[MCR] Jasper Hidden Valley Route updates

Spent the last two days working on route repair and development in Hidden Valley. Some new routes and changes in the area include:

“Hilfe” 5.4 – In early June, Guy St. Denis and I bolted a two pitch route on the Fossil Bed wall about 75m before the Schoolhouse Rock area. First pitch 31m 5 bolts. Second pitch 20m 4 bolts. Rappel off ring bolts or walk to top. Very nice easy route for a fun option to the schoolhouse area.

“Easy Pickin’s” and “Blown Away” now have new rappel bolts. The old hardware store variety bolts have been replaced with stainless hardware and Fixe ring bolts or stainless carabiners (permanent Lock-tite on all the new hardware). New second pitches have been added above by C & S Shokoples. Three variations to finish now exist above these routes: leftmost pitch 2om 5.3 – 1 bolt / Centre line has thin slab and face to 5.10, 20m – 4 bolts / rightmost pitch follows a great water worn seam at 5.6, 20m.

A new route appeared on the Intermediate Slabs right of “Blown Away” a couple of years ago. It goes at 5.10, 25m and has Fixe rings on the top.

New Fixe stainless rappel bolts have been placed on top of the Basic Slabs at Schoolhouse and the old 5/16” self drive bolts have been removed. After last years disappearance of bolts at Morro Slabs all of the new bolts on top of Schoolhouse and Spiderman Slabs have now permanent grade Locktite and epoxy to keep the bolts from being removed. I replaced the stolen bolts at Morro last summer and put permanent grade Lock-tite and epoxy on all of the new bolts.

The Back Wall area is now fully equipped with Fixe rappel hangers on almost all of the routes. The old rusty chains on “This Bolt’s for You” have been removed along with the 35 year old bolt hangers on the old self-drive bolts. The Metolius hangers have also been replaced with new Fixe rappel rings on top of the route.

My old trad route between “This Bolt’s for You” and “Duo Arboretum” was retrofitted as a sport route by C & S Shokoples this weekend and goes at about 5.7 on excellent rock. This gives a good starter lead for those who find the other sport routes on this wall a bit too much. Earlier this summer an initial protection bolt was added at the bottom of “Crescent Crack” to eliminate the ground fall potential on this excellent trad route. The rusted old bolts at the top of the route had stainless hardware installed last summer so this route is now in great shape.

The water in the pond at the beginning of the hike in is about as high as it ever gets. Tricky start and finish to the day...

Don’t forget to pitch in and help those who were or still are dealing with water and flood damage in Southern Alberta...

Cyril Shokoples
ACMG/IFMGA
Rescue Dynamics
http://www.rescuedynamics.ca
http://www.rescuedynamics.com






  



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