KAIN ROUTE
III 5.6 450 m, Bugaboo Spire
The Kain Route is a great first route in the Bugaboos to get a feel for the area. While it is primarily a scramble with a few short technical cruxes, climbing the Kain Route is a fun option to summit one of Canada’s finer peaks and gives invaluable descent beta for the Northeast Ridge. Approach via the Bugaboo-snowpatch (B-S) Col and stash your crampons and ice axe at the base of the ridge. Follow a faint trail up a scree slope and around boulders to gain the ridge crest. Staying too far right (or skier’s left on the descent) puts climbers using the B-S Col at risk of rock fall. Hike and scramble roughly half of the ridge before facing several short steps. These can often be bypassed by staying to the right of the ridge crest and at times by mounting it à cheval. At the base of the sheer gendarme high on the ridge, climb a short steep section past horizontal cracks and make a slabby move down the other side to eventually reach a bolted belay. It is important to note here that the descent does not follow your line of ascent. Make a short rappel down the left (east) side of the gendarme to a small ledge and scramble up a notch to read the next bolted station. This descent is less than intuitive but prevents a rope-snagging rappel – great info to have when you level up to the Northeast Ridge.