gap5

Gap Peak attempt (via southeast ridge) – July 4, 2009

Climbing with Mark.

We first attempted this route in December of 2007. Conditions and lack of climbing gear prompted a retreat, but we promised to return.

Armed with almost all the climbing gear we had, we hiked up to the ridge and then followed it to where we had turned back previously. An attempt to ascend the first rock step was short-lived. The rock was decent (though far from stellar), but good holds and protection were minimal for the near-vertical upper half. We were able to bypass this step and then we returned to the ridge. Unfortunately, in our haste to regain the ridge, we neglected to check out other routes, in case the ridge wouldn’t go.

Back on the narrow and intensely exposed ridge, we made a little more progress before another step appeared. This step was probably not as difficult as the first, but the exposure was nail-biting on both sides and I wasn’t confident about setting up a bomber anchor. I retreated quickly and Mark went to take a look. He fared far better than I, making it all the way to the bottom of the step. Mark found a good crack to set up an anchor, upon which a good 30 minute debate ensued whether to continue or retreat.

The pros:

we could set up a good belay, even on very exposed terrain
the rock was generally solid
Mark was pretty confident he could ascend the step

The cons:

we couldn’t tell exactly what was beyond and step and suspected another drop in the ridge
if we got to the top of the step and couldn’t continue, retreat would be very difficult due to the lack of places to build a rappel anchor
the possibility of a thunderstorm

In the end, the cons won over the pros and disillusioned we backed down. While rappelling down to safer ground, we did spot an easy route around the obstacle on the ridge. Unfortunately, we had spent so much time and energy on the ridge, an attempt to circumvent the obstacle was not feasible. Later on, we did notice that beyond the step that had stopped us there was an even greater challenge that definitely would have halted our progress.

We took an alternate descent route that turned out to be scenic, but quite slow and tedious. A worthwhile, but disappointing day.

Looking west to Pigeon (centre) and Lougheed