The Ulimate Link-Up of the Ulimate Everything

This past Sunday Paul and I went to Vancouver and were treated to a fantastic dinner with my aunt Cher and a stroll along the sea wall. We had an amazing day and it was great to catch up! It is so great that living out here gives us the opportunity to see the people that we haven't seen for so long. There are still so many other people that we have yet to meet up with and we are really looking forward to the opportunity to be able to see them!

Yesterday Lowell, Paul and myself decided to charge the Stawamus Chief Mountain and complete not only our first full ascent of the face but also the longest climb we have done thus far. We planned to link-up 4 different climbs, The Bottomline, Banana Peel, Boomstick Crack and The Ultimate Everything to create the most number of pitches possible to the summit; 23. Averaging at about 35 meters per pitch and average grade of 5.8 it was bound to be a fun but physically intensive day.

The guys hauled me out of my sleeping bag earlier then I would of liked and we were off to the Apron parking lot for breakfast and to rack-up. Even as a team of three we flew up the first 2 climbs (3 pitches of the Bottomline and 7 for Banana peel) which were fun but relatively easy climbing. Next up was the fantastic Boomstick crack, which I somehow lucked out on getting as my lead (we rotate turns leading so that we can all rest between our leads since they tend to be more mentally and physically challenging then climbing as a second). This pitch was a huge flake (read: chunk of rock that has separated from the main mass of the rock face, but is somehow still suspended there) that you mantled onto (imagine trying to stand up on a fireplace mantel) and then shuffled your way along its impressively sharp edge. Very interesting and certainly a lot of fun. In some parts you could even see all the way through the crack to the face below the flake!

By quarter to 11 we were at the top of the Apron which is characterized by its low angle slab climbing; it stretches out from the vertical walls towering above at about a 40 degree angle (it does vary substantially depending on where you are, so this more an average) sloping down to the road and the ocean below. We felt like we were up high already and we were only half way!

After some rambling though the forest and ooing and aweing over impressively large/overhung/vertical rock faces we found the start of "The Ultimate Everything". Paul was up first as the leader and took on the first difficult pitch of the day; face climbing, with a though-provoking step over an arete (read: outside corner) to a dihedral (read: inside corner... silly climbing slang, eh?). On the next pitch Lowell learned first hand what "runnels" are; smooth water-worn grooves and dishes... The route certainly offered the ultimate assortment of climbing; face climbing up featured dikes (a seam of a different type of rock), friction climbing on rough slab, and even a short (sadly too short) section of crack climbing.

Unfortunately the only pitch we were not fond of was the last; it was likely a combination of mental and physical fatigue, not eating or drinking enough for our activity level (so hard to stay on top of that) and the fact that it was the crux pitch, but we all really struggled up the final 30 meters. I think we were all a bit worried that if we didn't get up it we would have a long and difficult time trying to find an alternative way to get down, however Paul was the hero of the day and thrashed his way to the summit then hauled Lowell and I up behind him. It was 8pm.

It felt so incredible to have climbed to the summit of the Chief and it will be certainly an achievement that all of us will remember. The hiking back down the backside and to the car took us till 10:20 making it a 14 hour day car-to-car. It was a fantastic day and we were all so tired by the end of it that we must of looked like we had been drinking; stumbling, weaving and shuffling around in the parking lot as we pulled off our gear.

I am afraid that there are no photos for me to post right now (we were using Lowell's camera) but will post them as soon as we get a hold of some copies ourselves! For now, just imagine our harness-framed bums going up a huge chunk of rock....

Just so you've got some thing to look at , here are a few random photos:

Shy trying to blend in in Whistler
Giant Slugs!!! Since we took this we have found even bigger slugs... many times spotted slimming their way up the side of the tent...

Once you get to the anchor at the top of a pitch you need do something with all your stuff (extra ropes, bags, gear... ) so it ends up hanging off the rock in an organized mess.

Us at the belay