| Bugaboo Rock
Snowpatch Spire 3063m
Bugaboo Spire 3176m
The Approach
West Ridge of Crescent Spire
Bugaboo Trip 1998
Bugaboo Gallery
Kain Route
NE Ridge of Bugaboo Spire
Clean and Dirty
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Michel Dufresne and I came to climb the NE Ridge of Bugaboo and this is what happened instead.
We got up quite early that morning, and headed out on our day or climbing the NE Ridge of Bugaboo spire. Well, the day was going great, across the Crescent Glacier, up the West Face route on Crescent Spire; hike the pass to the base of the NE Ridge of Bugaboo. We unpacked all our stuff, put everything onto our harness and we barely got our shoes on when it started to snow. We could do it, we thought to ourselves, and so Michel tied in and started up. We figured its only snow and it may clear up. Not long after Michel started to climb, the snow changed from dry to wet, 10 min later and the rock was running with ice-cold water. Michel pulls onto the belay ledge, and gets me onto belay. Up I go, but this time, I have to climb the entire thing wet and freezing. I mange to make it through with very numb finger tips and wet sleeves. We decide that it’s probably best to retreat. Back at the base of the climb, the rain stopped, so we hang out and smoke a cigarette. We decide that we were not going to screw around with Bugaboo Spire that day. Instead we decide to try our own line up this wall, just left of McTeck area.
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The Clean & Dirty Wall is what we called it.
The very first pitch that is dotted on the picture has been climbed before, but we decided we would avoid this pitch all together. We traversed in from the glacier, on a ramp system that will take you all the way to the base of the first pitch that we climbed. The belay is on a slab in a cut out Bay, of some sort. The wall above is steep, clean and inspiring. I get the lead do to the fact that it was my turn for the lead. We slipped on the shoes, had one more look at Bugaboo Spire, and said tomorrow dam it.
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Kelly Leading the Crux pitch 10b on Clean & Dirty.
This would be the first pitch that we led on the route, after the big traverse in to the square slot. I start climbing and find that the crack is really this large bomber flake crack. The holds are huge along with the big foot ledges. I get below this drip shaped arrowhead rock. Large crack give a great placement for pro. I decide to take the right line, to my surprise, I move onto what seems to be loose but very unsure. If it were, than this route would not be recommended. But if it was just a boing sounding rock, than it is a great pitch. The climb becomes this rising traverse to a chimney and than a chimney traverse. At the end of the traverse, is a big ledge with boulders. I get in their and make anchor somewhere for Michel to come over. Michel climbs the pitch and has a blast at the stepping out right part. The traverse gets him groaning and I can here him from just around the corner.
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Topo and Route description of Clean & Dirty.
Michel heads up the thin corner, up to the top of a pinnacle of such. Moves up to a ledge and belays. I follow the pitch and it is equally hard as the first, 10a, thin desperate, on slightly lichen covered rock. I look around to see a slanting crack just to the right a ways. I traverse over to the crack to find a good lay back. I had to clean a couple slots for pro in the mud; at the top of the corner layback was water running down. Here you have to do a big move up and right to the top of the ledge. Up behind some big rock boulders. Michel gets a cool pitch to the top. Up two-inch crack, if you clean a spot for your hand or cams, and up cracks corners and boulders to the top. This part of the climb is very strewn with lichen and moss. The Tope was drawn that evening at the hut, a copy was left behind with the warden at the time, for entry and updating. If you happen to climb this route, let us know how you feel with the rating.
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