SKI-CLIMBS in the COAST RANGE by W

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 Mount Waddington 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 Vancouver- 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.

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