A system to the right of Hobo’s Haven on Snowpatch Spire’s Tom Egan Wall had long been eyed from Applebee Camp. Cody Lank and I succeeded in climbing this new line in 2012: East Columbian (4 pitches, 5.12).

The blank first pitch was the key to unlocking this aesthetic line. After two days of hand-drilling on lead, we had placed six bolts on the 5.10 slab, which granted access to the beautiful overhanging hand crack above. This second pitch went onsight at 5.11+. The pitch above was more complex, as the hand-sized crack tapered to nothing. Where it blanked out, some edges out right looked inviting and eventually led us to a steep hand crack and the end of the pitch (5.12). (We came back later and hand-drilled another bolt to facilitate the crack switch.) After a short section of 5.8 we joined Hobo’s Haven and finished on the Power of Lard.

Chris Brazeau, Canada