Monday, February 23, 2009

Drip at the Center of the Universe - W5+, 600m


"The Drip" is the white line in the middle of the face, leading almost to the summit.

Headed out for a challenging solo climb yesterday on The Drip at the Center of the Universe on the East face of Mt. Birdwood in Kananaskis Country. I found the climb to be in excellent conditions, the ice was very steep in spots but was of good quality and tool placements were solid throughout. From the top of the route I continued up the snow gully for about 45 minutes hoping to reach the summit of Mt. Birdwood, but the snow quality deteriorated and it seemed too risky to continue. Getting down involved 9 rappels (with one rope) and some downclimbing. It was one of the best routes I have ever climbed and was well worth doing. Skiing out in climbing boots on nasty snow was not so fun!
Close up of "The Drip at the Center of the Universe"


Self portrait from 3/4 of the way up the climb.
J. Mills
CRAG Owner & Head Guide



1 comment:

  1. nice one Jay, i've seen the but that is about as close as I will come. Have you climbed the SW lizzie's ridge in Birdwood? Opinion?

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