Page 42 - 2015 AMA Autumn

Ex Bugaboo Tiger
Of Mice, Men and Mountains
importantly the Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col, which connects the campsite to the classic Alpine routes, was seriously out of condition cutting us off from a number of our objectives. So, in true military fashion alternatives were quickly sought.
The decision to turn from our objectives was a difficult one but, made by the whole team, one that reinforced to me the point of Adventurous Training. In hindsight, it appears it was also a good one as the one morning we heard, then saw, a boulder the size of a wardrobe dance down the approach to the col. One of the few times in my mountaineering career the difficult decision to not go has been corroborated by events.
After our gloomy introduction to the park that evening the veil of cloud finally lifted heralding a 3-day high pressure. After a late night of photography, lest the view never return, we were out of the gate early the next morning and headed up the North West Ridge of Eastpost Spire (F). A normally simple route was given a little spice with the unseasonal snow lying on it; a bit of exposure for those new to Alpinism.
Just as Karl and Lenny dreamed of alfalfa fields we dreamed of acres of granite spires dressed with ‘splitter’ cracks and bathed in glorious sunshine. Sadly though, our hopes of ticking off a few of North America’s Top 50 routes were cruelly dashed, as ever, by the weather! As the team from Ex Bugaboo Tiger hauled our hideously overweight packs loaded with stores up to Appleby Camp the weather was decidedly Scottish.
After the walk in, the first couple of days in the Park were spent setting up camp in the ‘atmospheric’ conditions and a trip out onto the glacier to practice a bit of
crevasse rescue. A day out on the glacier allowed for the rope teams to finally get tied together and allowed those who hadn’t experienced the inside of a crevasse that pleasure. Alpine skills sharpened we were destined not to return to the glacier again!
Due to its remoteness it is difficult to get good information about conditions in the Bugaboo Provincial Park, which sits on the border between the states of Alberta and British Columbia in Canada. Deploying in early September it appears we had firmly missed the sweet spot in the volatile climbing season. There had been significant recent snowfall and most
40 ARMY MOUNTAINEER