Author: Katy H.
Bugaboos Climbing Kits
Have you ever felt like a beast of burden carrying a giant alpine pack loaded with gear, food and camping supplies? By the time you arrive at camp your hips are bruised and you need a rest day to recover. Alpine climbing often requires a full rock rack plus extras for snow & ice on top of your camping equipment, so every gram matters! Huge, heavy packs often limit objectives especially when being carried by smaller climbers, the pack to body weight ratio can really impact your approach times and distances, so pack light.
The Bugaboos is an iconic Canadian summer alpine climbing destination. To climbers, the granite spires poking out of rolling glaciers offer endless dreams and adventures. With just under a 6km and 930m elevation hike from the car to Applebee Dome camping area, the approach is relatively easy (compared to the Waddington Range or other larger mountain ranges). While some parties scamper up the trail, others crawl along like pack mules under enormous loads. When packing food, camping gear, climbing gear, and glacier travel gear all the grams add up!
The intent of this article is to showcase some lighter weight gear options, demonstrate how to shave off the grams, and demonstrate an attainable pack weight for 3 different styles of approaches to climbing in the Bugaboos. We hope this list demonstrates examples of clothing to keep you comfortable and gear to keep you safe at weights that add up to a little less, so you can enjoy moving through stunning mountain terrain without enduring a crushing approach.
We assembled three different Bugaboo approach kits, for two people.
These are not kits for specific routes and they do not include the additional grams for camp comforts or fancy food. If you are planning a trip, do your research. Know what you need for the terrain you will encounter, and have the skills, training, and ability to safely pursue your objectives. Every climber will have their own preferences for gear and creature comforts. These kits may not be your personal choices and there are ways to lighten these kits even further or add to these kits for extra comfort and security. For example, some approach packs, like the Blue Ice Stache Packs, are also suitable summit packs so you could eliminate the summit day pack from the multiday kits. You might need less gear or more gear depending on your objectives, comfort leading and technicality of the routes you climb. You might want to bring in a case of beer or puffy pants for hanging out in camp. The options are endless. This is just a starting point.
Day Scrambler
Do you want to day scramble Eastpost Spire, Brenta Spire, or Pigeon Spire? Do you want to move quickly through some glaciated and semi-technical terrain, but keep your objective within your scrambling ability so the climbing gear in your pack is minimized? The day could involve one or two rappels, a little short roping, maybe a pitch of easy climbing, but the day is mostly scrambling or hiking over mountainous and glaciated terrain.
Smash and Grab
Do you have a solid weather window and 3-5 days free? Are you ready to punch it and go for more serious climbing objectives? Are you willing to make sacrifices such as wearing your warm layers to bed so you can bring a lighter sleeping bag, keeping meals simple to cook on a small stove, and cramming into the smallest tent? Do you have technical objectives that require an adequate climbing rack like the Becky-Chouinard, NE Ridge of Bugaboo Spire, Snowpatch Route or even All Along the Watchtower?
Base Camper
Have you planned your trip for a while and committed to stay 10 days or even more? Do you want to keep your options open and throw in a few more pieces of comfort gear? Do you want to be prepared with some pins or extra “tat” in case you need to leave gear on rappels? Are you expecting some tent bound days so a more ventilated double wall tent with vestibule would be your choice? Do you want to sleep in just your sleeping bag and not have to wear warm layers to bed? Would you choose clothing that is a little more durable and will withstand multiple grind fests up chimneys? Do you want a stove that you can prepare real meals on, not just boil up water?
[Main Image] Area: Apple Bee Dome, Bugaboo Provincial Park. Photo by Clayton Hermann.
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