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Howse Peak - North Face

Howse Peak - North Face

$140.00 CAD
$140.00 CAD
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There might be no face scrutinized so closely for the optimal conditions than that of Howse Peak. Its location, right above the beginning of the Icefield Parkway, probably accounts for some of it, but its spectacular icefalls, devious terrain and multiple complex rock bands explains the rest. Two routes in the early 2000, M-16 (line 3) and Howse of Cards (line 4) helped redefine what cutting-edge, lightweight alpine climbing could look like. The most recent line (line 2), a proud first ascent once judged impossible, ended in tragedy in the descent with the death in an avalanche of three of the best climbers of their generation, Hansjörg Auer, David Lama and Jess Roskelley.

 

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Route List

1: Life by the Drop, WI5+ R, D. Edgar, D. Marra, 04/1999
2: Auer-Lama-Roskelley,H. Auer, D. Lama, J. Roskelley, 04/2019
3: M-16, ED+ WI7+ A2, S. Backes, B. Blanchard, S. House, 03/1999
4: Howse of Cards, ED+ WI6+ M7- X, W. Gadd, K. Mahoney, S. Semple, 12/2002
5: Glidden-Lowe, TD+ 5.8 A1, J. Glidden, G. Lowe, 06/1970
6: The Black Band, TD+ 5.10-, F. McGuiness, W. Meinen, B. Pullan, 07/2010
7: Northeast Ridge, TD+ 5.8 A0, K. Baker, L. MacKay, D. Vockeroth, 08/1967
8: North Face, ED+ 5.9 A3, B. Blanchard, W. Robinson, 03/1988

Sources

  • “The Climbers Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada, Volume III: Rockies West,” David P. Jones, Thin Gruel Press, 2018

  • “Waterfall Ice, Climbs in the Canadian Rockies,” Joe Josephson, 4th ed., Rocky Mountain Books, 2003

  • “The Bold and the Cold,” Brandon Pullan, Rocky Mountain Books, 2016

  • “Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies,” Sean Dougherty, Rocky Mountain Books, 2008

  • “Pushing the Limits: The Story of Canadian Mountaineering,” Chic Scott, Rocky Mountain Books, 2000

  • “Howse Peak, East Face, M-16,” Steve House, AAJ, 2000

  • “Howse Peak, East Face, New Route and Tragedy,” John Roskelley, AAJ, 2020

  • “Howse Peak, North East Buttress,” George Lowe, CAJ, 1974

  • “The Black Band,” Brandon Pullan, CAJ, 2011

  • Scott Semple

Updates

Feb 1, 2025: First version published.

Jan 27, 2026: Corrected line of Howse of Cards, thanks to FA author Scott Semple!

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