[MCR] Rockies, Coire Dubh Integrale

Subject: [MCR] Rockies, Coire Dubh Integrale
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2012 08:46:10 -0700
I guided an ascent of Coire Dubh and the first rock pitch of the Integrale 
yesterday, Dec 10th. The ice is in good shape and there is a lot of it, several 
flows are formed in the amphitheatre that the ice route finishes in. The common 
corner crack that starts the Integrale, and is the crux, is exceptionally cruxy 
right now as it has a record amount of ice in it. It is quality mixed climbing, 
just much harder than when the corner is dry and you can climb it without 
crampons and bare hands. I placed a 13 cm screw and a 16 cm screw as well as 
half a dozen stoppers and three cams on the lead.

The old two bolt anchor at the top of the ice route is down to one bolt. We 
rappeled the highest ice pitch from a single bolt on the front side of the big 
boulder 20 meters above the ice. I backed up the bolt with small redirected nut 
that I'm sure someone will scoop. That anchor could use a piton back-up. There 
is a new two bolt anchor close to a man sized tree climber's right of the snow 
slope leading to the last ice pitch.

We punched trough several small pain-in-the-butt windslabs en route. None of 
them wanted to move.

Happy trails,
and Merry Christmas!

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

First pitch of Coire Dubh Dec 10/12:

image/jpg


A modern mixed masterpiece waiting creation just right of Coire Dubh:

image/jpg


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