The President

In July 2014, the ACC Toronto Section held a summer mountaineering camp in Yoho with many alpine peaks within a day's climb of the Stanley Mitchell Hut.

The highest peak in the area is The President which goes at 3,138 m (10,293 ft), so of course we had to climb it and enjoy the morning sunrise.

Vice President on the left ... The President on the right ... The glacier in between.

Soon, or actually hours later, we scrambled up to the summit and WOW what a view!

As we headed down towards the col, the Vice President was waiting for us in the distance and another team was making their way up to the summit (using our steps in the sun softened snow).

The descent to the col was tricky in places and we had to remember that we were far from the hut so some caution was in order.

The route up the Vice President looks "easy" but the steepening slope up to the ridge with a long drop below meant we were entering "short-roped, don't screw up" territory.

Once at the top, we could look back and see our route up the ridge to the summit of The President.

The journey back down was a 1,000 metre descent with a few "objective hazards" like potential rock fall and the odd crevasse along the way.

Finally we made it back to the hut to refuel on real food; what a day in the mountains!

Go Q-Free Today!

Feeling tired lately?  Lethargic?  Do you dread meal time more than before?  Has your family or significant other gone vegetarian, vegan or (... God forbid ...) gluten free???

Is your dinner plate starting to look more like this ...

and less like this ...?

Well folks, you may be getting too much "quinoa" in your diet and not enough "gluten".

Unless you're one of those very, very rare individuals who is actually allergic to the gluten protein, it's time to man up and go "quinoa free" (or Q-Free or QF) and put that tasty gluten protein back in your diet.  You'll feel better and start looking forward to meal time.  Plus you'll have more zip in your step and a smile on your face.

And don't just go "quinoa free" at home.  Look for "QF" on the supermarket labels when you go shopping.  Also look for "QF" on the menu list when travelling and avoid those items listed with "GF" or "gluten free".  You may even see "XG" for "extra gluten" at finer dinning establishments.  That's what you really want!

Go "quinoa free".  You'll be glad you did!

Reflections

Instead of rushing around from day to day and always seeming to be pressed to get things done at work, with family or with friends, for the past few months I've had some time to reflect on a number of things such as:

• What activities do I really enjoy?
• Who do I cherish being with?
• What do I want to do right now?
• Where would I like to live?
• What would I like to do in the future (when the opportunity presents itself)?
• What would I like to accomplish in the next 30 years?
• Where would I like to be in the next 30 years?

It got me thinking about the people that I know and the things that they continue to do despite their advancing years.  With a healthy lifestyle, good mobility, reasonable genetics, a dash of good fortune and smart decision making, it seems that outdoor activities such as alpine skiing and rock climbing (two things that I REALLY like to do) are truly multi-generational sports and sustainable activities over many, many decades.

With this in mind, some people and places that come to mind are:

... skiing with the family at Whistler/Blackcomb ...  7th Heaven, I believe ...

... summer climbing in Squamish ...

... and the beginning an alpine adventure in the Rocky Mountains ...

Who knows?  With a bit of luck and good snow conditions, I may even get my name on the Sundial at Osler!



Fingers crossed!!!

El Camino Real

There's a lovely off-width route at Metcalfe Rock called El Camino Real (5.9) that is very popular with climbers in the Collingwood area.  It also has a narrow crack variation on the right face for those who wish to trad lead the route and don't have lots of #5 or #6 cams and BigBros.

The aesthetics of the line are obvious and the rock quality and friction are pretty good for Escarpement limestone.

Since Metcalfe is essentially our "home crag", we've climbed El Camino Real many times on top rope "back in the day" and more recently on trad using the narrow crack variation.  Still, the off-width variation and thus the classic line has been a long-standing project.

For the past few years, I've thought about leading the route and this year I finally had sufficient "big gear" to lead El Camino Real and keep it safe (i.e., minimize the run out along the wide crack section).  If you're prepared to leap frog your gear, then a #4 and a #5 cam plus 1 or two #2 BigBros (or #6 cam) will do the job quite nicely.

A slightly bouldery start leads to a good stance just below the big cracks.

Now the "business end" of the route begins.  The right facing, right leaning off-width crack makes for some interesting laybacking before the next good rest with just enough features on the face to set the feet and place a large cam or BigBro.

Another, more vertical, off-width section leads to an overhanging roof, small rest cave and final crack climb up the face to the anchors.

Fun times for sure!

I think El Camino Real is a really cool route with great moves, interesting situations and good gear.  I think I placed 14 pieces of pro along the route, but I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to trad routes.  I also like to tape up for crack climbs so I can lock off and place gear without getting pumped.

You and your second can climb the route "trad style" and either rap down or walk around to the base.  Its also possible to lower and clean your gear (with some gymnastics) if your second doesn't feel like it and then you're all set for top roping the route (if you or your buddies are into that).

There are some classic routes at Metcalfe Rock and El Camino Real is certainly one of them.  Because its located in the anvil area and faces towards the west, the route gets afternoon sun so it can be warm on cool days and a bloody sauna on hot days.  Pick your time wisely!

I really like El Camino Real.  Its one of my favourite routes (both variations).   I'm looking forward to our next session on the rock.

Bon Echo 101.1

We enjoyed a crisp (+8C) blue sky day at Bon Echo for the 101 Part 1 weekend in May.  Lot's of new outdoor climbers got a taste of granite and the multi-pitch climbing experience.

We had lots of wind both days and the water was rough and wavy which meant wet conditions while approaching the cliff.  The chilly weather also meant ... NO BUGS ... a real bonus when climbing in May or June.

Double Crux By-Pass, Vertigenous and Knob Hill felt a little "challenging"; maybe the cool temps were a factor or maybe climbing with many layers does make a difference.  Who knows?  Anyway, the afternoon sun and the view from the cliff was gorgeous.

I've got a few "projects" to do at Bon Echo; mostly un-lead pitches on some of the classic routes.  I'll get on them later this summer for sure!

Project ...

The 2013 outdoor season is finally upon us out here in Ontario and its time to set some goals and stuff. Beyond the fundamental rules of climbing, that is, (1) get strong and (2) don't suck, there's a few routes out there that await a clean send on lead.

On of the local routes that I've had my eye on for the past few years is Operation Evaporation at Buffalo Crag on the Niagara Escarpment near Milton, Ontario.  Operation Evaporation is an burly (for me) overhanging route with flakes, short cracks, pockets and features with pretty good friction for Ontario limestone. Perhaps the slightly stiff grade helps keeps the climbing traffic and polish to a minimum.

The first crux is near the start of the route. The overhanging roof moves are strenuous and the pro is "difficult but good" (whatever that means?!?!?).  Not a lot of gear, but just enough ... I think.  I've got a good idea on most of the gear and where to place it, but I'll need to figure out how to place the crucial gear at the crux to keep it safe and still have enough gas to get up and over the roof.  (Note to self: Good technique and foot placement will help).  A big cam in the triangular crack spells relief.

The second crux is moving up and over the second roof. Not quite so strenuous but the climbing is technical and sustained.  At least the moves are kinda cool.  The final section up the open book and left to the arête has improving friction on black rock at a more friendly angle but has thin gear placements in small cracks and pockets. I'm gonna have to figure out the gear along this section.  I'm not a big fan of runouts no matter what the grade.  Maybe some small wires or a small tricam will work.

A few years ago, there were some bolts on the face that took the "sting" out of the route. They're all gone now so its all trad climbing from start to finish.

Definitely time to put the ego aside and work the moves and the gear on top rope.  (God, I thought I would never do that!!!).  I've still got some work to do on this Project ...

Bigger Skies Ahead

Big Sky

Last March, I cruised down to Big Sky Montana for the 2013 USSA Masters National Championships with Mike.  The scenery along the Rockies south of Calgary was truly spectacular!

Blue bird conditions with lots of snowy mountains as we drove from Canada to the USA.

Big Sky is BIG - about 11,166 ft at the top and 7,500 ft at the village resort where we stayed.

Before the racing started, I had a couple of days to explore the mountain and check out the pow and try to acclimatize to the elevation!!!  (Living in the east does have some drawbacks when you venture into the mountains).

Before long, it was time to get down to business and enjoy the amazing snow, cool courses and excellent racing conditions at the US Nationals:

The temps were cold for March, but the sun was out and my start number was absolutely incredible (#3 in slalom, #1 in GS).  I was ready to rock!

Two nearly perfect days of ski racing!  The courses were long compared to what we get on the slopes in southern Ontario and I was definitely huffing big time in the finish, but WOW, this was "type 1 super fun"!!!

Here's a short vid of skiing and racing in Big Sky, Montana:

http://vimeo.com/63219257

Enjoy!