Mt Blane 2993m

(NW Ridge, Alpine II 5.6), September 8 2005

Very fun climb, went with Dow Williams. There are few difficult moves but the exposure is significant. The book makes it sound easier but parties have bivied on this route and we took 9.5 hours round trip without being slow, and soloing most of it. Remember there's no easy way down and downclimbing the same way is necessary. There were 3-4 rappel stations but we only used the last one, to save time and it didn't seem necessary.

Summitpost beta on the route from our climb.

  Mt Blane coming into view King Creek canyon approach Mt Brock  

  Mt Brock/Blane col with the small gulley on the left  

  ascending steep grassy slopes  

   

  the views open up Brock  

  photo by Dow Williams  

  photo by Dow Williams  

  Brock  

   

   

  Brock ascending steep terrain  

  photo by Dow Williams photo by Dow Williams  

  the ridge  

  me climbing, taken by Dow Williams  

  can you say... exposure?  

  Dow checking out the exposure  

   

  looking back at the ridge we've to downclimb  

  photo by Dow Williams photo by Dow Williams  

  Left to right: Glasgow, Cornwall, Outlaw, Banded  

  Kananaskis Lakes with Joffre in the background Kananaskis Lakes with Joffre in the background  

  Assiniboine dominating the landscape  

  Sir Douglas Royal Group  

  downclimbing Nice  

  photo by Dow Williams  

  photo by Dow Williams photo by Dow Williams Weather moving in. We escaped to the parking lot shortly before the rain!  

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