North America, Canada—Interior Ranges, Pigeon Spire, East Face Variation, Bugaboos

Publication Year: 1981.

Pigeon Spire, East Face Variation, Bugaboos. In August, 1978 Robin Kinnaird and I made a variant of the Kor-Cooper route on the east face of Pigeon Spire. We followed this fine route until we reached the long, left-facing dihedral near the center of the face. Instead of continuing upward on aid (as the first-ascent party had), we free-climbed up and left for several pitches along obvious cracks to a huge headwall near the top of the spire. Rappel slings were found in this section. After a 130- foot horizontal friction traverse right (F8), we climbed up a 60-foot corner to a stance upon a flake (F8+). A 60-foot tension traverse right across water-polished rock brought us to the upper Kor-Cooper line, which consists of free-climbing and another pendulum. Done this way, the face may be climbed free except for the two straightforward tension traverses. (NCCS IV+, F8+, A1.)

Gene L. Francis, Unaffiliated