Gripped: The Climbing Magazine June/July 2022 Vol. 24 Issue 3

During my first trip to Skaha in 2001 I realized that having a rack of cams and nuts would give me so many more options to climb. I was at the Great White Wall on a busy Easter weekend with several friends, none of whom trad climbed, but I’d carried in a hefty rack anyway. With climbers dangling from 5.13 sport routes and line-ups forming on the more moderate bolted lines, I thumbed through the guidebook in search of some crack options. Skaha has dozens of worthwhile cracks, but I didn’t want to drag a partner too far from the action, so I focused in on the White Walls. There were five or six routes that looked interesting, but it was Eyrily Hanging Out, a 32-metre 5.11a corner crack that…

Arc’teryx Sinsola $65 A stylish, light and breathable hat that packs down to fit into the pocket of your cragging bag. Metolius PAS 22 $45 Personal anchor systems are becoming more popular. Why not use something designed for the task instead of just a few quickdraws clipped together? The PAS 22 is super durable with double-wrapped 11-mm webbing. The chain-link-style build makes it adjustable and easy to use. Black Diamond Prime Approach Shoes $134 Approach shoes don’t need to be over-built. Less weight makes them easier to carry on the route. The Prime has a suede upper, a rubber toe protector and a sticky rubber sole. They excel when moving through talus and pounding up steep hills. Camp Photon Wire Rack Carabiner $58 The Photons are light, full-size carabiners, perfect…

Jordy Shepherd is a mountain guide based in Canmore who’s been involved in dozens of search and rescue calls over the years. His work experience includes being a Canadian Avalanche Association (CAA) course leader for avalanche search and rescue, a provincial park ranger, a national park warden, a mountain and industrial rescue specialist, a heli-skiing operations manager and much more. What are the basics climbers should know about rescue? Be prepared to be self-sufficient and self-rescue. Get the equipment and training for self- and companion-rescue and take a wilderness first aid course. At the very least, be able to call out for help (have one, or preferably two, reliable forms of communication) and stay comfortable for up to 48 hours if weather or other factors delay rescue. If an accident…

5.13 Trad Onsight Norwegian climber Mari Augusta Salvesen made quick work of the Indian Creek test-piece Belly Full of Bad Berries 5.13 on Critic’s Choice wall. The route was first climbed in 1997 by Brad Jackson. The route overhangs 45 degrees and follows a 25-metre offwidth. In 2019, Salvesen made the first female ascent of the burly Ray’s Roof E7 6c at Baldstones in Staffordshire, which was first climbed by visiting American Ray Jardine in 1977. The horizontal offwidth crack remains a gritstone test-piece and is one of the hardest of its kind in the U.K. Some of Salvesen’s other impressive climbs, include The Shield C4/A3 on El Capitan. Master’s Edge E7 6b in the Peak District, U.K., Misanthropie V11 in Fontainebleau and Byrkjedalsfossen WI5+ 350 m in Rogaland, Norway.…

New Quebec Mixed Climb Jean Francois Girard climbed a difficult new 35-metre mixed route in Percé that he called Le Gnocchi du Cardinal at M9 WI5+. “The upper ice was fractured, melted and in snowy conditions,” he said. “This was a dream line, because we believed for a long time that rock was too poor to accept bolts and tools; we were wrong.” Jean Francois Girard and Carl Darveau also established Le Pic de L’Aurore M8+WI5 185 m in Percé. Eiger North Face Solo Austrian alpinist Laura Tiefenthaler soloed the North Face of the Eiger, making her possibly only the second woman to do so after Catherine Destivelle’s historic solo in 1992, exactly 30 years ago. “Reaching the Traverse of the Gods at 10 a.m., I knew that time was…

Pixie Corner is one of Squamish’s most classic 5.8 trad climbs. The dual cracks climb a short corner on a southwest facing cliff at the Smoke Bluffs. It’s long been a favourite among visiting climbers and locals. It was first climbed in 1978 by Joe Buszowski and Paul Fodchuck. Thanks to its relatively short height of 14 metres, this is a nice option for 5.7 trad climbers looking to push their leading grade. The crux can stop you in your tracks, but don’t overthink it and continue moving past the small roof to a good rest. If you go to climb it this summer, just remember that stemming the corner is easier than jamming it. For gear, you need cams to 1.5 inches and medium nuts. There are anchors with…