Alpine Classics with Barry Blanchard

Course Agenda

Day 1:  We meet at the Yamnuska Office in Canmore at 7:30am (or Radium Hot Springs at 10:00am if you are coming from British Columbia) for introductions, a review of course goals and itinerary and equipment check. After packing up, it's a 3 hour drive through Radium Hot Springs and down the back roads of British Columbia into the wilderness of the Purcell Mountains in Bugaboo Provincial Park. A steep but stunning hike involving 5 km and 700m of elevation gain will put us at the comfortable Kain hut at 2230m. This will take us between 3 and 4 hours.

Day 2-6  The glaciers and peaks in the Bugaboos will be our playground.  We will split into small groups based upon ability, experience and personal objectives.  These objectives include:

• Pigeon Spire: West Ridge (the best 5.4 route in North America!)
• Bugaboos Spire: Kain Route (5.7), N.E. Ridge (5.8)
• Snowpatch Spire: S.E. Corner (very long 5.7), S.W Corner (classic 5.0), Krauss-McCarthy (5.8), plus many other good routes
• Crescent Spires: Lions Way (5.6), McTech Arete (5.10), Between the Ears (5.7)
• There are also several other less known routes offering great climbing at different levels

Day 7:  A final shorter objective in the area will be attempted before we descend to the vehicles and return to Canmore. You will likely begin planning your next trip to the Bugaboos on your way back to the car!

4-Day Program

For those guests taking part in the 4-day program, we will have a shorter objective on day 4 before returning to the hut to collect our belongings and descending to the vehicles.

Guides & Group Size

Barry is an Associate Director of Yamnuska involved in promotion of modern alpinism and mentoring of junior guides.

Canadian Mountain Guide and alpinist, Barry Blanchard, was born in Calgary, March 29, 1959. Twelve years later three boys navigated the Bow River through the western side of the city on a raft of nailed together railway ties, Barry was at the helm steering the adventure. He found mountain climbing in the books of his high school library, some of which are still in his possession.

A six month trip to the French Alps in 1980 set the course of Barry's life: to climb the steepest and most complicated faces of the world's great glaciated peaks.

Barry has enjoyed some success: the first ascent of The Andromeda Strain, 1983; the North Ridge of Rakaposhi, 1984; the first ascent of the apocalyptic North Pillar of North Twin; the West Ridge of Mt Everest, 1986; surviving the Rupal Face of Nanga Parbat, 1988; a solo first ascent on the North Face of Kusum Kanguru, 1991; an attempt on K-2, 1993; first ascents in the St Elias mountains; M-16, a first ascent -in winter on the East Face of Howse Peak, 1999; the third ascent of the Infinite Spur on MT Foraker, 2000; the first ascent of Infinite Patience on the Emperor Face of Mt Robson, 2002.

More importantly Barry has enjoyed all of his outings, even the ones not included in the narrow definition of "success". Barry moved to the mountains in 1982 to pursue his Mountain Guiding career (he is an internationally certified -IFMGA- mountain guide) and has included making Hollywood features such as "K-2", "Cliffhanger" and "The Vertical Limit" in his professional life. Barry lives in Banff, Alberta, with his wife Catherine Mulvihill, whom he met on a Mt Everest expedition in 1994, their daughters Rosemary and Eowyn, and their dogs, Finnegan and Seamus.

Barry will be joined by a team of Yamnuska guides who all hold certifications through the ACMG/IFMGA and are experienced professionals who love to share their passion for the mountains. Maximum guide ratio on this program is 1:2.  The maximum group size is 8.

Logistics

The program begins at the Yamnuska office at 07:30am on Day 1. The Yamnuska office is located at 200, 50 Lincoln Park. See this map for location.

Transportation

Transportation while on the program is not included. We rely on guest's personal vehicles to reach program locations. The 45 kilometer road into the park is a fairly well maintained logging road, however at certain times of year it can be difficult to traverse with a normal low clearance car. If renting a vehicle it is best to go with a full size car, Mini-van or SUV with higher clearance. Overloading a small car is not recommended unless you allot for extra time on the drive in. If flying in we recommend you rent a car from Calgary Airport. You may be able to share the cost with other participants.

Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore. Greyhound Bus Lines (1 800 661 8747) serves Canmore from points east and west along the Trans-Canada Highway.

Accommodation & Meals

The Conrad Kain Hut, a large attractive hut in a spectacular position beneath the 'Spires', will be the accommodation for the program. Sleeping areas are shared with sleeping mats provided. There is propane and hydro from a small hydroelectric generator to provide power for cooking. You will need to bring a small sleeping bag. All meals, snacks and drinks are supplied from lunch on the first day to lunch on the last day. Please let us know, well in advance, if you have any dietary restrictions.  A dietary surcharge will apply.

Accommodation in Canmore is not included. For your convenience we can arrange hotel accommodations in Canmore for $160 per night. Double or single occupancy, the cost is the same. This accommodation can be booked with the trip online or by calling us. Subject to availability.  Hostel accommodation is also available for $30 per night.

You can also make your own arrangements.

Excess luggage can be left at your hotel or our office.

Equipment and Clothing

We supply group climbing gear but you need to bring your own personal climbing gear (e.g. harness, helmet, ice axe), clothing and general equipment. We can lend you personal climbing items except for rock shoes for which a rental charge applies. It is required that you bring 'rock shoes' in addition to mountaineering boots for this program. Let us know, in advance, what you will need.

The equipment and clothing you bring with you will play a large role in the quality of your experience. It should be lightweight, durable and in good condition. You must be familiar with the function of your equipment. Make sure that it fits and that it works with other items of your equipment before you come.  

Read the following suggestion list carefully. If you have any questions or need clarification don't hesitate to call or write. There is room for substitution and changes but if you have any doubt, do contact us.

CLOTHING LIST

We suggest layers of light, easily carried clothing that allow for fast and easy adjustment to best suit fast changing temperature conditions. We discourage cotton clothing as it causes rapid heat loss when wet. Feel free to call us if you have any questions about what to bring.

You will need to bring:

• Wool/blend socks - 2-3 pairs synthetic or wool
• Long underwear top - synthetic or wool
• Soft shell climbing pants - these should be windproof nylon/synthetic blend mountaineering pants
• Outer pants - waterproof and preferably with side zips on legs (Gore-Tex)
• T-shirt - synthetic or wool
• Mid-weight top - synthetic or wool
• Soft shell jacket - this should be a windproof nylon/synthetic blend jacket
• Outer jacket - waterproof with a hood (Gore-Tex)
• Insulated jacket - synthetic or down
• Gaiters - must fit over mountain boots
• Mountaineering gloves - light weight
• Mountaineering gloves - medium to heavy weight
• Hat - synthetic or wool that covers your ears and fits under a helmet
• Sunhat - with wide brim

CLIMBING EQUIPMENT LIST

You will need to bring: (Items in blue are available to rent from Yamnuska,  we can loan you the items in red). You must give us plenty of notice if wanting to rent or loan gear.

• Mountaineering boots - Ideally these should be lightweight leather or synthetic mountaineering boots with either a semi-rigid or rigid sole.  It is possible to buy boots such as the La SPortiva 'Trango' which is designed specifically for alpine rock and which can take a crampon. They will increase enjoyment on more technical rock.  As always, the most important feature of a mountaineering boot is comfort. Different brands seem to suit different feet. If buying try a few different pairs and if they are not comfortable don't buy them. There are many good brands. They include Asolo, Kayland, La Sportiva and Scarpa.
• Rock Shoes - Comfort is essential as you will be wearing these for prolonged periods of time.
• Large backpack - 55-65 liter capacity. Internal frame with accessory straps that is big enough to carry your personal gear and clothing plus your share of group camping gear and food.
• Day pack - Big enough to fit extra clothing, equipment and your food. A 30-35 liter capacity is suitable.
• Sleeping bag - We suggest a 3-season bag. Make sure that you bring a stuff sac that will reduce your bag to its minimum size (i.e. with compression straps) so that you don't use up all the room in your backpack.
• Harness
• Helmet
• Ice axe  - mountaineering axe (minimum 55cm in length). Lightweight versions are appropriate for this trip.
• Crampons
• Belay device
• Sunglasses - with 100% UV protection
• Sun cream - extra strength
• Lip cream - with UV protection
• Headlamp - with fresh batteries
• Waterbottle
• Blister kit - 'moleskin', 'second skin' etc.
• First aid items - keep this small (band-aids, ibuprofen & aspirin/tylenol, etc.)
• Camera
• Trekking pole - must be collapsible (optional)
• Toilet items - personal items, keep as light as possible - optional ear plugs for sleeping in the hut

Optional Items:

We supply the following items, but if you have your own please feel free to bring them:  nut tool, belay device with pear shaped carabiner, 1 x 5m 7mm prussik, 1 x 120cm sewn sling, 2 x locking carabiners and 1 x 16-22cm ice screw.

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment.

We require a 35% deposit at the time of booking. Final balance is due 8 weeks before the program start date.

We ask that you familiarize yourself with our detailed booking instructions and conditions.

Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the program. Please view our sample waiver copy.

There are two basic types of insurance that most travelers need to consider: Medical and Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance. We offer our guests coverage for both and highly recommend you purchase it.

Emergency Medical Expenses Insurance:

It is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident during your trip.  Obtain extra coverage if necessary.  There is no charge for rescue in the National and provincial Parks, however costs such as air or ground transportation, long term care and other services are not covered.

Cancellation/Trip Interruption Insurance:

We recognize that our guests’ schedules may change for many reasons; business, family, flight delays, injuries and other unplanned events.  For these eventualities the Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance is a great way to protect your investment. 

For all your travel insurance requirements we recommend the Simpson Group.  This agency offers a wide range of travel insurance options including Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Travel Medical and Personal Effect Loss for Canadian and International Travelers.  We highly recommend purchasing this insurance.  For more information and to purchase a plan, visit the Simpson Group’s website.