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Author Archives: Noah Macdonald
A Long Walk in the Dark: A Single-Push Base-to-Base Spearhead Traverse
TRIP DATES: March 6th – 7th, 2025 PARTICIPANTS: Erik Reimers, Evan Wong, Noah Macdonald BACKGROUND: The Spearhead The Spearhead Traverse is a classic ski mountaineering route in Garibaldi Provincial Park. It is a horseshoe-shaped circuit that links Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains. The … Continue reading
Posted in Ski, Trip Reports
Tagged overnight, Ski Mountaineering, ski touring, ski traverse, Spearhead, Spearhead Traverse, Speed Traverse, Type 1 fun, type 2, type 2 fun
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Yamophilia
Yamophilia /jæmˈoʊfɪliə/ (noun) A love of or obsession with the mountain officially known as Mount Laurie (better known as Mount Yamnuska: a name borrowed from the Stoney Nakoda name Îyâmnathka, meaning “flat-faced mountain”). Yamnuska (abbreviated as “Yam”) is the birthplace … Continue reading
Posted in Climb, Trip Reports
Tagged Alberta, Alpine Climbing, choss, climbing, Epic, rock climbing, Rockies, Thunderstorm, trad, Type 1 fun, type 2, type 2 fun, Yamnuska
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What makes an alpine climb a classic? [Revised January 2025]
Introduction This essay and collection of trip reports were originally published in VOCJ66 (2023-24, pp. 62-80). Since publication, I’ve had a chance to refine the ideas in the essay portion; I now think that my previous category of an “aesthetic classic” … Continue reading
Posted in Climb, Ski, Trip Reports
Tagged Alpine Climbing, Banff, Bugaboo Provincial Park, classics, Epic, essay, North Cascades, Rockies, Ski Mountaineering, ski touring, trad, Type 1 fun, type 2 fun
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Daughter of Drytool 2024
Trip Date: Nov. 13th, 2024 Participants: Noah Macdonald, Peter Gledhill, Hannah Saarimaki, Xinran Cai, Trevor Breen, Nicole Lopez, Lucas Braun §1 | Trip Report Daughter of Drytool is the VOC’s annual introductory drytooling trip (and drytooling is the practice of climbing … Continue reading
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The Fellowship of the Sling (First Ascents in the Tolkien Range)
TRIP DATES: Nov 1st-3rd, 2024 PARTICIPANTS: Ethan Somji, James Maltman, & Noah Macdonald This trip report is divided into two sections: an actual TR with details of our shenanigans, and a separate entry with beta on our new* routes. — … Continue reading
Posted in Climb, Huts, Trip Reports
Tagged Alpine Climbing, BC, Brian Waddington Hut, first ascent, mixed climbing, Phelix, Phelix Hut, shadowfax, Snow, Tolkien Range, Type 1 fun, Waddington Hut, Winter Climbing
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The Greenwood Jones [V, TD, 5.10, 1300m] on the North Face of Mt Temple
§1 | INTRODUCTION The North Face of Mt Temple provides one of the more dramatic views along Highway 1. It rises ~1300m from base to summit, providing a world-class backdrop for visitors to the Lake Louise area. Often likened to the … Continue reading
Posted in Climb, Trip Reports
Tagged Alpine Climbing, climbing, Epic, Glacier, Lake Louise, Lightning, Mount Temple, Rockies, summer, Thunderstorm, trad
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Mt Tupper South Rib Integral and The Hermit Gendarme
Trip Date: July 9th-10th, 2024 Participants: Noah Macdonald, Austin Goodine 1 | CONTEXT After climbing the NW Ridge of Mt. Macdonald, the South Rib of Tupper was next on my list. Despite receiving the same grade (5.8) in the guidebook, … Continue reading
Posted in Climb, Trip Reports
Tagged Alpine Climbing, Fast and Light, Rogers Pass, trad
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Mt Macdonald Northwest Ridge Integral
Trip Date: June 21st-22nd, 2024 Participants: Noah Macdonald, Seton Kriese 1 | CONTEXT Rogers Pass holds a special place in my heart. Soaring quartzite summits and ridges hold beautiful alpine climbing and scrambling in the summer and the transitional … Continue reading
Posted in Climb, Trip Reports
Tagged Alpine Climbing, Fast and Light, Rogers Pass, trad
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A Ski Descent of Mt Robson (Kain Face via the Patterson Couloir)
Trip Date: May 7th-10th, 2024 Participants: Noah Macdonald, Charles-Antoine Leblanc Summitting and skiing Mount Robson has been a dream of mine for longer than I can remember. On May 9th, I finally made that dream come true. Brevity is a virtue … Continue reading
Posted in Climb, Ski, Trip Reports
Tagged Alpine Climbing, alpine start, Epic, Mount Robson, overnight, Rockies, Ski Mountaineering, ski touring, Spring touring
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Pacific Spirit Ultramarathon
Date: March 24th, 2024 Participants: Noah Macdonald, Alex Beauchemin, Ine Østmo, Maiya Callister, Sean McKay TRIP REPORT: On March 24th, 2024, five VOCers set out to cover every trail in Pacific Spirit Park in a single push. No one in … Continue reading
Posted in Other, Trip Reports
Tagged Pacific Spirit, Running, trail running, ultramarathon
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