Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Atlantic Canada's hardest trad route

I think it is time for me to put some focus on outdoor climbing, I have had enough comp climbing and training for the season. Really, the reason I have lost some interest in climbing outdoors locally, is because there are not many hard routes, in large part because of the rock type; it does not lend itself to featured overhanging rock. Therefore, for it to get harder, it just gets more balancy and sharper.

Of course there are some exceptions and those are what I am looking for now. I would really like to find a natural trad line to work, which will take me a few months to get. They are hard to find.

I just posted on the Atlantic climbers forum a request for help to build a list of the hardest trad and mixed lines in Atlantic Canada. Maybe someone out there is also interested and can help?

I do have one route in mind, which is called Odin, an old aid line in Welsford, NB. I looked at it in the past and thought I could free all but 20ft, where it blanks out, but maybe now that I am stronger it will look more possible. I am a bit worried people putting pegs in and out will make this route easier over time, so it would be good to get on it as it is now, as natural as possible.

So maybe I will force myself to get out there, I will put it in writing what I am going to make a point to do in the next while:

Attempt Odin free
Free Odoriferous (one of my previous aid lines in Welsford)
Free the arete at Eagle Rock
Climb The Crush
Finish Loki's revenge free

Hopefully, I can interest someone in joining me?

1 comment:

Zig said...

for sport projects Halifax has some hard ones if you can find the time to head down here

zig