The Central Howser Spire

DAVID BERNAYS

On a spectacular camp on a rock island on the height of land between Pigeon Spire and the Howser massif, Dr. George Austin, James McCarthy, John Rupley and I assembled on the evening of August 7, planning our attempt on the unclimbed central tower of the Howser Spires. To the south a hanging glacier plunged sharply thousands of feet into a deep valley. Scarcely 500 yards away the gray walls of the South Tower rose sheer out of the snow. All around the horizon lay range on range of mountains tinted by the sunset. Our reconnaissance that warm, cloudless day had been from the distance. A closer approach had been impossible, since the steep, fluted slopes above were releasing avalanche after avalanche in the hot noon sun. The climb appeared to hold two serious problems. First came the giant bergschrund which stretched like a great medieval moat across the entire face of Howser. Finally there was the sheer rock step just below the summit. From the distance we had scanned the bergschrund for a long time and finally picked the most likely spot. By starting before dawn, we should have hard snow and hoped to reach the bergschrund in about twenty minutes. The next 50 feet would be the first problem. Beyond that there appeared to be 600 or 700 feet of extremely steep, fluted snow and ice with an occasional rock island. This snow reached almost to the col between the Middle and North Tower. Above this there appeared to be several leads on moderate rock leading to the sheer step. Beyond lay the summit.

The first gray light of dawn found us prowling on the lower lip of the bergschrund. Our judgment had been good; a large cracked block of icy snow bridged the gap and lay against the upper roof. Above it rose a slightly overhanging bulge of hard snow. It yielded surprisingly quickly to a double ice axe attack. Beyond, a 200-foot lead brought us to a good belay high on the first rock island. Above lay pitch after pitch of steep fluted snow and ice. The feeling of height was terrific, for we had underestimated the length and angle of the slope. The neighboring peaks were already far below us, and camp was just a collection of colored dots among the rocks. We felt like tiny animals on a large and steep, white corrugated roof.

After what seemed ages we reached the col. Here John and Jim took over the lead from George and me. Several pitches of enjoyable rock brought us to the step. It was sheer. After hunting about, we finally found what appeared to be a feasible chimney on the east side. Jim ventured into it. The best that could be said about it was that all other alternatives were worse. It was more a vertical gulch than chimney, rotten, rickety, and very, very moist. As a final straw the piton cracks were either bad or nonexistent. Jim started gamely up. One hour and nine pitons later, all of which adhered more by faith than by friction, his triumphant whoop of relief announced that he had surmounted the step. He had done a superb lead on a very exposed and ticklish stretch of rock. The rest followed quickly as the pitch was rendered much easier by a rope from above. Twenty feet of simple rock led to the summit. Since this was the first virgin peak for George and John, we let them climb the final block first.

There were several small clouds drifting overhead as we began the descent, and I foolishly pronounced them fair weather clouds, a guarantee of good weather. As we started down the snow slope, we heard the first thunder and for the rest of the descent we were constantly in and out of small but violent storms. Finally, one long rappel from the lower rocks, using every inch of rope, got us safely over the bergschrund. Fifteen minutes later we were back in camp. North and south of us the black columns of rain flickered with lightning. To the east Bugaboo Spire stood golden in the last light of sunset. The last big peak of the Bugaboos had been climbed.

Summary of Statistics

Ascent: Central Howser Spire, Bugaboos, Canada, first ascent, August 8, 1955.

Personnel: George Austin, David Bernays, James McCarthy, John Rupley.