Olympics, Access, 5.15 and Mixed
When the Tokyo Olympics kick off in 2020, 40 climbers will be prepared to represent their countries. The combined format will have the world’s top climbers going head to head in bouldering, lead and speed climbing. While some athletes have spoken out against the format, arguing bouldering and speed are too opposite of sports to be grouped together, many young climbers have switched their training programs to include all three. If it all works out, future Olympics might separate the disciplines into three medal categories and everyone wins.
It was a hard summer for access groups in Canada. With climbing being more popular than ever, parking, camping and trails were the busiest they have ever been. In Ontario and B.C., local law enforcement was busy issuing tickets to trespassers and illegal campers. The great work access groups like the Ontario Access Coalition do is complicated and depends on climbers respecting the area they are visiting. A big thanks to everyone who works hard to keep our access open and our crags clean.
This year has been one for the books, from big alpine walls to one-pitch sport routes. Young climbers with competition backgrounds are pushing the limits harder and higher than ever before. With Marc-Andre Leclerc, 23, soloing the Emperor Face on Mount Robson and three routes on the Stanley Headwall, we just needed a big summer to make it one of the most important years in a decade. Alex Megos, 23, visited Canada in August, a trip organized by Sonnie Trotter, who knew that Megos would be the one to take Canadian climbing to the next level. It didn’t take long for Trotter and Megos to find a line that would be Canada’s first 5.15. After two weeks in Canada, Megos sent Canada’s first 5.15 and called it Fightclub 5.15b at Raven Crag. Only one 5.15 challenge remains in Canada: for a Canadian to send the grade. For the full story see p.42.
Winter is just around the corner and by the time this reaches you, there will be ice forming in cracks on the northern aspects of some of Canada’s mountains. Dry-tooling has become the way many climbers are spending their shoulder seasons to prepare for mixed climbing in the winter. Like in Europe, there are two types of mixed climbing, bolted crags and alpine routes. In Europe, manufactured pick holes are accepted in some areas, but never in others. On some level, that standard has been adopted in the Rockies. However, while the pick holes on routes at Haffner Creek in B.C. appear to be manufactured with a drill, they have actually formed from years of picks scratching into the soft limestone. For 10 early season mixed routes to get you in shape, visit p.22. Whether you’re heading for cold walls or hot boulders this fall, have a fun and safe time.