Marc-Andre Leclerc’s Impressive Winter

his winter with a trip to the Canadian Rockies. In good form, Leclerc spent the - 30 C nights in his van beneath frozen climbs. He made a quick solo of the serious Sacre Bleu, before climbing a new route with Jon Walsh on the Storm Creek Headwall. He then made the fastest winter ascent of Wild Thing with Joshua Lavigne. The record was broken a few weeks later by an American team. Leclerc then soloed Polar Circus, Weeping Wall and Weeping Pillar in a morning. In December, Leclerc travelled to Patagonia to climb with Colin Haley. The pair made f irst ascent of the Torre Traverse from south to north and called their route La Travesia de Oso Buddha. “Marc-Andre Leclerc is a ver y talented climber,” said Colin Haley. “His only previous climb in Patagonia was El Mocho and on day one his unfamiliarity with the terrain on Cerro Torre was evident, but he adapted quickly, made an awesome climbing partner for our f irst ever climb together and by day three he was a veteran of climbing on the Torres.” They then made the f irst direct ascent of the North Face of Cerro Torre and called it Directa de la Mentira.” Leclerc wrote about the climb on his Facebook page, “New line, a direct route up the north face of the Torre. Not many words needed other than rad adventure.”