34 CANADIAN SKI ANNUAL SKI-CLIMBS IN THE COAST RANGE By W. A. DON MUNDAY. Reprinted from The Canadian Alpine Journal, 1930 THREE seasons in the cliff amused us. One cub always tarried just section of the Coast Range fully convinced too long, then hunted the rest of the family us that skis were logical equipment to over- while the family hunted him elsewhere. come the obstacles imposed by the immense Remarkable changes had taken place on snowfields. Faster travelling meant ex- the glacier since 1927. The wide white tending one's effective climbing range, there- corridor between the two medical moraines by making it possible to take advantage of was now a gorge from 100 to 200 feet in brief spells of favorable weather where un- depth. Areas of formerly clear ice were now settled weather naturally resulted from sea- littered with moraine. Some of the surface winds sweeping up abruptly . 10,000 feet streams flowed in canyons 50 feet below the across the glacial mantle of the range. general level. We landed at the mouth of the Franklin On the 14th we went through to base River, at the head of the Knight Inlet, on camp at 5,400 feet, arriving about 5 p.m., July 9, 1930, and started up the valley next after a climb of 5,000 feet in the course of morning with the ftrst packs. Erosion of the about 12 miles. The unceasing wind down river banks forced us to do much cutting of the glacier proves wearying. The worst part new trail through thick second-growth and of the trip \vas what we called the "swamp," brush, including some devil's club fIfteen opposite Confederation Glacier where sod­ feet high. We made two relays and reached den snow concealed crevasses brimming with the last camp below the glacier rather late water. Mount Waddington shook out a wild on lhe lhird day for taking a load up the scarf of cloud in greeting. I could smell my glacier. The 13th was wet in the morning, way in the dark to that camp site by its but we got away at 12.30 noon with loads rich scent of growing things floating down which we cached at about 2,000 feet on the waste of ice. Franklin Glacier. A ten-hour trip in threatening weather The whole snout showed much shrinkage. brought up the cache next day. A wet night The western lobe had receded about 200 followed. The 16th was showery, with a yards; parts of the tongue had retreated still temperature of 35° F. The 17th brightened more, largely as the result of being undercut up late, and in mid-afternoon we skied to by the river which now hugged the western the summit of Mount Redbreast, about side and swung across the whole front. 1,800 feet above camp and lowest mOlJlltain Blocks of ice thundered down the river past in the district. This was for a try-out of camp almost continuously. our ski wax. (A pine tar mixture.) A black bear and two cubs on a brushy The trip planned for July 18 was along the divide between tributaries of Confed­ eration Glacier and upper Franklin Glacier to a peak of about 10,000 feet. Soft snow had robbed us of its ascent in 1928. We crossed the neve of Whitetip Glacier on skis, mounted easily to the base of the rock tower of Mount White­ tip, skirted it, climbed unimportant Claw­ hammer Mountain (about 8,350 feet), continued northwest to Shelf Mountain (about 8,625 feet), and lunched on the sum­ mit rocks while revell­ ing in the splendid PHOTO. MRS. DON MUNDAY MOUNT JUBILEE AND FRANKLIN GLACIER panorama. One of the Showing new moraine over-riding older one beside the moraine lake most impressive moun- CANADIAN SKI ANNUAL 35

tains in the nameless ranges beyond the Klinakline River is an enormous quadrila­ teral block, ils eastern face almos t complete­ ly robed in neve. A fine ridge, mass­ ively corniced, led us onward to cliffs down which we carried our skis some distance. Bad snow on steep slabs stopped us finally. The onJy safe route was so long that to continue to our ob­ jective probably meant sacrificing a

trip to Mount Vigilanl PHOTO, MRS . DON MUNDAY or Dauntless on the MO U NT DAUN'rLESS ( L EFT) A N D M :O UNT VIGIr.A N'r FROM DA U N 'rLESS GLACIER morrow. There will always be mountains to climb, ward down perhaps 4,000 feet to an unknown but'not always mountain regions for original glacier in a gorge parallel to the Franklin exploration, and these challenging tusks Glacier. Whitemantle Glacier seemed a promised views of an entirely unknown slope fitting name. The glacier, flowing westward of the Whitemantle Range. With this in from Mount Whitemantle down a shallow mind we turned back towards camp. Thanks trough parallel to the crest of the range, to our skis, the deep soft snow did not cascaded in two successive icefalls into the trouble us, and we even turned aside to gorge, the lower icefall displaying a beautiful climb the nameless crest between Saffron cobweb pattern as the result of radial and Creek and Icefall Point for a photograph ten concentric crevasses crossing. It received miles down the Franklin Glacier. We took several importan t tributaries before curving off our skis within ten minutes of camp. out of sight to drain by Fissure Creek to the Somehow we got away to a late start, Franklin River. We estimated the length 7.10 a.m. An hour's brisk walk by an in­ as ten miles. direct course took us across Franklin Glacier A fairly formidable minor peak separated to its tributary, Dauntless Glacier, at an us from Mount Vigilant, and several needle­ elevation of 5,000 feet. We went up about pointed spires from Mount Dauntless. The a thousand feet before getting continuous south arete of Dauntless looked favourable ski-ing. Normally the snow-fields in this if we could surmount the nearly vertical district develop a pitted surface, the conical shoulder from which it rose. Two steep ill­ holes ranging from six to twenty inches in defined rock rihs led to the base of the depth, the rim of each crater meeting those shoulder. The better looking rib was raked about it. They reach their worst develop­ by a fusilade of large rocks. We started up ment at the lower levels but may be met at the other at 3.20 p.m., and discovered it to almost 9,000 feet. Sometimes they form in be a horrihle mixture of mud and red · . the course of a few days. Such a surface porphyry blocks. A snow traverse in the affords poor ski-ing. We tried "with" and head of a couloir led round one of the needles "without," and preferred the "with." to a shallow chimney, slabby and with some The red and black peaks rose above a ice in it. I suggested my wife's longer l'each grand icefall, the blue blocks still clean-cut, would make it easy for her. She took the unweathered. A corridor slanted up along the lead, working slowly up fifty feet to the first base of the icefall for 1,300 feet to the fine belay, and unenthusiastic about my sup­ neve basin directly under Mount Dauntless. posedly easy route. I lost my enthusiasm We still saw no practicable route up either before joining her on a small ledge. peak. Among big crevasses we mounted She had earned the right to lead. There southward into the basin between the two were many big loose rocks, often with peaks. The bergschrund was bridged at the enough coarse black crustaceous lichen to steepest point below the col, but opened a make poor footing, particularly when wet. week later. From it we ascended without Large purple cushions of Saxifraga op­ skis to the col, an elevation of 9,300 feet. positifolia delighted the eye. Draba n. s. Through~athering clouds we looked east- was common, too. This little yellow 36 CANADIAN SKI ANNUAL

of the range probably, and over 10,000 feet in height. In the high plateau between this double crestline of the range origina tes White­ mantle Glacier.. The rock peaks are con­ sistently tusk' - like. Most are over 9,000 feet, and six or seven are 10,000 feet or better. Former esti­ mates of their height had been very modest. Clouds hid distant views to the southeast. In other directions clouds interfered less, so that we saw the - Island ranges on one side and PHOTO, MRS. DON MUNDAY A 1500 FOOT WALL OF ICE VALLEY on the other the In- terior Plateau through flower, found by us around Fury Gap in gaps in the Coast Range. The lengthening 1928, was then a new species only discovered shadows threw the nearer snowfields into the previous year on Glacier Peak, Wash. fine relief, making us reluctant to leave the Steep and interesting climbing finally summit. brought us to the top of the shoulder. A We descended by practically the same graceful sickle-edge of soft snow soared to ronte but avoided most of the chimney. The the arete of the easterly peak. The upper muddy buttress we could not avoid. Below part of the western peak overhung the the bergschrund we Pllt on skis. Green couloir between the two. The eastern slope shadows and bronze fire fantastically slashed of the mountain pitched away for perhaps the western snows. The frosty crust gave 2 000 feet in ruinous buttresses. no grip for our skis now. Breakable crust '''The west peak's about eight feet higher," existed lower down, but in the failing light Mrs. Munday announced as she thrust her the utmost alertness and care was demanded, chin over the last slab. Retreating down the so we did not reach the foot of the corridor arpte we descended snowy and icy rocks into till 10 p.m. A curious experience in the the ~ouloir. There the snow was in bad lower part of the c~rridor was a momentary shape. The overhanging wall looked utterly white glow under our ski tips every time impossible, but from the other summit my they broke through the crust. Darkness pre­ wife had noted a hidden cleft from which we venting safe running among the crevasses, emerged almost within arm's length of the we shouldered our skis and lit the lamp. actual crest, a mere finger of white qnartz An irregular system of thinly bridged surmounting a tilted slab only big enough to crevasses on Dauntless Glacier gave us an hold us both at once. The time was 6.03 p.m., anxious hour, although all the way across the height 9,900 feet by an aneroid recently Franklin Glacier every snow-filled hollow calibrated with a standard mercurial baro­ also had to be treated as a possible crevasse. meter. A thin but brilliant moon helped us toward To west and north we were, of course, the last, and we climbed to camp at 2.10 viewing familiar terrain for the most part, a.m., well satisfied at escaping a bivouac though from a new angle. Not that the on the ice. scene was in the least commonplace. But The name had been very the Whitemantle Range to the east claimed kindly recorded by the Geographic Board our special attention. It runs westerly from for a mountain massif on the south side of the and is bounded on the Tiedemann Glacier and east of Mount Wad­ north by the deep valley of Scar Creek; with­ dington. Its height had been cautiously out a real break it pivots southwestward at placed at 10,000 feet, then raised to 11,000. Mount Dauntless along the Franklin Glacier; Rather naturally we wished to make the A similarly curving branch of the range on first ascent, the more so as weather had the far side of Whitemantle Glacier joins prevented this three-day expedition from the other at Mount Whitemantle, the apex the same base camp in 1928. CANADIAN SKI ANNUAL 37

By using skis we hoped to avoid packing conditions these glaciers offered no practic­ food, fuel and equipment for spending two able route to the snow plateau between the nights part way up Corridor Glacier. Also, four major peaks of the mountain. The we might snatch a perfect climbing day southern arete, connecting with the highest which otherwise might be sacrificed in peak, swept up grandly for 3,000 feet from establishing such a camp. the valley floor and bristled with towers. Accordingly we left base camp at 3.40 The rock is a dark schist with a pronounced a.m. on July 22. In the southwest the vertical cleavage. earth's shadow appeared on the sky as a Beneath the thawing crust the snow was shallow arch of violet rimmed above with a deep and soft. From the pass, 9,500 feet, we rosy glow which sank till it glorified the looked down Waddington Glacier again­ great peaks, the coloring being just right to with vivid memories of plodding up and foretell perfect weather till nightfall at least. down it under equally bad snow conditions Two miles of badly pitted snow on the but without skis. But above the pailS the Franklin Glacier, a climb of 900 feet over seemingly gentle slope proved surprisingly Icefall Point, and then we skied down White­ steep and very soft even for skis. tip Glacier to the Franklin again well above At 10,200 feet we drew about level with the great icefall. The snow was still deeply the beautiful summit of Mount Agur. Still pitted, . but improved very slowly as we higher on the snow dome we entered the con­ gradually gained elevation up the east siderable cirque between the eastern and branch, Corridor Glacier. "middle" peak of MOlmt Munday. The The west face of Mount Sockeye looked fourth (northern) .summit is not seen from very fine, scored with countless grooves of this direction. The cirque forms the extreme sIffing snow. A huge fish-shaped, salmon­ source of. Waddington Glacier, but also colored lens of rock in one of the cliffs discharges into Ice Valley. suggested sockeye salmon. On the opposite From horn to horn of the basin ran a side of Corridor Glacier snowslides had bergschrund. We might be able to cross the swept the whole face of a mountain for a easterly horn, but this meant a complete width of three-eighths of a mile, and from and not wholly simple traverse of the east crest to base. peak to get round to the middle peak, We turned up Ice Valley about 9.30 a.m. thought to be the highest. However, the The icefall at the southern side of the portal bergschrund was still thinly bridged directly showed wonderfully graceful curves in the below the saddle between the two peaks. thick capping of white snow on the darker The snow curtain above looked firm, but the ice. All the tributary glaciers above the bridge was loose and honeycombed. permanent snow line (say 7,000 feet) main­ I mounted cautiously. Even with the tain their identity for long distances before greatly increased bearing surface of the skis, their convex cross section subsides into the one foot went almost completely through general level of the trunk glacier. into the ugly chasm. Mrs. Munday did go Ice Valley, partly , descended by us in .-----...... ,~~~~~,..,.. 1926, and now revisi ted for the first time, had lost nothing in im­ pressiveness in com­ parison with the massive ice formations seen since then in other parts of the region. Impending masses of. ice formed the whole southern wall, culminating at the pass in the 10,000- foot summit of Mount Agur. The other wall was more irregular, being formed of nar­ row rugged glaciers between slender rock buttresses of Mount Munday. Under the present PHOTO, DON MUNDA.Y MOUNT MUNDAY FROM CORRIDOR GLACIER 38 CANADIAN SKI ANNUAL through with one foot, but the other one watched sunset brim the wild enclosure with held. Then we sidestepped up to the lip fantastic hues. of the plateau. The time was 3.55 p.m., the In the dusk we then glided cautiously elevation 11,200 feet, with all the peaks still down, keeping to our faint upward track for well above us. guidance through the crevasses. By lamp­ On wind-compacted snow, without our light we continued to follow them till skis, we mounted the north face of the obliterated by the day's thawing. At 10.30 middle peak, crossed an icy bergschrund p.m. we took off our skis. Ragged-lipped to the short summit ridge of snow and rock. crevasses presently warned we had swung The height was now about 11,400 feet. The too near the northern angle of Corridor and north peak was definitely lower, the east Franklin Glaciers in our effort to avoid the peak a little above us, and the west peak un­ shattered zone beside "Glacier Island" on doubtedly the highest. the other side. We worked through and We hurried down and across to the latter, turned toward unseen Jcefall Point. mounting by the north snow face to the Night, but not sleep, enclosed our world. east rock arete. A notch divided the top The peaks were alert watchers. The great into two small peaks. the southern one a glacier, always asserting it.s potency by day, few feet higher. Spanning the bottom of the still declared its force. The wind shrilled notch a thin wedge of soft snow made an down the vast snowy plain. The Milky airy pathway between the heads of two Way was a belt of bright flame, the questing couloirs. At 5.25 p.m. we swung up on to stars almost oppressively brilliant - as the summit, 11,500 feet. though swung low this night to light an The air was crystal clear. Mount Wad­ unfinished work of creation. We tramped on dington dominated the scene with its sym­ in siLence, marking the mounting stars as metrical slender pyramid soaring nearly they briefly jewelled the brows of the eastern 2,000 feet above us. Every line led the eye peaks. Fortunate is he who is privileged to upward to the final spire. Across Tiedemann be abroad on such a night, the more so with Glacier, Mounts Combatant, Tiedemann, a companion sensitive to the wonder of it all. Asperity, Stiletto and Dentiform copied Plodding up Whitetip Glacier, at 12.55 grandly the monarch's aspiring buttresses. a.m. we stepped off the snow and lay down Imposing peaks and grand glaciers were on heather till the bitter wind goaded us set apart in great groups, unlike the southern down the southern slope of Icefall Point. section of the Coast Range where there is While getting back on the main glacier the more or less an accordant level to the peaks snow broke under me, but fortunately my and also a closer linking of the subsidiary skis bridged the gap and eased my fall into ranges. a deep hole among the big rocks of the Once more we looked across the Homathko moraine. I broke nothing but my ramp. valley to the immense Homathko snowfield The rising moon and the slow cloudless dawn which is about forty miles in length north aided us down the last stretch of the glacier. and south; midway along it a row of peaks, At 3.43 a.m. we reached camp. like islands, partly interrupts this white sea; We woke at 10.30 a.m. just in time to two hundred square miles is doubtless a very rescue from rain the damp clothing we had modest estimate of its total area. We first confidingly scattered round for the sun to sighted the Homathko snowfield in 1926. dry while we slept. We set ourselves the We now looked down more than 11,000 feet record of going to bed three times that day. to the Homathko River Valley and to Bute The next two days, July 24 and 25, con­ Inlet beyond. tinued wet, with the thermometer at 35° Though we had seen the mighty Franklin or 36° F. Glacier system from so many viewpoints its Following another rainy night, July 26 wonder remained unabated. Into every cleared too late for any extended trip, so valley it thrust its gleaming arms. Length­ we crossed Franklin Glacier to the northern ening lilac shadows warned us downward angle of the junction of Dauntless Glacier. from our windy coign. Once clear of the The low ·ridge here held a small lake rocks, we raced back to our skis. Still half­ delicately green in hue, and many lesser numbed, we had almost to fight our way bodies of water surrounded by heather, down against the blast roaring upward out flowers and weather-beaten trees. Lake of the cirque. We slid spread-eagled across Repose we called the largest lake. the bergschrund, then on skis enjoyed a run Then we crossed Dauntless Glacier south­ down the still sunny but freezing cirque. ward and descended one of the parallel Two thousand feet of execrable ski-ing valleys behind the lateral moraine to the brought us down into Ice Valley. In the last beautiful jade lake formed as the result of the sunlight we ate a long overdue meal of a comparatively recent increase in depth near the same place where once before we had of the glacier in this vicinity. No evidence CANADIAN SKI ANNUAL 39 has been noted to suggest that there had We placed a number of rocks on Franklin been a corresponding increase along the Glacier in the hope of getting some idea whole glacier at the same time. ~ The present next year of the movement of the ice. lateral moraine of Dauntless Glacier swings The trip down the glacier on July 28 was round, with a height of from one hundred much the usual grind except that for the to two hundred feet, to form the boundary last hour the wind almost made it impossible of the trunk glacier. This moraine has to keep our feet on the moraine-covered partly over-ridden smaller older moraines snout. During the night we had the unusual supporting vegetation (willows and flowers). experience of a wolf prowling around camp, Most of the older moraines are partly sub­ as evidenced by his tracks. merged in the lake created by tbe new barrier. "Were they worth itP" I demanded next Fortunately mountaineering comprises clay while my wife struggled to steer her skis many other things than climbing mountains, through a trail-less thicket where the river and this day was among our happiest in the had flooded our trail to the river mouth. mountains. We spent part of July 27 in "Every bit of it!" she retorted without preparing to break camp on the morrow. hesitation, even at such a moment.

AUSTRALIAN-NEW ZEALAND LETTER

THE AUSTRALIAN SNOW SEASON has been one out of 400 and is therefore the Mesiter of of the best experienced for the past twenty­ Australian ski-ing for 1932. five' years, due to the enormous falls and the Although the Council and the newly exceptionally long periods of brilliant sunny created Federation have done mucb to foster days with a minimum of wind and a maxi­ the championships and improve ski-ing by a mum of frost. uniform standard of tests, the chief interest There has been a great increase of ski-ing is still centred in the individual clubs and activity in Australia during the past few their activities, and it is always likely to be seasons and more and more people visit the so on account of the long distances that. snow. Tbe system of organizing cheap separate the various snowfields and the trips for the school girls and boys has borne difficulty of travelling to any two centres in great fruit, for as each generation of these the one season. This, combined with the mature a good number continue their fact that the principal snowfields are far interest in the sport. from the chief centres of population­ Great strides bave been made in amal­ Melbourne and Sydney, prevent the majority gamating the various ski-ing interests of ski runners from spending more than a throughout Australia and New Zealand. few weeks on the snow, and so will always The New South Wales clubs united in a tend to make Australian skiers much more Council in 1928 and this year the three interested in their individual clubs. Further­ States of New South Wales, Victoria and more, the fact that the accommodation Tasmania have united to form the Australian available on the Australian snowfields is not National Ski Federation, whjch will represent at present sufficient to house all clubs the Commonwealth in all sporting events simultaneously will also tend to individualism abroad and be responsible for all Australian in club activities for many years to come. National Ski Championships. All the New South Wales clubs had ex­ This year the Federation asked the Ski cellent weather in which to conduct their Club of Victoria to conduct the first properly club events and every report is glowing with organized Championships on the four event enthusiasm. principle with the following results:- This year a new departure in exploration Victoria New South Wales was organized by Mr. Richard Allen and a Slalom ...... ~ . .. 100 80 few other members of the Ski Club of Downhill...... 94 100 Australia. They hired an aeroplane ~ and Langlauf...... 95 100 flew from Sydney to Kiandra, then along the Jump...... 96 100 75 miles of the Main Range to the summit of Kosciusko, investigating on the way many of Total .. . . 385 380 the secondary ranges and valleys around Mitchell, by his superiority in Slalom, won J aguna!. They report many excellent fields for Victoria, notwithstanding that New which are, unfortunately, from the skiers' South Wales won the three other events. point of view still beyond civilization. Kaaten, a Norwegian, won the four event Although the last two seasons have been Championship of Australia with 386.4 points confined to an improvement in the standard