Video by Joshua Lavigne - Climbing in the Bugaboos is always a highlight of the summer and definitely one of my favourite places to climb. The rugged hike through wildflowers as you climb towards Applebee, the mystic and grandeur of the spires as they glow in the evening light, and the long shadows draped across the glaciers as the full moon rises and a lone headlamp weaves down the Bugaboo/Snowpatch Col. There is something eternally special about the place.
Last week, Simon Meis and I took advantage of a splitter forecast to session the east face on Snowpatch. We decided to forgo the usual journey across to the west side so that we could focus on hard free climbing close to "home" (Applebee). The locals Chris Brazeau and Jon Walsh have been climbing on the east side for several years now, establishing some world-class routes. While climbing with Jon the week prior, he was adamant that I sample the routes on the east face.
So, with a large free-climbing rack, a backpack full of puffy jackets and even a pair of customized belay booties, we set our sights on climbing as much as we could with as little walking as possible. In the five days that we were in Applebee, we climbed Sweet Sylvia, Sendero Norte, and Labyrinth.
