Roadside Wall Rock Guide Updates

Roadside Wall: This is the fourth in a regular series showcasing the new rock climbing routes in the West Kootenay Region of south-central British Columbia. For written descriptions of these and other routes, download the West Kootenay Rock Guide updates.

 

Surfing in the Arctic

I just finished a blog post for GuideAdvisor about photographer Chris Burkard and his trip to the arctic circle with filmmaker Chadd Konig and professional surfers Patrick Millin and Brett Barley. The fact they all braved freezing temperatures to go surfing in the arctic is pretty amazing and I had to share the video here as well.

I’m very familiar with the frigid temperatures of the North Atlantic. About eight years ago a rogue wave overturned my sea kayak in the 0°C waters off Random Island near Clarenville, Newfoundland, and I would describe the feeling of the ocean water rushing into my 5mm wetsuit as “painfully euphoric.” I say that because one second I was warm and cozy in the cockpit and the next second razor-sharp ice cubes were dousing every single fibre of my being. It happened so fast my reptilian brain went into overdrive and I was suddenly hyper-aware: colours became sharper; moments became longer; I could hear a sea gull flying 100 feet above me.

Luckily I was with 2 other guys and they helped me by performing a “T” rescue but my hyper-awareness stayed with me until we hit the shoreline. Then it all came crashing down. The adrenaline, the cortisol and all the other “flight or freeze” survival chemicals in my body dissipated and that night I slept like the dead for 11 hours straight.

To voluntarily jump into the waters of the world’s northern-most oceans takes a certain kind of bravery. And I’m positive these surfers slept well after this adventure.

Gotham City Rock Guide Updates

 


Gotham City: This is the third in a regular series showcasing the new rock climbing routes in the West Kootenay Region of south-central British Columbia. For written descriptions of these and other routes, download the West Kootenay Rock Guide updates.

Squatter’s Bluff Rock Guide Updates

This is the second in a regular series showcasing the new rock climbing routes in the West Kootenay Region of south-central British Columbia. For written descriptions of these and other routes, download the West Kootenay Rock Guide updates.

New Route in the Valhallas is one of the Hardest

 

For the past three years David Lussier of Summit Mountain Guides and I have projected a new route on the little south face of Gimli Peak in the Valhalla Mountains. It’s a line that’s noticeable from afar and we thought the corner crack on the upper headwall was going to be incredible. And it is. But it’s also seamed out and very, very hard. My favourite memory from all our attempts is Dave, while on lead, drilling one of the  bolts that’s required on the protection-less part of the 3rd pitch – he got tired and took his daisy chain and clipped himself to the drill bit that was still embedded in the rock…and rested! (Do not try that at home.)

A description of one of our attempts made it into Kootenay Mountain Culture magazine in my “KMC Rock Wars article” but the moves on the third pitch kept eluding us. Then, on October 7, Dave and Jason Luthy from Sandpoint, Idaho, successfully did the crux pitch clean. Here is a description of the route:

Valhalla Gold   5.12a
This climb is located on the shorter, south-facing wall that leads to the true Gimli summit. If you are looking at the prow of Gimli (the south ridge) it is the shorter wall back and to the right (east) where the descent route starts. Access: from the “beach” hike to the South Ridge route then traverse right (east) about 100m around the base. Scramble up a grassy (or snowy depending on the season) ramps towards the upper east-facing basin below Gimli peak. Ascend to the base of the East-facing couloir, seperating the upper south ridge and the main summit of Gimli. Take a double rack to #2s. All stations are bolted and it is possible to rappel the route with 2 ropes. P1: Start from a ledge 10m right of the gully separating the 2 summits of Gimli above a short green colored wall. Climb up following the prow of a broad grey buttress. (5.9 40m) P2: Climb up and left past a small pine tree and the left side of a 5m high detached pillar. Continue up and left to a beautiful hand crack in a shallow, right-facing corner and eventually a small overhang near the top. (5.10- 40m) P3: Climb the thin crack above passing a 2 fixed pitons. Continue up the steep wall following the thin crack past 5 bolts. Beautifully exposed. (5.12a 45m) P4: Climb up a right-facing corner with a small bolt-protected roof near the top. Harder than it looks. (5.10+ 25m) P5: trad. Climb up and left through easier ground to the summit. Beaware of large loose blocks. (5.4 25m) (FA: D Lussier, V Hempsall,  B Sawyer ’12. FFA: D Lussier, J Luthy ’14)

Vince at the 2nd belay

Dave on the crux pitch

Dave on the crux pitch

Dave at the summit

Dave at the summit

How To Keep Healthy and Active as the Cold Weather Approaches

I just finished a post for Mountain Trek about how to stay active and healthy now that the days are getting shorter and the temperature is dropping. The first tip in the blog definitely struck a chord with me because I gave up coffee for this month. I’m not a huge coffee drinker (I might have two double espressos in the morning) but I don’t drink it in the afternoons nor do I drink caffeine-rich drip coffee.

In fact, it’s a common misconception that espresso has more caffeine in it but one 2 oz double espresso shot has about 80 milligrams of caffeine, whereas a 12 oz brewed coffee has about 120 milligrams.

However, the caffeine headache I had after giving up coffee on October 1st lasted 3 days! Three days! It definitely makes me re-evaluate my morning cuppa ritual. (But it’s so damn yummy though!) Thankfully the headaches are over and I’m swilling a caffeine-free barley malt drink every morning. Whether this will continue on Nov 1st remains to be seen.

Avoiding more hot caffeinated beverages like coffee in the cooler months is just one tip for health as we head into the winter. Here are nine more listed in the Mountain Trek blog. Oh, and there’s a delicious Pumpkin Beef Chili recipe in there as well!

Danny Macaskill’s Done It Again

Freestyle and freeride mountain bike sensation Danny Macaskill’s latest video showcases the Isle of Skye and it’s sick: the epic landscape shots and amazing tricks along precarious ridge lines make it one of the best mountain bike shorts ever.  However, one of the best parts of the film is towards the end where we see him ram his front tire into a paddock fence and front flip over it. This guy’s a legend.

Whirlwind Wall Rock Guide Updates

This is the first in a regular series showcasing the new rock climbing routes in the West Kootenay Region of south-central British Columbia. For written descriptions of these and other routes, download the West Kootenay Rock Guide updates.