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Friday, June 30, 2006

[MCR] Mnt Tupper

With the spell of good weather continuing , we again visited Rogers Pass and climbed the ‘Jones Route’ (western most buttress) on the south face of Mnt Tupper.  Parked at the Hermit parking area, then scrambled to the base of the buttress in two hours.  Unlike Mt. McDonald a few days earlier, the snow in the gullies on the south aspects is disappearing quickly and what remains was too firm to allow for good step kicking.

 

The route itself consisted of 16ish pitches of up to 5.9 climbing, blessed with a healthier coating of lichen than most routes could ever dream of!  A standard rack up to a #3 Camelot and rock shoes were definitely appreciated.   Although it had a few redeeming pitches, in hindsight, overall not a route I could recommend.  Beautiful to look at, but hard to establish any sense of climbing ‘flow’.  Put it on your ‘B’ list when you’re looking for something different and expect a full day with an early start.

 

Descent down the normal West Ridge, then over to Hermit Meadows and down the trail.  Snowline is now just above the campground, with the tent platforms pretty much melted out.   

 

Cheers,

Paul Norrie

ACMG Mountain Guide