The Bugaboos!

Seventy Million years ago in the mountains of British Columbia the strikingly clean granite of the Bugaboos was finally uncovered setting the stage for world class North American Alpine Rock Climbing. Just shy of 51 degrees North “the Bugs” are located in the midst of the Purcell Mountains of B.C., a range of mountains sandwiched between the Canadian Rockies and the Selkirks.

Amidst the Bugaboos sit the mighty Howser Towers, (featured in issue 14 of Alpinist magazine). These perfectly symmetrically, sound granite peaks have been inspiring climbing’s greatest talent for decades and are home to the biggest and boldest Bugaboo climbing objectives. Bugaboo spire at 10,511', Pigeon spire 10,354', and Snowpatch Spire 10,120', provide quality routes for everyone. And as if this were not enough to occupy a lifetime of climbing, there are many more spires, towers and rock faces to explore. The Bugaboos are excessively scenic, wild and accessible…a true alpine rock climber’s paradise.

For years AAI has been running successful and exciting trips to the Bugaboos. For AAI’s Technical Leadership program we typically use the area for phase III of the three-part program. Here is what one Technical Leadership graduate had to say after getting back home from the part I, II and III in August 2008:

• It was somewhere near the sixth or seventh pitch on the Kraus-McCarthy route on Snowpatch spire that I realized something. I just learned how to crack climb a few weeks ago, and here I am making my way up this huge granite spire, with even bigger towers all around me. A few weeks ago I could barely understand how a hand jam works let alone put it into practice, and now I'm pulling down on my hands in cracks as if it were nothing. The Bugaboos were an amazing range of mountains for me to practice all of my new found skills. To know that the same things I had learned in theory and practiced in the Washington Pass area, still applied in such a large mountain setting, was extremely comforting. I truly learned enough that I was both a competent leader and second. And that thought was exactly what I needed in order to feel confident in the Bugaboos.
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• I left the Bugaboos and headed for my hometown of Detroit, MI, only to turn around on the same day of my arrival in order to leave for the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. While I was there I met someone with a trad rack who let me borrow it, and I felt completely confident in my leading abilities. I lead myself and a friend, who had never done any trad or crack climbing in his life, up a five star 5.8 finger crack. It felt amazing to offer someone else the opportunity to find another aspect of climbing to fall in love with. There is no doubt in my mind that my casual approach to trad climbing, something I found so nerve-wracking less than a month before, was due to the practice I had in the Bugaboos. It prepared me in a way that I don't think I will everbe able to fully comprehend or appreciate, until I'm able to go back there one day and enjoy the magnificent quality of climbing. I feel truly spoiled to have had such an amazing climbing experience so early in my climbing career, and can't wait to get back on my own one day.
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• - Andrew Yasso
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This season AAI climbers accomplished a great deal in the Bagaboos. The West Ridge of Pidgeon (II 5.4); Ears Between on Crescent Spire (grade III 5.8) and the South East Ridge of the Bugaboo Spire were all climbed several times by AAI teams. Other routes such as the Kraus-McCarthy on Snowpatch (grade IV 5.9), The Mcteche Arete on Crescent Tower (grade III 5.10), The Enjoyable Way (grade III 5.8) ofn Snow Patch and the Kain Route (grade III 5.6) on Bugaboo were climbed as well.

The Bugaboo climbing season runs from late June to the end of September. And while it may be a little late in the year to plan a trip this season, next summer is right around the corner. Hope to see you there!

-- Joseph Anderson

I Recently Had a Near Life Experience

So my trips have been slowing down as of late. After a day trip to Grand Junction and a personal trip to the Black Canyon I was back in the Springs. The boss left for his own trip to the Wind River Range earlier and so I was basically in charge. I also had 5 trips that week. Pretty good.So one of my trips was with an older woman doing multi-pitch climbs in the Garden. This was a great trip. We

AAI Welcomes a New Baby Boy

Richard Riquelme, AAI's wonderful Equipment Shop Manager, and his wife Laura, are celebrating the birth of a baby boy, Samuel Uruchi Riquelme. He is adorable and healthy, and already seems to be smiling as much as Richard does. We are very very excited for the entire family, and can't wait for little Sammy to come visit us all at the office. Here's a picture of the little guy and his proud father --

Climbing News from Here and Abroad -- September 4, 2008

Cascades:

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--A 27 year old man fell to his death from Mount Si on Thursday afternoon. While not a technical route, the super popular hiking trail on the mountain has a difficult finish. The last two hundred feet to the summit requires third class scrambling and the summit itself. This incident came on the heels of two other rescues last week.

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--And not too far from Mount Si, a 47 year-old man fell to his death on Guye Peak on Tuesday. The details of this accident have not yet been released, but it appears the man was a hiker and not a climber. The South Face of Guye Peak is a steep climbing objective, but other aspects are accessible to hikers.

--The question is as old as the sport, why do you climb? Seattle climber Kij Johnson wrote and read a fantastic essay on the subject for NPR's series, "This I believe." In the essay, Johnson explains how climbing saved her from black thoughts and dangerous actions.

Himalaya:

--A Slovenian climber, Dejan Miskovic was rescued last Thursday on the Muztagh Tower in the Karakoram area of Pakistan. The climber was attempting to descent the mountain after his partner broke through a cornice and fell several hundred meters. The team was attempting an alpine style first ascent of the northeast face of the tower.

Alps:

Mont Blanc

--The London Times Online published an article last week that was extremely critical of climbers on Mont Blanc. The article's author complains about the amount of people on the mountain while engaging in a climb of his own. The article is interesting, but should be read with a critical eye. As a side note, American guides do not ascribe to the guiding techniques described in the article.

--Italian climbers Franco Nicolini and Diego Giovanni recently broke the "82x4000" record in the Alps. There are 82 four-thousand meter peaks. Nicolini and Giovanni smashed the previous record by completing this feat in 60 days. The pair traveled to each peak under their own power on bikes or on foot.

--Two Swiss climbers were busy over Labor Day weekend and completed a team free redpoint of the Eiger's hardest route, a 23-pitch 5.13b. The route was completed in two days and the team had to hurry on the second day because one of the climbers had a slideshow that evening.

Notes from All Over:

--Four climbers were rescued from Bugaboo Spire in the Bugaboo Glacier Provincial Park. It appears that a rescue helicopter made contact with the climbers and thought that they were able to descend on their own. Unfortunately that was not the case. The helicopter left the scene and the climbers remained stranded for two more days.

--On Friday, the New York Times ran an article about thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail and their relationship to Kent, a small upper-crust town. Apparently many hikers resupply in the ritzy little hamlet, much to the shock of some out-of-town visitors. The best line of the article describes an out-of-town woman's statement after seeing one too many hikers, "how could a town like Kent have such a homeless problem?"

--Are the public's skills at map reading going the way of the dinosaur? According to Mary Spence, the President of the British Cartographic Society, people's skills are diminishing due to the increased use of the internet and satnav technologies.

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--When you worry about how busy our mountains are getting, just think of Mount Fuji in Japan. Officials estimate that over 247,000 people scaled the mountain in July and August.

Last chance - Learn to Rock Climb at Mt. Erie!

AAI's final Mt. Erie rock climbing programs are running this Saturday, September 6th, and on Saturday, September 20th. There are still spaces available for these courses, so sign up now!

For more information on Mt. Erie rock climbing, visit the AAI program page. The course will cover equipment selection and use, knots essential for climbing, an introduction to anchors, belaying and climbing technique, and rappelling. And don't worry if you don't have any gear, we'll rent you everything you need for $10 - that includes rock shoes, a harness, and a helmet!

Call or email now to sign up for a day of rock climbing. We can be reached Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm at 671-1505 or info@aai.cc.