Oman

Today, I stomped my last geophone as a contracted “Mountaineer” in the remote desert of Oman. It has been an interesting 60 days of consecutive work in an industry I knew nothing about.
I was contracted by a Canadian based company called ‘Global Mountain Solutions’ who hire ACMG certified guides to work in the seismic industry for Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) and Shell. The job was quite involved, but put simply, we drove around the desert and laid equipment down on steep terrain so that ‘cat scans’ could be taken to map the internal structures of the earth. We were involved in the process of looking for resources in difficult terrain, i.e. Oil and gas.
Having never been to Oman, I did not know what to expect. What I did find, was that the people are kind, the Sultan of Oman cares for his people, and the country is a safe place to travel and explore. I spent most of my time in the middle of know where in a camp made out of steel boxes, but did get to know and befriend some local Omanis. I also had an interestingly long road trip from the far south to the nation’s capital – Muscat – so I was able to see more of the country side before my 60 day visa expired.
When I wasn’t implanting small devices called “geophones” into the ground and laying out 70 to 120 meters of electrical cable with recording devices, I was keeping busy around camp. Many hours were spent honing my ping pong game, exercising on the TRX portable training program, and jogging about the desert under moonlight. I also managed to memorize roughly 50 Arabic words to help me communicate with the locals. You can’t spend 2 months in a foreign country and not have the desire to learn a bit of the spoken tongue.
The heat was, at times, unbearable. When I arrived the mercury was pushing 40c by 1030am and was creeping ever so close to the 50c mark by the early afternoon. Coming from a relatively cold place like Banff, and enjoying long winters and short summers, this was hard for me to handle in the beginning. Except for short drives in our air conditioned Toyota Hilux 4x4s to and from job sites, there was no escaping the heat. The wind blew hot and even the shade offered little relief. Thank god I arrived in the fall and the temps were on their way down for the winter months. By the time I left, the mornings were perfect and the daytime temps were in the high 30s – not bad at all by comparison. I watched the sunrise and set, every day, for my entire stay. I never once felt a drop of rain, or saw clouds thick enough to hold any significant amount of moisture. I had the pleasure of seeing life in a place so dry and barely hospitable. I often crossed paths with the intriguing Camel, saw lizards, vultures, gazelles, and a couple rare desert fox sightings. I always wondered what they lived off of.
The toughest part of the job was being away from my beloved partner Ellen, family and friends and of course the mountains. I’m looking forward to spending some time at home and playing in my backyard this coming winter. Bring on the ice and the snow!!

Tangle Ridge

Last monday my buddy Jiro and I made the slog into a newly climbed route called "Undertow", on the backside of Tangle Ridge on the Icefields Parkway. A big congrats to the first ascentionists - Mike Verway, Jay Mills, and Steve Holeczi(who taught me how to ice climb in '05).

This was a big rig with over 600meters of ice in the WI 4 to 6 range. There was 3 steeper pitches, but most of the climbing was closer to WI4. The exit pitch over the dormant serac at the top was short but burly and very unique, toping out onto low angled ice and snow. The summit views were incredible! A full pano of the Columbia Icefields with Mt. Kitchener in front and centre.

With a good overnight freeze we were able to hike into the base in 3 hours, climbing the popular "Shades of Beauty"(WI4, 120m) along the way. Add that to the overall length and your looking at nearly 800m of ice!! All that fat waterfall ice at this time of year is just awesome. We used a 70m rope and topped out after over 9 long rope-stretching pitches. Every pitch was unique and fun. After enjoying the summit views and playing the peak naming game, we casually descended the south ridge back to Tangle Falls and the Parkway. We had been on the go, non-stop for 15hours and feeling a bit tired, but mainly thirsty. Its hard on your body to exert for that long on just 1.5 litres of water and a few snickers bars, but you gotta keep the weight down in order to travel quicker.

I would say that "Undertow" is one of the best pure waterfall climbs that I have done! If you're into this sort of thing, make the slog in and enjoy one of the very best ice climbs in the Canadian Rockies.

Summer is here....for now anyway!

Spent the last couple of warm and sunny days climbing on one of my favorite peaks - Mt. Yamnuska. Also know as Mt. Laurie, the south face offers hundreds of rock climbs of varying difficulty, length, and quality....quality of rock that is. Some routes offer steep climbing on clean rock, and some need delicate climbing skills and a cool head to overcome poor rock and poor protection.

On Thurs we climbed "The Bowl" a 10c trad route located in the bowl area, and Friday we climbed "Jimmy and the Cruisers" an 11a trad route located in the same area.

We descended both routes by rapelling a modern bolted line called "Grey Scale", also located in the bowl area. I only use this option if there are no parties climbing below.
Photos by R.Berg

Mini Alpine Route

I finally lined up a day and a partner to check out a newly bolted/mixed route on Mt. Loder called "Doors of Perception". Now there has been discussion and debate on whether this route has been climbed before, but I'm not about to judge on the ethics of bolting or retrofitting a route. The bottom line is, the obvious natural line that this route takes prob has been climbed before(there was some old fixed pins along the way), but it prob has not seen much traffic, nor has it been recorded as far as I know. Now, with new bolts protecting the slabby sections and bolted anchors, more folks can get to enjoy this mini alpine route in relative safety. The climbing is in the M6 range and offers good gear where there are no bolts. The first 5 or so pitches can be climbed with boots and bare hands if the sun is out, and the upper pitches are better climbed in crampons and some good tool placements.

We unfortunately, got caught in last thursdays afternoon snow storm a pitch from the summit and had to hastily exit stage right on a snowy ledge that connects to the ridge - a good thing to know.

Sails for Seniors - WI6

Rob Smith and I deciced to go looking for some end of season ice. We drove up the Icefields Parkway but wasn't sure about the amounts of recent snowfall around Mt. Murchison. It's a good thing Murchison is on the east side of the parkway and lies in a rain shadow as west of us winter was still very much alive there.

We decide to have a look at a newly climbed route called "Sails for Seniors" (M6, WI6), located in a gully just up and left of the popular Balfour Wall. The approach is simple as it follows the Balfour Wall approach for 40min before contouring up to tree line then traversing up and left to the dry looking break in the cliffband above. 1.5 hours later we were standing below a short pitch of black ice dirtied from runoff rocks and dirt. This short pitch of WI3 led to a low angled snow slope, which led to the base of S for S. The climbed looked thin and fun from the base. 2 gorgeous pitches of thin ice climing with some excellent rock protection in a awesome setting made this one of the funnest climbs I have done this year! There is some interesting chimneying with blobs of good ice and some rotten WI6 ice on the second pitch to make it exciting. Both belays and most of the good gear was in rock. More info on www.gravsports-ice.com. FA J Mills and M Adolph

Healthy Whole Grain Pancakes

Here is my favorite pancake recipe. The pancakes are thick and fluffy and are packed with the energy needed to kick start your day. It's all about having the right temp on your griddle or pan. Preheating the pan is the secret to pancake perfection. While you mix up the batter, preheat your pan on the medium to medium-high heat that gives the batter time to cook through while the surface browns. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup oatmeal flakes
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg (i prefer cin)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups milk or Soy or even better - 1 cup water and 1 cup coconut milk
1/4 vegetable oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients. Dollop onto pan.

Feeds approx 3 people.

Top with pure Canadian Maple Syrup or your favorite berry

Altered from original recipe by "Chef at Home", Michael Smith.

Banff Life

Spent the day guiding with Sarah H. and the Banff Life Crew. We had an intro to ice climbing day and spent it at The Junkyards. It's an excellent beginner area to learn the basics and swing the tools. There is lots of ice and numerous areas to set up a rope or practice your lead skills. We start off the morning by learning how to walk in crampons, front pointing, swinging ice tools, body positioning while on the ice, belaying, tying in with a figure-8, and general into. We then move into setting up top-ropes and getting into applying the basics to getting up the ice. Folks have a chance to try out numerous climbing areas within the Junkyards and test their skills on low-angled, and steeper ice while getting instruction on climbing technique. We also enjoy getting to know one another and enjoying the great outdoors!

Thanks Banff Life Crew!!! You're Awesome!!

I/O BIO - Gear Review

Ever heard of I/O Bio Merino clothing? Neither did I up until my recent purchase of a couple garments. I am impressed with it's 'performance', I guess you could say. The stuff is really, really soft and very comfortable. I've been warm in cold temps and confortable in warm temps. It seems that is has built in temperature control. I have added base layer bottom pants and shorts - with the garage door on both which is key if you're male. I have many other base layer garments by other reputable companies but find myself always reaching for the I/O when I'm heading for the mountains. If you check out their website, you can find clothing for all activities - hence the name Indoor/Outdoor BIO. And for all of you earthly folks, the materials are renewable, recyclable and biodegradable. And for all you climbing and skiing bums, you can wear this stuff many times between washes and not stink!

Banff Life

Had an excellent day guiding on Professors Falls today with Sarah H. and the Banff Life Crew. Had so many good laughs and enjoyed some good ice climbing, mountain biking, and hiking. I am really enjoying guiding and spending time in the mountains with like-minded people. Thanks again!

A Classy Ghost Link-Up

Yesterday, my friend Jiro and I linked up the popular Hydrophobia and The Sorcerer, in the Ghost Wilderness area. Giri-Giri member "Jumbo", and Rob Smith joined us in the link-up climbing the same routes in opposite order. The climbs could not be in any better shape. We found dry and good quality hooked out ice most of the way making the climbing quick and easier than I have experienced in the past.

After an aggressive 1.5hour 4x4 ride in my new 4Runner - including river crossings, deep snow ruts, steep hills, and bogs - we parked within view of Hydrophobia. At 0815 Jiro and I left for the Sorcerer. After 2 hours of hiking and bushwhacking and backtracking on a few trails we were at the base of the aesthetic Sorcerer - 210m, WI5. At 1230 we topped out on the Sorcerer after a tricky exit pitch skirting a good size cornice and plugging in a couple cams for peace of mind. I was surprised to find a 2 bolt anchor up and right in which to belay Jiro on. After a snickers lunch and a couple gulps of water we started the hike over the Hydro.

As we skirted the scree and small snow slopes up to our right, we spotted Rob and Jumbo making their way over from Hydro in the drainage below us. A few hoot and hollers confirmed that all was good and we would meet up back at the truck. Other than a constant side-hill hike, the walk over to Hydro was not bad and took approx 1 hour to reach the top of Hydro. We set a v-thread and started the rappels. Now, I had never climbed Hydro before, so seeing it from the top down as we rappelled by was awesome. The exposure is even greater than that of The Sorcerer! This was such a cool spot.

At the base of Hydrophobia(150m WI5+) we sorted the gear and swapped leads completing the climb in 3 gorgeous pitches. The ice was perfect and the temps were perfect and the day was turning into perfect. As we rapped Hydro I was scanning the very intimidating mixed neighbour Cryophobia(M8 WI5+ 225m) and wondered if I would ever have the guns to send such a route. Compared to the guidebook photo, it currently looks like its in excellent conditions with some bolt protected ice climbing on the 4th and 5th pitches. Maybe by spring??

Walking back to the car from Hydro I had time to scan the valley and found it very beautiful. Large limestone boulders of excellent quality were scattered around the valley floor. Looking back at Hydro you can scan the natural amphitheatre and find so much beauty in that place. I also found a set of car keys lying directly in the middle of the trail - they turned out to be Jumbos!! What are the chances!

As we hiked back through the forest to "Barney" - my purple looking 4Runner, even though its officially midnight blue - we ran into Rob and Jumbo and timing could not be more perfect. We hiked the remaining 5 minutes reminiscing excitedly about the day.

In my opinion. If your planning on doing the linkup from the Waiperous, the best way to do it is Hydro first, then Sorcerer. This avoids a few things: the longer uphill hike to the Sorcerer, the mixed pitch/cornice exit on the Sorcerer, and the extra v-threads needed to get past the upper rambly ice on Hydro. From the top of The Sorcerer its easier to start the raps using the first 2 bolt anchor.

Rockies Winter Alpine

Yesterday, Nic Ranicar and I climbed the awesome "Riptide" ice climb on the North East face of Mt. Patterson located just north of Bow Summit, Rockies. I finally felt like I had the guns to give this one a go. In it's current form, its a pure ice climb and a lot fatter than its original ascent conditions.
We found steep climbing on all 3 pitches along with thin ice, chandeliery ice, snow-ice mix, overhanging features, and delicate and unprotectable pillars. The good thing is we found good belays and pretty good pro on lead(after some digging). The pitches felt like they went at WI6, WI5+, and WI6+R. Meaning bloody steep and scary!
Nic did a fantastic job of leading the cux pitch and held it together throughout a necky lead.

Guiding

Had a wonderful day guiding on the classic 'Cascade Falls' yesterday. Was guiding with the College of the Rockies crew. Thanks guys!

Illustrations by Sachiko Aida

I want to introduce you to Sachi Aida. She is a talented artist, outdoor adventurer, and one of the nicest people you will ever meet. I met Sachi through the Alpine Club of Canada a couple years ago, and we have spent a number of days climbing together around the rockies. Sachi is motivated to get her artwork "out there" for others to enjoy. She is trying to start a smalll business selling her artwork to interested people like YOU. Here is a few samples of Sachi's drawings. Click on each picture to see a larger copy. If you would like to contact her regarding these pictures or have an idea that you want her to work on, you can contact her at happywhale52@hotmail.com

What is Mountain Climbing? By Bruce Bindner

Here is a great poem by the late Bruce Bindner. Bruce lived in California with his family, and was a climbing fanatic with many first ascents and creative writings of his adventures. I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce a few years back in Yosemite and later again in Red Rocks. His campire tales will never be forgotten.

What is Mountain Climbing?

He is your neighbor. She is the smiling woman behind the receptionist's desk at your dentist office. He's the man who built your house. Who are these people?

On weekends they vanish down the highway, watching the cluttered cities grow small in rearview mirrors. Phone calls are answered by machines and voice mail. Several times a year, they disappear for weeks at a time.

What are they doing?

Midweek finds them sorting through an amazing collection of gadgets, checking guide books, calculating mileage, travel time, and trail head elevations. By Friday afternoon, (sometimes Thursday when they can sneak an extra day off from work) they are headed out of town. If someone is waving goodbye, the parting remark is usually "See you later -- Got a mountain to climb."

What is mountain climbing?

To people who are peripheral to the sport, it is many things -- It is the intense eyes of the man with the ice-encrusted beard and lethal-looking ice axes in his hands; it is reckless risk-taking; bold adventure; suffering; it is an industry that shouts in bright colors from outdoor magazines that if you buy THIS product or eat THIS energy bar you will be in the center, looking out at the world through those intense eyes, that you will know what it all means to go to the remote and desperate heights of the earth where humans were not meant to survive.

But those that are packing their gear on Wednesday nights are not packing the latest ice axes on the market. They are not wearing the brightest, newest high altitude nylon wind suits. Their waterproof or Goretex may have many patches. Their packs are battered, their boots worn and scuffed. Most have been quietly pursuing their passion for high places for many years, since long before media attention, superb high-tech gear, and the need for adventure in an increasingly pre-packaged society brought mountain climbing into the mainstream.

Real climbers have day jobs.

To them the activity is all-absorbing; a passion, a way of life from which they look at the world.

Their method is simple: they seek the remote, the unattainable. They are enchanted with the improbable.

To just set down on a summit via helicopter or 4wd SUV misses the point. Theirs is the journey, and the journey owns them.

What calls them? A land as alien as the surface of the moon. Look close. Closer still... There! do you see it? In the crevice, amidst a pull of gravity as lethal as a gunshot, grows a flower. Across the jumbled, creaking freight-train blocks of a tumultuous glacier's icefall, bubbles a streamlet as pure as the first day of the world. Their boot prints, sometimes the first these places have seen since the dawn of time, vanish like the whisper of a thought forgotten, in those far places where time is measured only by the pulse of the seasons, the shifting of the constellations through the
millenia.

They range from sandwich-in-a-paper-bag-toting peak baggers to hard-core wall rats festooned with ironmongery, to parka-shrouded cloudwalkers of the 8,000-meter peaks. They are the grandmothers, students, school teachers, doctors and engineers, who have discovered a reality outside of the clocks, ceilings, schedules and planning of this world.

Summit day usually begins some time on the late night side of morning, shouldering a battered pack, crunching crampons across snow or balancing catfooted across teetering granite blocks by headlamp in the darkness. For others it begins in a sleeping bag cocoon suspended above a gulf of emptiness on a nylon-and-aluminum-framed portaledge, lighting a tiny bedside hanging stove for coffee, dangling above two thousand feet of air amid an incredible tangle of ropes, gear, and supplies, before the first light of day begins to rinse the sky of stars. The same sunrise finds them all.

They seek those moments when time stands still.

The catalysts are as varied as the individuals who pursue this path: a meteor shower; a night sky so star-filled that it snatches your breath; another rise of the sun over distant mountains vast and untouchable; dodging a rock careening crazily down a gully; a desperate icy struggle through whiteout and ground blizzard down to the safety of camp after an unsuccessful summit attempt; standing atop a mountain with a friend, the whole world at your feet, a blinding sun blazing out of a flawless sky, taking the time to watch that sun dip below the horizon even though camp is still many miles and many thousands of feet distant; Stumbling over boulders and through brush in the darkness; watching the starlight and the storm wrest for posession of the night sky, seated on a narrow ledge beside your rope-mate with only the clothes on your back for shelter, shivering the night away, knowing that, sometime in a distant place you cannot now touch, the world will once again grow bright, the sun will rise, and you will look out on the infant day with new eyes.

The twinkling lights of the city grow closer as your car speeds away from the mountain. Soon, you will drop off your ropemate, the two of you will shake hands or hug, and the trip will be over. But not the journey.

Some at work may notice it, think the intense look a scar from desperate struggles in the sky. But your partner knows. It is the look of someone looking inward, remembering, savoring. And when you get home from work that first evening back on the flatlands, you will not so much unpack, as re-arrange, evaluate, inspect, and start re-packing your gear for the next trip, the next exploration of a region as vast and unknown as the star-filled sky.


Brutus of Wyde, Old Climbers' Home
September 15, 2000

Happy People Article by David Suzuki