so we got no sleep. The descent was tiring but we were rather pleased with ourselves.

After two days rest we did the first ascent of the 2000ft East face of Mount Cline. This is now the hardest mountain rock route in the David Thompson Corridor! The photo is of J and Timmy below the hardest pitch up the summit headwall.

Hope you're all well

Torran