FALLING ROCK, OFF ROUTE, STRANDED

Alberta, Rocky Mountains, Mount Louis

On July 26, a party of two attempted Greenwood Route (III, 5.7) on the south Face of Mount Louis. They had difficulty following the route and found the climbing much more difficult than the 5.7 rating. Late in the day, one of the climbers was hit by a rock on the thigh. They were lost, discouraged and out of water on a south aspect during one of the hottest spells of weather recorded in the Rockies. They bivouacked with little gear (shorts and T-shirts), and at first light started yelling for help. At around 1330, a hiker passing below heard the calls and ran out to report them. A warden service rescue team responded and the pair were heli-slung off the steep face. They were dehydrated but otherwise OK.

Analysis

The party had mostly sport climbing experience. Route finding on some of the local longer limestone routes can be complex. In addition, the grades on routes put up in the sixties are sometimes considered “conservative” by modern climbers. (Source: Parks Canada Warden Service)