Climbing season is here!
With the new Banff Rock guidebook finally out, a lot of attention has come back to many of the climbs not covered in the Martin & Jones or Galloway guidebooks. One of these is the Rundlehorn, an 11 pitch 5.5 sport route that goes 250m up the West End of Rundle (WEOR).
Aki and I decided it would be a good refresher in terms of multipitch logistics and rope management, as we've found that a significant precursor to success on such climbs are those very skills (and less the actual climbing).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0EtyIL5LdJ6-nWf1Ed1N2X2vPkctYPvg6EzFPRuQzWjV87DPCeTUX3UMGEgm5zcUrIFVT-07VXxtLd0WQaSAQtuROawcNAq5eElqE4-07LVIrcEGJO3BZDKe-QI-SYg44BIP7UWwaltB/s400/20130511_115421.jpg) |
A good view of Tunnel Mountain from the top of pitch 3 (?) |
I found several discrepancies regarding the number of bolts on each pitch versus the description in the guidebook, and I think I may have missed one belay station entirely (would not be the first time), but otherwise the climb was straightforward and quite fun.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Mauqsi1cbyyuIMBL6Ww_8o0Xape7z7CyiBDDMrIkKUTpqQLCJEo7D4PJfw_xT37SwOGkqhmjma8086K-DHJErqWPV-nbnpW7vIEc78nOKD1snLy7WX7woiSNAevF3a44tMhFRqBVkG-B/s400/Summer2013+007.jpg) |
Coming up to the top of pitch 7 |
Aki and I swung leads and our transitions were quick and efficient. The climbing itself was very easy as the route was not very polished and the cherts were fantastic.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdi-NkMlYis0IZQArP0MmYDzZB3_baF2a49K5wwhbGOMedTUu5fW9kVOL4TVzJI5xoYUcnJygzDpSN-08GGdJYbBTzn0AJsxmn_y6xK7VYcci9T-EF3Goc_c8ArY5aIz3VsXqKl1QLMSl/s400/20130511_124350.jpg) |
Crossfire at the top of pitch 8 |
The wind was relentless, which made communication difficult. This was a good thing though, as it allowed us to practice our "silent" procedures.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBsGScRHfvBOSvdS0aadNDAahz5NWKGytwHfFE7S5VcUPKbY4AiegwPjoP3tnsuo0JfmDcsHFBTGgJNhpBlBaxU_VMFh1dZK2RWZAlA0qS4iNJHt_kQRSw_1IencFyfaxIDpmjL787USxY/s400/Summer2013+009.jpg) |
Almost out of the shade |
Most of the belay stations were very comfortable, and we even had some flat ledges that would allow multiple groups to lounge.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJPuqa-Z0fJNc546zuANA-Vi83d8B8-IAlPTPHu5Ue_ciKh6kweJAHNDorhSoLakxhO9BeNy9rCTtKi0OByFNVlo1B-1-DCS6Eto5PUsg2a0SRQ2sU800W3tI8ly8nZGgH3B6GZS-mx_IY/s400/Summer2013+011.jpg) |
Top of the route, pitch 11 |
We finally hit the sun at the top of pitch 9, and quickly made our way to the top of the route. Beyond the last belay station, the steepness levels off significantly and it almost looks like it would be possible to get to the summit of WEOR via hiking and a bit of scrambling.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKPs-_bMO1d8RUSgmVSuetME5SQj3Rx91rZMha2go3S7yMf-EtGTVdkaljreYWFZRchzFhA_r4zpeD1vnGtdmdFX9e-uxE36KwqAT-vs9c5b5ayFAVkALxX2IqZqnKMBVaYeDOIvNaqZ0/s400/Summer2013+012.jpg) |
Trying out a few things |
And now, the part of the day that neither of us were looking forward to ... the rap down. We generally avoid routes that require rappelling, as it is not our favourite thing to do. However, it has limited us somewhat in the past, so we decided to spend a bit more time experimenting and seeing what would work well for us.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglAJ6rBGlOhHHl9I8lQ8u7oMwgp6QHiJj-_JA7SUqCUYDI-Ckyeq6S43xFhdcLfDTURaPUyxshmxHV9FIxXy0xM93MG3v4iJRf362qXWxB7zGlUFI7heBrrFsxLOYxhhlJ7T22xv2UMmSv/s400/20130511_141718.jpg) |
We released our share of rocks on the way back down |
On our way back down, we encountered a group of 3 (a young girl leading and her parents following, pretty cool!) coming up. Fortunately, there wasn't too much trouble crossing each other's lines.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YfJ2n2rnVjTKj0o6HYS71EuArxetLK2jfGt03Db6_a2eIxW6jZVxGRqYm6rftTLPWqMuCFcL5JC-CIgzCNyLl2jb09qfousW2Tgh2T2bNMkML9uW2EdUloVfjhRi1Tzt-Wi3GoWaQxrv/s400/Summer2013+013.jpg) |
It feels good to be able to see the ground finally |
Overall, a fun route, but I'm still not a fan of rap descents.
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/188445156/3101909
Glad you two got on it. I did it last weekend. Definitely good rap practice. Goes a lot faster if you use double ropes.
ReplyDeleteWe wanted the practice, so purposefully used a single rope.
ReplyDeleteMy own experience has been that if there are sufficient rap anchors, then single rope rappels are generally a lot faster with less rope management and lower risk of entanglements or stuck ropes, and less rockfall with the rope. But avoiding rockfall while rapping the lower half of Rundlehorn is virtually impossible!
ReplyDelete