Big, Easy, Bolted
THE ERA OF WELL-PROTECTED MULTI-PITCH CLIMBING
“TO ESTABLISH A MODERN BOLTED MULTI-PITCH TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT AND MONEY, BUT THAT’S NEVER STOPPED THOSE CLIMBERS DETERMINED TO BUILD SOMETHING SAFE FOR THE COMMUNITY.
When I moved to Canmore in 2005, there were only a handful of bolted multi-pitch routes, which were often busy on nice weather days. Routes like True Grit 5.10c, Sisyphus Summits 5.10d and Sea of Dreams 5.10d offered well-protected climbing on steep faces. The climbing was (and still is) technical on all three, which means that to get up them took a lot more effort than some climbers were willing to dish out for a casual lap of a safe route. My partners and I (and all locals and visitors in the Bow Valley) had to search out long trad routes when wanting a day of climbing at a lower grade. To establish a modern bolted multi-pitch takes a lot of effort and money, but that’s never stopped those climbers determined to build something safe for the community.
Around a decade ago, some local Bow Valley climbers started to search out long lines of unclimbed rock that could become multi-pitch bolted routes. Around 2007, Chris Perry completed his route Ballista 5.10cA0 and it quickly became the mustclimb route. While the climbing was difficult in places, the spacing of the bolts promised no dangerous whippers. It was the start of a new era of bolted multi-pitch
climbing. Perry, who was in his mid-60s at the time, came from a generation of bold traditional climbing, but realized fully bolted routes was what many climbers in the Rockies wanted. In the 1970s, he established dozens of run-out routes, many of which haven’t had many repeats, but his vision of established long bolted routes was about to have a huge impact on the local scene.
Perry and his son, Ian, teamed up to build Tall Storey in Echo Canyon in 2009. The 185-metre 5.11c has become one of the most classic multi-pitch routes in Canada. If you ever climb it, take a second to appreciate that the late Marc-André Leclerc onsight free-soloed it in 2016. Although some climbers, such as Andy Genereux, bolted massive routes (like the 700-metre Mixed Meister 5.11a on Goat Mountain near Yamnuska), they were leaving some pitches without fixed protection for those who wanted to plug some cams. And although many climbers love trad climbing, trad climbing on Rockies limestone is often dangerous and run-out because of the nature of the rock. And that’s why routes like Ballista and Tall Storey had lineups and older (and modern) mixed trad/bolted routes were hardly ever climbed. Also in 2007, Beautiful Century, a seven-pitch bolted 5.10a was bolted on Nanny Goat by Brian Spear and Jeff Storck, which became an overnight classic.
Plutonian Shores then went up at Ravens Crag in 2012 and proved to be one of the most popular routes close to Banff. Established by mountain guide Mark Klassen and friends, the seven-pitch 5.9 offered fun and safe climbing at a more approachable grade than the long 5.10s from previous years. After years of establishing remote and poorly protected rock climbs, I decided to follow suit and start to build routes that others would enjoy. Above upper Grassi Lakes, I bolted three well-protected multipitch routes on Kanga Crag: Sharknadado 5.8, Hot Fuzz 5.8 and Godzilla 5.9. At the same time, I was establishing other mixed trad/bolt rock climbs, but it was obvious that people wanted fully bolted routes. The lack of repeats on the mixed routes proved that while some climbers sought out adventurous lines, the majority just wanted a safe and casual climb to enjoy the day on.
Other routes that proved to everyone in the Bow Valley that most climbers
just want easy bolted multi-pitches was Aftonroe, the fully bolted nine-pitch 5.7 at Guides Rock, the 11-pitch Rundlehorn 5.6 and the retro-bolted The Shoe 5.9. The three close-to-Banff climbs had (and still have) lineups on almost every nice-weather day. Those routes inspired me to establish Wheat Kings on Cascade Mountain, a seven-pitch 5.6, in 2016. So, over the past few years, I’ve spent most of my summer days cleaning and bolted what seemed to be obvious lines close to the road.
At the same time, climbers were bolting long routes across Canada. Near Squamish, the 10-pitch Frontside 180 5.8 was established and in Quebec, the sevenpitch bolted 5.7 was added to Palissades de Charlevoix by Patrick Brouillard, Charles Lacroix and François Guy. North of Whistler, Danny O’Farrell bolted the 19-pitch The Goat, which regularly has half a dozen parties on it. This summer, Lisa Newhook and Brent Nixon added the eight-pitch Where’s My Remote 5.10a to the Apron, also in Marble Canyon. Both routes follow solid limestone and are only a few minutes from the highway.
The Eyeball is a big climbing wall in central Ontario near Sudbury that’s seen spurts of development over the past few years. The wall is over 100 metres at its highest point and has a number of climbs from 5.4 to 5.11+. The drive from Toronto takes just over six hours. Last year, top Ontario ice climbers Rebecca Lewis and Nathan Kutcher climbed two new 100-metre, three-pitch 5.11 bolted routes. Conspiracy Theory 5.11+ heads up a technical dihedral to a small belay stance past 15 bolts. The second pitch climbs steep rock on good holds to a high crux with 14 bolts and the third pitch is a tricky 5.10+ with 14 bolts. And The Disruptor is another three-pitch 5.11 that starts to the right and crosses Conspiracy Theory. Farther north, the 100-metre bolted Courage Highway is another three-pitch Ontario 5.11.
Other route developers have been hard at work in the Rockies, over the past decade. On Tunnel Mountain, Chris Perry completed his eight-pitch River Run 5.10d, which is one of the best routes at the grade in Alberta. On Ashlar’s Ridge near Jasper, a group of Edmonton climbers have bolted a number of great multi-pitch routes: Ay Mamasita 5.12a, Canadian Compressor 5.11c and Roger’s Lunch Buffet 5.10a. Near Goat Buttress next to Yamnuska, the 600metre Fluffy Goat 5.11 was established after a huge effort by Tyler Kirkland and Mark
“AROUND 2007, CHRIS PERRY COMPLETED HIS ROUTE BALLISTA 5.10C A0 AT TUNNEL MOUNTAIN NEAR BANFF. WHILE THE CLIMBING WAS DIFFICULT IN PLACES, THE SPACING OF THE BOLTS PROMISED NO DANGEROUS WHIPPERS. IT WAS THE START OF A NEW ERA OF BOLTED MULTI-PITCH CLIMBING.
Carlson. On McGillivray Slabs, Genereux added Old Man Rules in 2018, a now popular 10-pitch bolted 5.11. In Kananaskis Country, Ian Greant and Grant Parkin completed Slabby McSlabface, a four-pitch 5.6.
This summer, David Smart visited and we completed two massive climbs on Mount Rundle’s North Ridge next to the popular Rundlehorn. With only a 10-minute approach, the area was begging to be developed further. The first route we established was the eight-pitch MacLab Slab. It follows mostly solid rock and climbs some excellent chert. Once completed, we spied a line to the right and over a number of trips completed Gold Rush, a 14-pitch 5.7. The best part of the route is the pitch-10 traverse into a hanging forest that leads to a more climbing. On the descent, you have to re-lead the traverse. On the northern aspect of the North Ridge, Parkin and I established the six-pitch Sunriser at 5.10a. The crux last pitch follows a break through a steep roof. Around the same time, I completed The Dirtbag, a fourpitch 5.10a on Tunnel Mountain. Although the line is a little forced, it gains the upper solid slab which climbers have been looking at from The Shoe for years. All of these routes came after bolting the four-pitch Minihapa on Cascade Mountain, which climbs solid slabs and includes a jump-over-the-waterfall section.
As climbing becomes more popular, we’ll need even more bolted multi-pitch routes to spread out the crowds. The Canadian Rockies have countless walls that will surely be bolted one day. Like all route builders, my only hope is that other climbers will enjoy the positions, rock and well-protected climbing on these routes like I do. When people ask how long it takes to establish a big route, I tell them that it takes about a pitch per day. So, the 40 pitches I bolted this summer took about 40 days to complete, but I couldn’t have done it without the help of my partners (Alyssa Acchione, David Smart, Grant Parkin and Joey Wallick) this summer. I want to thank all of the route-builders out there, because all of these new routes add to our already great collection of Canadian rock climbs. Please consider donating to your local access group or bolt fund to ensure the upkeep and further development of bolted multi-pitch climbs.—Brandon Pullan