Native Stones
Sport Climbing in the Bow Valley, Alta.
The Canadian Rockies are one of North America’s premier sport climbing destinations with thousands of bolted pitches, from the easiest grades to the most difficult. Climbing in the Rocky Mountains of Canada started in the 1800s, and the sport’s evolution led to the establishing of sport climbs by the early 1980s. Clipping bolts became the new go-to for climbers looking to push technical difficulties in the area, mostly because the limestone in the Bow Valley doesn’t offer the best trad placements for big whippers. There have been dozens of guidebooks, phone apps and organizations that have promoted crag climbing in Alberta’s mountains and over the past few years there’s been an increase in the popularity of Bow Valley crags.
The real story of Bow Valley is in the history of the area. Sideline at Crag X, east of Canmore, was the first route in the Bow Valley to be prepared top-down. Scottish expat Bugs Mckeith rappelled into the line in 1973, cleaned the loose rock, fixed some pitons and then climbed it with Chris Perry. It became a popular 5.9 route, although few climbers do it these days due to the rock quality and old pitons. Mckeith died in 1978 after falling through a cornice on Mount Assiniboine.
A lot of strong climbers came out of the early sport climbing days in the Bow Valley, including Andy Genereux, Jon Jones, John Martin, Joe Buzowski, Marc Dube, JD Leblanc and many more. It was Todd Guyn, however, who took on the challenge of sending abandoned projects deemed too hard. He began adding a number of 5.13s to the list of growing routes in the area, many which are still test-piece lines. In Grotto Canyon, he sent Cause and Effect 5.13a, Burn Hollywood Burn 5.13b and The Resurrection 5.13c early in his climbing career. In 1988, Guyn finished third in Canada’s first national championships.
The discovery of Acephale in the late 1990s, by Todd Guyn and friends, changed sport climbing in the Bow Valley forever. Guyn, Leblanc, Keith Haberl and Richard Jagger deemed it the “crag of the future” and opened many hard lines, such as Nemo 5.12d, Dark Half 5.13a and Sweet Thing 5.13b. The most impressive route during the early Acephale days was Army Ants 5.13c, by 16-year-old Lev Pinter, who went on to become one of Canada’s strongest climbers.
Many hard routes were added over the years, to both the Upper and Lower walls, by climbers including Shep Steiner, Derek Galloway, Scott Milton, Evan Hau and Josh Muller. Heading into 2020, there are over 30 routes from 5.13 to 5.15 and the popularity of the crag seems to grow every year.
Over the next few decades, sport climbing booms and routes were added to countless locations, including Grassi Lakes (mostly 5.10 and 5.11), Cougar Creek (mostly 5.10), Carrot Creek (mostly 5.11 to 5.12), Heart Creek (mostly 5.10 to 5.11), Tunnel Mountain (mostly 5.10), Black Feather (mostly 5.11), Bataan (mostly 5.12 and 5.13), Echo Canyon (mostly 5.11 to 5.13), Goat Mountain (mostly 5.9), Sunshine Slabs (mostly 5.9 to 5.10), Moose Mountain (mostly 5.10 to 5.12) and many more.
Back of the Lake at Lake Louise had been a trad climber’s crag until many of the old crack lines were bolted so more climbers could enjoy them. Routes like Wicked Gravity 5.11a, Mr. Rogers Smokes a Fat One 5.11b, Dew Line 5.11c and Liquid Sky 5.11c became Canadian classics. Climbers from around the world began to visit. In 2007, Daniel Woods repeated Bunda de Fora 5.14d at Acephale. Sonnie Trotter bolted three alpine “sport” routes up big walls, which gets internationals attention and lures climbers like Sasha Digiulian and Edu Marin to the area.
Greg Tos becomes one of the area’s leading hard-route developers and helps put Echo Canyon on the map with his countless 5.12 and 5.13 classics. He becomes a leading force for trail maintenance and upkeep of older climbs. Over the past 15 years, crags are established on nearly every mountain close to the Trans Canada Highway with the closest being Sunshine Slabs, a crag only 20 metres from the parking lot.
In 1997, Scott Milton sent Existence Mundane, likely the first 5.14b in Canada and the first 5.14 in the Bow Valley. Like many
routes in the Bow Valley during the early days, the line had been modified with glued-on edges. Sonnie Trotter came along shortly after Milton’s ascent and removed the final glued-on hold and then repeated it. A small edge appeared beneath the removed hold and Trotter left the grade unchanged.
Routes in the 5.14 range were added to Planet X, Acephale and Echo Canyon. It was in 2016, however, that sport climbing in the Bow Valley forever changed. Although many of the world’s top climbers have visited over the years, it was Alex Megos’s first ascent of Fight Club 5.15b that really put it on the map. A few years later, Adam Ondra, Jon Siegrist, Sasha Digiulian and Edu Marin spent some time in the Rockies. Ondra onsighted Endless Summer 5.13d and Existence Mundane 5.14b, First Flight 5.14c and Ojas 5.14a and made the
first ascent of Disbelief 5.15b. He also made the first ascent of Sacrifice 5.15a in Echo Canyon.
“Disbelief took me eight days in total,” Ondra said. “On day three I broke a hold, which made it quite a bit harder. It’s a 20-metre route and the first 10 metres are very hard. The holds are small, not as small as I would expect in a 5.15b vertical route, but they are facing the wrong way and the footholds are not in the right place. And the feet are really slippery.”
There are dozens of world-class crags and countless smaller, off-piste ones to keep climbers busy. The guidebooks to look for are Bow Valley Sport and Sport Climbing of the Canadian Rockies. Wear a helmet because the rock can be loose on even the best bolted routes. The shoulder season offers the best weather most years, but summer is the time of year to be in the Bow Valley for the culture and climbing scene.
Crags Acephale
Acephale is the steepest crag on Heart Mountain and has blue streaks in blocks of grey limestone. Known as “Ace,” the climbing ranges from 5.10 to 5.15, with most climbs being in the 5.12 to 5.14 range. The crag is divided into an Upper and Lower wall.
Heart Creek
Located between Heart Mountain and Mount Mcgillivray, the creek has some of the oldest sport routes in the Bow Valley. It’s also home to Heart Line, the 19-pitch bolted 5.9 that climbs to the top of Heart Mountain. There are over a dozen quality walls with the Bayon being the crag with the hardest routes, like Palm Sisters 5.12. The approach is quick and the climbs are classic.
Grotto Canyon
The oldest sport routes in the Rockies mixed with a few modern lines. The Water Wall has drilled pockets, but top climbers agree the routes, like The Resurrection 5.13b, have become classic. There are a handful of multi-pitch 5.10 bolted routes and some new 5.12 lines.
Bataan and Echo
On the south face of Grotto Mountain, Bataan and Echo Canyon have become the go-to crags in spring and summer, despite their nearly two-hour approaches. Most of the climbing is in the 5.12 and 5.13 range and the rock features hard-to-read bulges and roofs.
Cougar Creek
Accessed by parking in Canmore, the creek has over 100 quality sport routes on dozens of crags. The last crag is Planet X and it takes about an hour to reach. There are a number of 5.13 and 5.14 lines on it. Other popular walls are: House of Cards, Casino Wall and Chameleon.
Grassi Lakes
The most pocketed rock in the Rockies, with dozens of quality 5.10, 5.11 and 5.12 routes. It feels more like an outdoor gym above small lakes. Bring a stick clip for some of the harder routes. Stay away on weekends as the crowds can be overwhelming.
Black Band
A rising band of black limestone on the southeast face of Tunnel Mountain that has a handful of 25-metre 5.10s. The rock has small edges and good friction. Wear approach shoes, as the trail goes up a small scree slope.
Raven Crag
Home to Fight Club 5.15b, the crag sits on a north-facing slope above Banff. It’s only in condition for a few months of the year, but there are some five-star 5.12 routes that stem between tufa-like rock in steep corners.
Back of the Lake
Found at the back of Lake Louise west of Banff, this is the best quartzite crag in the Bow Valley. It’s steeped in history, has classic trad and sport routes and features slopey rails and razor crimps. Bring a rack of gear or just some draws and be prepared to get pumped silly.
Area Details
The Bow Valley is one-hour west of Calgary and follows the Bow River. The towns to get groceries are Exshaw, Canmore, Banff and Lake Louise. There are campgrounds, gear shops and lots of pubs and coffee shops. For rest days, go for a paddle board, mountain bike or bag some peaks.