WADDINGTON

One of the most remote and rugged mountain ranges in Canada, if not the world, is the Waddington Range of BC. Mt. Waddington itself is the pinnacle of the Coast Range, and stands at 4019 m (13,185 ft). But many who come here never even set foot on the Wadd, as the surrounding peaks are an Alpinist's playground - big granite faces and ridges, steep spires and needles, spectacular alpine ice, short routes, long routes, and never any crowds.

Approach to this area in the early days consisted of a week long adventure involving float planes, boats, bush thrashes, epic stream crossings, and long glacier walks, all with a gigantic pack. We forego all of this by means of a comfortable helicopter flight. A 30 minute flight takes us and all of our gear right to the heart of the range.

Although there are countless objectives in this range, including several first ascents still waiting to be plucked, most parties prefer to do one of 2 standard trips…Camp and climb in the Upper Tellot Glacier area, or climb Mt. Waddington itself.

In summer, 2008 I will be leading both of these trips…

MT. WADDINGTON MAIN SUMMIT - Bravo Glacier Route

The classic route up to the main summit. A mixture of snow, ice, and rock climbing to 5.7. After acclimatization, the route generally takes 3 or 4 days, but weather will dictate exactly when the best days will be. If the peak is ascended early in the week, numerous possibilities exist for other peak ascents in the area.

UPPER TELLOT ALPINE CAMP

Numerous five star objectives are within spitting distance of our basecamp at over 10,000 feet…Dragonback, The Claw, the Serras, Stiletto, many with spectacular views of the North side of Mt. Waddington. Moderate ridge traverses to alpine ice gullies and faces to splitter granite crack systems. The nearby Plummer Hut offers refuge in case of serious storms.

DIFFICULTY, ABILITY LEVELS, AND WEATHER

The Waddington area is rugged and remote and a certain degree of 'hardiness' is required for trips to this range. Although many of the objectives are within reason for anyone with basic mountaineering experience, it is recommended that you are reasonably fit, be comfortable with crampons and ice axe, and have 'seconding' rock climbing ability to 5.8. We will be flying into the area, and likely won't be moving basecamps around too much, but you should still be prepared to carry a 60 lb pack (all of your gear including overnight equipment, and several days food) in case of foul weather or changing plans.

August is usually the best weather month in the range. In saying that, severe coastal storms can still produce hurricane force winds, torrential rains, and several feet of snow at higher elevations. Although there are several objectives that can be done in lighter storm conditions, severe storms and avalanche hazard may dictate spending some days in the tent or hut. If these severe conditions are forecasted before flying into the area, an alternate destination with better weather will be suggested, and/or contingency plans will be made.

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