Rogers Pass

Well after seeing the conditions currently out at Rogers Pass I think im going to hang up the picks for a while... Today we headed up the Connaught drainage and up to Ursus where the skiing was sick! 50cm blower snow. Despite being dusted when couloir 4 off Cheops ran to the valley, the snow on south aspect was pretty solid. Going back tomorrow.

Game On

Well it may come as a supprise for you pulling down on the fine rock stone down south but the winter season is officially here!  The ice climbing in the Rockies has been struggeling to get going since late october and finaly in the past week it seem there is enough quality ice routes out there to call it, Game on!  

In the past couple weeks the few local climber bretheren and I have enjoyed few jem's such as Nemisis and The Socerer.  GET OUT THERE! 

The Socerer

Mount Bell

Petit Dru

Some the wildest people I have ever met have been in Chamonix, noumerous people making attempts the ski K2 or Fripper whos goal is to ski Everest and K2 this year!  Or most recently the Norwegian duo of wingsuit jumpers and their american friend who between being the leader in turbine technology makes money by jumping off large buildings in a school girl outfit.  Respect!  

Over beers one of the Norwegians and I got talking about the the Petite Dru and we decided to head up the American direct tomorrow the see if he could fly off of the thing.  Unfortunately upon reaching the base it looked like the only jumpable section would probly not be reachable since it layed the massive rock scared area.  So we decied to head up to the top of the rappable section and spend the night on the wall.  The climbing was amazing! Cant wait to climb the route to the top.    Sorry no photos the Norwegian has them.  

 

Kuffner Ridge

Assuming one manages to get out for the cafe or boulangerie (land of fabulous baked goods) to head up on the the mountian (20 min gondola ride) one is faced with the problem which can be more difficulty than the climbing it self: Deciding what to climb!  The mountains here are so jam packed with goodies one can spend half their stay flipping through guides or speaking to the lady at the maison de la mountagne (climbing beta office...sweet) just trying to decide what to do.  So after a week of deliberation and acclimatization routes Pete and I decided to head up the Kuffner ridge on Mount Maudit.   Was a good choice!

The Fouche bivi

Euro Pine

After another summer spent training for another ACMG guides exam im not sure how I figured it would be a good idea to fly to another country and go be cold on big mountains for another month.  Clearly the more sensible thing would have been to go sport climbing or surfing in some lovely tropical destination .  But nevertheless the thought of splitter granite, telepheriques, pain au chocolat, brie and cheap wine lured me back to Chamonix for a month of alpine climbing and im STOKED

      Mont Blanc North Face

    

The Ice Cave at the top of the Aiguille du Midi

  

       The righteous Aiguille du Midi

Pointe Lachenal (5.10) and the Tacul

About time...

Well I have been working (or at least telling myself I have been) on making a blog for about a year now.  Usually I spend 5 minutes trying to set up the title and run in to technical problems and give up for another couple of weeks.   As you can see I have now somehow figured out how to make the title and even put a photo there (the climber is not me its local bad ass John Freeman climbing some real sketch) so I now have no more reasons to keep procrastinating and no choice other than to start littering the internet with my thoughts and recaps of recent adventures.  

Hope you enjoy...