Cc: outdoor-recreation@sfu.ca
Subject: Bugaboos report
Hi All
Just returned from 10 days in the Bugs. We were thoroughly
'Bugaboo'd' by the weather. A few items:
1.
Managed to get up the Kain route (mostly 4th / 5th class with a step or
two of 5.5 / 5.6) during a lull in the weather; the ascent still included
snow, hail and rain. Cool climb, nonetheless. Simul-climb say 95% of
it. Much unroped work. One step of 5.5/5.6 definitely gives you
appreciation for the boldness of Konrad Kain, who led the climb in
hobnails in 1916. Crazed man, apparently.
2.
Humped over to the base of the spectacular Beckey-Chouinard route on the W
buttress of S Howser tower. Trecaherous brideges and constant slushy
snow- balling under crampons made this approach hike a small adventure in
itself. Open bivvy consisted of three of us cowering in our bags as an
all-night electrical storm raged...Scary thunder and so many lightning
flashes...the whole summit must have been blasted by strikes. Bailed the
next am in unsettled weather. My second attempt on the route in 4 years.
I will go back!
3.
If you go to the Bugs, (a) have at least 3-4 weeks available and you
will likely get up any route (just wait for weather) and (b) wait you
must: just check the sky every 1am or so and in most cases just go for
it, IMHO. The weather will likely be cool till 2pm or so, then cloud and
vbery possibly storm. Take bivvvy bag, shell and boots/cramps/axe on just
about any route: can ice up and become treacherous very quickly.
I feel the best boot for the Bugs is the Trango Plus: sticky-ish rubber
you can probably climb 5.8 in, yet rigid and with heel lug for ste/strap
crampons (toe is lashed on by strap, heel clamps on by step-in method).
3a.
Weather reports were about 100% inaccurate. I began to suspect the
ranger of conspiracy / falsification. Barometer and daily reports by
radio were really no use: local weather was so dynamic I feel you just
have to go for it and return to camp time and time again till you finally
reach the summit of your peak.
4.
The Beckey-Chouinard is best suited to a 2-person team climbing the
route in a day from a bivvy at the base. Go light but be prepared for the
possibility of an epic. The route is graded V 5.9 A1/A2 but do not let
this deceive you, there is no prospect of rapid rescue, many have epics on
the route and in anything other than a perfect weather scenario, it is a
serious undertaking. A V, 5.9 with a spot of aid at Red Rocks, for
example, is not at all comparable to the B-C. primarily in terms of
objective danger and of course leading no-falls 5.9 with a pack and in
shell gear is different from with just tights and a t-shirt. Yet there is
a good bivvy at p10 and supposedly good ledges all the way up (accuracy of
this beta=?) so it seems reasonable.
5.
Met legendary adventurer/photographer Gordon Wiltsie, very cool guy. Also
met the guy who runs Buttermilk Mountain Works and who, 11 years ago, made
the haulbag I humped to the Kain Hut. Small world.
6.
Guess that's it. Photos if they come out on my web page some time.
Oh, yeah, a good place to come down to, fromt he Bugs, is Lussier Hot
Springs, W on the White Swan road about 40 minutse S on the 93 from Radium
Hot Springs. Radium is CDN$8.00 to enter, croweded and water channeled to
artificial pools. Lussier is open 24 hours, few people, costs nothing and
you can bivvy nearby for c.CDN$3.00 per night.
7.
Any beta requests, just email me.
Hope you all had a cool summer.
later
Cameron
