The Shadow Onsight
Emilie Pellerin onsighted the iconic The Shadow on The Chief in Squamish. The steep stem-corner is graded 5.13a and was first climbed by Peter Croft, onsight, in 1988. Pellerin’s is likely the second onsight. The Quebec-based climber sent Zombie Roof 5.12d on her second go and f lashed Flight of the Challenger 5.12c while on the coast. Since the first free ascent, strong climbers, such as Sonnie Trotter, Jasmin Caton, Brad Gobright, Brette Harrington, Jesse Huey, Alex Honnold, Tommy Caldwell and Will Stanhope, have climbed The Shadow. “I guess I just got lucky enough that my worn-out shoe with inner soles sticking out made it through,” said Pellerin. “It took me nearly an hour, my calves muscle were twitching and burning so bad!” After freeing The Shadow, Croft said, “I craved an odyssey that required my all – and quite possibly more…I wanted to dive in and draw blood, and it was OK if that blood was my own.”