Category Archives: Climb

Scrambling, Rock Climbing, Mountaineering, Ice Climbing

The Art of Bailing

CONTENT WARNING: This article involves discussions of death in the mountains. Skip section 1 to avoid the heaviest discussion of the subject. §1 | INTRODUCTION People often describe certain skills as an art. In this sense, there is an art … Continue reading

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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

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Puttering Around In The Cold (Climbing Ice In The Canadian Rockies)

What follows is a barely coherent account of the trip Noah Macdonald and I took out to the Rockies over reading break, with a guest appearance by Evan Wong that was unfortunately cut short by unforeseen circumstances. In the end, … Continue reading

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Responsible & Prudent Behaviour (The North Face of Sky Pilot)

  In late November 2024, Noah Macdonald and I were feeling somewhat mountain deprived. We concluded that the cure for this affliction was to go climb something. After some deliberation, Noah proposed we have a crack at the north face … Continue reading

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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

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Wedge Mountain! (via NE Arete)

This gallery contains 15 photos.

Having talked about some amazing Sea To Sky objectives since first year, I had been very interested in getting into the mountaineering scene in Vancouver. With a favourable weather and avalanche window, I thought Mt Wedge would be a worthy … Continue reading

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Winter Ascent: Stewart Pk NE Couloir and Baby Munday S Ridge

Trip dates: 18 -19 January, 2025 Trip participants: Evan Beatty, Nick Hindley Winter ascent of two routes in the Cheam Range; the NE Couloir of Stewart Pk and the South Ridge of Baby Munday. Good access via logging roads then … Continue reading

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Reading Break Rocks (and the Epic on Epinephrine)

Written by Julian Larsen All photo credits to Evan Wong    Reading break was coming around, and everyone was excited for the somewhat annual trip to Smith Rock. The crowded clubroom was filled with excitement as eager climbers talked about … Continue reading

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Bow Valley Blues

Written by Julian Larsen Summer 2024   Prologue In spring I had heard whispers from Nick Ayers and Evan Wong about a big Rockies trip. Evan had a photoshoot for Monod Sports in Banff, and had a list of objectives … 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

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