Bugaboo and Vowell Groups, Purcells. During the second week of July Earle Whipple, Bob Page, Arnold Guess, and Bill Buckingham packed nearly a month’s food to Boulder Camp in the Bugaboos. For the next two weeks we familiarized ourselves with the area and climbed most of the peaks by their regular routes. On July 23 Page and Buckingham attempted the unclimbed north summit of Snowpatch Spire. From the Bugaboo-Snow-patch col we examined our proposed route on the northwest face near the north ridge. Starting a few feet south of the col, we climbed several pitches of jam-cracks and ledges towards the base of a smooth yellow tower on the north ridge. Here a small overhang gave access to a large easy chimney which paralleled the ridge for about 200 feet, eventually merging into the increasingly steep face above. From the top of the chimney we continued three more pitches up steep cracks and over thin, precarious flakes to a comfortable ledge at the base of a short, smooth wall. After several futile attempts we finally surmounted this little wall by using two expansion bolts for direct aid. There followed a piton traverse to the left into an easy lay- back. There a short scramble brought us to the summit of a subsidiary pinnacle. The narrow gap beyond appeared most formidable, and because of the late hour we retreated, rappelling as we had come. A couple of days later Page and Buckingham returned, reaching the previous high point in 3½ hours from the col. We rappelled into the notch, leaving a fixed rope here for use on the descent. A piton-traverse to the left brought us to a fine direct-aid crack which was climbed by the use of seven pitons to where it widened sufficiently to permit jamming for the last forty feet. Now at the base of the final tower, we easily climbed a long curving ledge on the east face. A short scramble brought us to our goal. In all we used two bolts and about 25 pitons, most of them for direct aid. After basking in the sun on the summit for half an hour, we descended the same route in ten long rappels, returning to camp at dark. This route was repeated the following day by Whipple and Guess.

On August 5 Page, Whipple, and Buckingham made the first ascents of two peaks, “Snafflehound Spire” (ca. 9700 feet) and “Spear Spire” (ca. 9800 feet) between Mount Kelvin and Center Peak, in the Vowell Group. We crossed the Vowell Glacier from the Bugaboo-Snowpatch col and gained the western spur of Wallace Peak. We then traversed over Wallace Peak and Mount Kelvin (both second ascents). Snafflehound Spire was climbed by its south ridge, mostly high-grade scrambling, and a descent was made to the north, whence we followed the south ridge of Spear Spire until it became a jumble of towers and gendarmes. Crossing a broad ledge on the east face, we approached the summit from the north. A couple of easy chimneys led to the summit block, a smooth, leaning shaft about 25 feet high, which we climbed on its south side. We descended to the glacier to the west and continued down it until we crossed the spur of Wallace Peak, returning across the Vowell Glacier to Boulder Camp.

William J. Buckingham