Adamants from the West
The helicopter flies away and then there is just silence. The towering peaks of the Adamants rise impressively out of the Austerity Glacier leaving us feigning for candy like kids in a candy shop. The options are endless and we are alone with no one else in sight, with a small likelihood of seeing anyone else for the next week. We have the Adamants to ourselves; technical rock faces, alpine ridges, an amazing base-camp and two classic routes that are rarely visited, but featured in Fred Beckey’s list of 100 North American must climbs. This was quite the contrast to our most recent visit to the Bugaboos just two weeks prior.
Over the past several years there appears to be an increased number of climbers headed to the alpine destinations of Western Canada, with the epicentre of this trend seeming to take place in the Bugaboos. The word of immaculate granite and exceptional climbing is spreading and more climbers are making their way to the “poor man’s Patagonia.” It seems that the Bugaboos in particular have grown to become quite busy over the summer months with several weeks of the summer guaranteed to be at maximum capacity in the Kain Hut and sometimes upwards of 50 or more tents at Applebee campground. The allure of the alpine seems to wane slightly when you have to wake up earlier then normal to simply avoid the lineups at the base of the classics. Good luck being the lone party on the Northeast Ridge of Bugaboo Spire, the West Ridge of Pigeon or McTech Arete on Crescent Tower. Many of us head to the alpine to escape the world, traffic jams and the day-to-day stress of overpopulated cities; now we are finding the same hustle and bustle equivalent in the alpine.
Maybe it is the several parties at the base of a route, waiting their turn in a queue, late night partiers in the hut or a group eagerly on your tail on your dream climb that puts you off just slightly. This is supposed to be a break from the big city not the alpine version of an early morning commute. Gone are the days of a “genuine” mountain experience amongst gorgeous granite towers in the Bugaboos, unless you are willing to roll the dice and try your luck with the weather in the shoulder season.
This is not the case in the Adamants. If you are seeking a sincere mountain adventure that has astounding climbing, in an isolated mountain range, without going on a farf lung expedition then consider heading there this summer. World-class climbing, your choice of routes and a lack of concern with waking up extremely early just to scoop other parties on a route; this is what you can expect in the Adamants.
Outside of the helicopter approach the rest of your time spent in the Adamants should feel as isolated as you can get with just a 10- minute f light time. The western side of the Adamants in particular are a remote location. On the east side of the range you can find the famous Bill Putnam Hut, one of the f lagship huts for the Alpine Club of Canada.