Tag Archives: trad

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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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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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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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

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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

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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

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Ensakwatch Enchainment

Trip Date: September 19th, 2022 Participants: Noah Macdonald, Will Raleigh-Smith On Sunday, September 18th at around 3pm, Will asked if I was free to climb the next day — he was itching to get on some alpine rock before the … Continue reading

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Climbing Skywalker (5.8) in Memory of Will Ungar

Trip Date: October 16 Participants: Avery Soule, Evan Wong, Henry Stensland, Sonia Landwehr On September 2, 2022, our friend Will Ungar passed away in a climbing accident. There is so so much that could be said about Will, and much … Continue reading

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Hitting the Deck on a Top 100 “Protected” 5.9

Sunday, Oct 6: Having just learned trad at Rock Party the week before, I’ve been eager to get out to Squamish and practice leading on as many climbs as I can before heading off on a five-month Arctic excursion with … Continue reading

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