Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
Chris Jones
Social climber
Glen Ellen, CA
|
|
|
Nov 26, 2014 - 02:43pm PT
|
What was the story about the Goldline rope on Lowe & Glidden's 1972 ascent of the North Face? After all, Goldline had been pretty much superseded everywhere. As I recall George's story, some years before in Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, there was a fatal leader fall. Apparently the leader's rope ran over an edge or ridge and the kernmantel rope was severed. George, a physicist after all, believed that Goldline would be more resistant to such cutting forces.
I don't believe we climbed on "laid" ropes after about 1964. I distinctly remember buying such laid ropes in London for the sole purpose of taking them to Chamonix to sell to Snell Sports! Some European climbers apparently preferred them to the-then available kernmantel ropes. And we in turn bought European kernmantel ropes from Snell .....
This thread is making my palms sweat. Great narratives!
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
|
Nov 26, 2014 - 09:38pm PT
|
Nice to hear from you, Chris.
|
|
Chris Jones
Social climber
Glen Ellen, CA
|
|
|
Nov 27, 2014 - 07:41pm PT
|
Our first close-up view of Alberta's north face was both scary and humbling. In 1970 Denny Eberl, Gray Thompson and I hiked up the Athabasca River with the idea of climbing Alberta and then Columbia. Our plan was to outfox Alberta by attacking the black rock band at what appeared to be a point of weakness - the northwest ridge. The note from a 1963 Vulgarian party we found at our bivi was not encouraging: "Go back, go back to the pass, you will all be killed." After some reasonable climbing we found ourselves at the foot of a pillar of black rock. (Looking at the marked photo in Steve Swenson's account in the thread above, in profile to the right of the north face one can see a lesser-angled arete abut the final steepness; I believe we were at this point). In casting around leftwards for a better way we suddenly came upon a deathly view across the north face of Alberta. Suddenly with thousands of feet of incredible exposure thrust upon us we were awestruck. No one of us had ever done anything quite like this!
Our route on the pillar to the summit icefield seemed so near, but the situation was bad. No anchor worth a damn, and no protection to speak of. We backed off.
But a year or so later, Alberta's north face became a climb I badly wanted to try. Sidelined by a ski accident in 1972, I was stunned when I learned that George Lowe, my old climbing pal from Chamonix, had seized the prize. I realized that the Rockies were no longer a quiet backwater and that I had better get on with it.
In Lowe's account of the Alberta climb above, there is a rather fraught picture laconically titled: "Approaching the second pendulum on the complex pitch: Jock Glidden follows." As the above account makes clear, Lowe did all the significant leading on the headwall. Talking about the climb one day, George said of this picture. "When Jock got to the belay I was amazed to see he was not clipped into the jumars." Glidden was not a climber remotely at George's level. He evidently did not know how to use jumars, and to my knowledge had never climbed in Yosemite and learned contemporary techniques; skills you needed on these new Rockies climbs. This confidence in his ability, and his willingness to lead all the hard climbing, sets George apart in that era. Certainly, if I had had a chance to attempt Alberta in 1972, I would have wanted the strongest partner known to me. And that would have been George, or his cousin Jeff Lowe.
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
|
Nov 27, 2014 - 07:48pm PT
|
Climbing history at it's finest.
Many thanks, Chris.
|
|
AP
Trad climber
Calgary
|
|
|
Nov 28, 2014 - 11:32am PT
|
How did you feel, Chris, when you were at the base of North Twin?
|
|
Chris Jones
Social climber
Glen Ellen, CA
|
|
|
Nov 28, 2014 - 01:42pm PT
|
AP: Nervous.
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
|
Nov 30, 2014 - 08:29pm PT
|
Mt Alberta, North Face: Will Sim and Nick Bullock cont...
Many thanks to Will Sim
|
|
dave729
Trad climber
Western America
|
|
Dying on the north face Alberta?...Ok...can think
of several better places to cash in. Its all about the view you know.
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
Mt Alberta, North Face: Joshua Lavigne and Jason Kruk cont...
Thanks to Joshua Lavigne
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
Mt Alberta, North Face: Joshua Lavigne and Jason Kruk cont...
Thanks to Joshua Lavigne
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
This is from the 1985 Seventh Edition of The Rocky Mountains of Canada North by Robert Kruszyna and William L. Putnam.
This is a wonderful guide, and the enthusiastic politeness of its Canadian prose has you shaking your head with a big smile when you are out someplace knowing full well that a 7 sentence description of a major alpine face couldn't possibly prepare you for what you bought into. Yet there you are...
Here is what you would have read for Mount Alberta had you used this guide... from pages 128-129
Mount Alberta (3619m)
One of the finest peaks in the Rockies, a singular uplift that is difficult on all sides. The first ascent by the Japanese party was a notable achievement, marking the end of the era of first ascents of the major peaks in the Canadian Rockies. A spirited account of the historic FA may be found in AAJ 8-466.
FA July 1925, S. Hashimoto, H. Hatano, T. Hayakawa, Y. Maki, Y. Mita, N. Okabe, J. Weber, Hy Fuhrer, H. Kohler. E Face. Approach via Woolley Shoulder, skirting Little Alberta on the N where there is a small campsite. The line taken varies somewhat, but in general begins on the lower-angled SE slopes, where good bivouac sites may be found at approximately 2700m (snow melt water). One long day from the highway. An hour of scrambling takes one to the base of the black rock of the SE buttress. Traverse on easy ledges around to right (N), choosing a line that will lead to the summit ridge at the first prominent notch from its S end. Some parties have had success by aiming for the second notch. Serious route-finding problems on steep black rock. Follow the narrow summit crest N to a further 20m notch, where a rope is often left for return, and so to the top. 8 h from bivouac. Descent is usually made by a series of long rappels (10) starting from the southern most notch. IV (AJ 37-316; 374; AAJ 7-124, marked photo; CAJ 32-1).
2-N Face. One of the finest modern climbs yet established in the Rockies. Steep ice followed by steep rock. August 1972, J Glidden, G. Lowe. Approach via Woolley Shoulder and pass N of Little Alberta to gain shoulder on NE ridge (one day from highway). Descend a chimney to the glacier N of Alberta and cross to the foot of the face. Some 600m of ice climbing leads to the upper rocks, which initially are loose and moderately steep. The steep upper wall requires about 10 pitches, with some aid, to reach the summit icefields. FA party bivouacked twice; V, F9, A2 (CAJ 56-35).
|
|
Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
|
|
like all good guidebooks of the type, the best descriptions are how to get into the places for the adventure... I mention it because I have an image...
on pages 98 and 99
Approaches
Woolley Shoulder. This is the most commonly used approach at the N end of the Icefield. Although originally pioneered as an approach to Mount Alberta, this route also gives access to the N end of the Icefield and to peaks at the head of Athabasca River such as Mounts Columbia and King Edward. The canyon leading W to the 2900m Shoulder between Mount Woolley and Unnamed (Engelhard) is the first major one some 5 km N of Tangle Creek. Ford the Sunwapta River opposite the canyon, the place being marked by a small "island" of trees immediately W of the highway. Follow a now well-trodden trail along the S side of the creek to a vast morained basin (campsite at last greenery). Hike NW to gain glacier descending from saddle and follow its margin close under Mount Woolley. Ascend tortuous scree and nasty cliffs to Shoulder. 7-8 hours from highway. For Mount Alberta, descend in NW direction to pass Little Alberta on N. To reach Athabasca River, descend SE to pleasant meadows and then drop down into the valley of Habel Creek, passing Little Alberta on the S. (While it is also possible to reach Habel Creek by passing Little Alberta on the N, the descent of the headwall is problematical.) Follow Habel Creek (occasional vestiges of ancient trail) to its junction with Athabasca River; a long day from highway, From the pleasant meadows mentioned above, one can round the head of Habel Creek and ascend the glacier flowing between the two peaks of Mount Stutfield, thus gaining the Icefield.
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
How times have changed. Thanks Ed.
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
Mt Alberta, North Face: Joshua Lavigne and Jason Kruk cont...
Thanks to Joshua Lavigne
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
Mt Alberta, North Face: Joshua Lavigne and Jason Kruk cont...
Thanks to Joshua Lavigne
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
Mt Alberta, North Face: Joshua Lavigne and Jason Kruk cont...
Thanks to Joshua Lavigne
|
|
Stewart Johnson
climber
lake forest
|
|
Bumping to keep real climbing on the
Front page
|
|
Avery
climber
NZ
|
|
Mt. Alberta, Brazeau-Walsh. (1,000m, 5.11 M6)
On September 6 Jon Walsh and I forded the frigid waters of the Sunwapta River with a bit of food, lots of fancy-wrapped processed sugar/caffeine products, and high hopes for good conditions on the remote and seldom visited north face of Mt. Alberta. After a few hours of fitful sleep in Lloyd Mackay hut, we woke at midnight to brew coffee and oats. A full moon greeted us as we made our way to the rappels to the base of the face. However, the moon snuck behind the bulk of the mountain and, despite Jonny Red having rapped to the base before (and sketching out the same way due to poor conditions), we missed the rappel line, lightened our already skimpy rack, and increased our doubts. What are we doing here? Why can’t we just sport climb in the sun? Or drink coffee in the sun, for that matter? But with dawn comes fresh thoughts and psyche, as we get our first look at the face, which appears to be in perfect shape. There’s a weakness to the right of the Lowe-Glidden 1972 route (nice work boys!) that jumps out at us, and we have no need to discuss it. What a magnificent day!
Not a cloud in the sky, a pristine mountain environment, glaciers rolling down to valley bottom, seldom-seen and even less-visited alpine meadows and lakes, and not another soul for days.It feels so good to be here it’s a little disconcerting. I take a load off on the glacier as JR charges on, thinking (rightly, it turns out) that we won’t be sitting down for a while. By the time I catch up he’s racked and 15' off the deck, trailing a rope. Fired up! We simul the first few pitches to the big ice field, then put the ropes away and… what luck! The ice is perfect for one-swing sticks, and we move quickly to the base of the headwall. We rope up again and are engaged, swapping leads and finding perfect conditions: a fine balance of iced-up crack and good pick placements, warm enough for hands-on rock climbing but cold enough to keep the ice from delamming. What luck! How many factors had to come together to make for these conditions and for us to be here at this moment?
These thoughts roll around in my mind, tumbling with my doubts and fears as we slowly move upward. I don our one pair of rock shoes for a couple of pitches. Jon follows in his bootsand crampons; the aiders and ascenders stay in the pack. What luck! We top out on the summit ice field in the last rays of the day, only a few easy ice pitches to go. The fears and doubts ebb but leave that exhilarating buzz that will linger for days. Hugs on top, followed by some chocolate and a green tea brew. Jon finally gets to sit down after 21 hours on the go. The hazy sky dims the full moon, but the views of the Columbia Ice fields are incredible and inspire talk of future adventures. All we have to do now is get down one UGLY chossy descent, and watch the breaking of another new day as we stumble back to the hut 30 hours after leaving it.
How lucky we felt that everything came together and we were able to journey to the mountain, and on.
Chris Brazeau, Canada
|
|
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!