Kadatz sensed her facial expression was contorted and misshapen. She strained to rearrange her expression into something more peaceful for whoever found her body. The fissure at his feet had already transected the bowl they’d been ascending, drawing a line between what snow would slide and what would stay. Their bodies may be recovered years in the future if there is significant thawing.
In 2014, she and Leclerc made the first ascent of Straight No Chaser, a 1500m route (5.11/A1) in the Waddington Range of Canada. In 2016, Harrington, Leclerc and Ryan Johnson made the first ascent of the Northwest Turret (5.13a, A2) on Great Sail Peak of Baffin Island, Canada. Northeast Buttress, Slesse Mountain – This was the route that had inspired me to work hard and learn the skills I would need to climb in the mountains at the age of 14. Returning again to this route to attempt the second winter ascent and first free winter ascent alone, was the opportunity to take the things I had learned in other places to and apply them to raise standards in my home area. To top things off, the quality of the route in winter was well beyond any route I had ever climbed in the North Cascades. Beautiful ice streaked grooves, perfect styrofoam and a daunting mixed headwall led me to the summit overlooking the Fraser Valley I had grown up in.
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Marc
In the summer of 2016, I was researching the northwest face of the Devil’s Thumb, an infamous peak in southeast Alaska chronicled in Eiger Dreams, by Jon Krakauer. As a young writer, Krakauer had himself climbed the east ridge, but as I soon learned, no one had ever ascended via the 6,500-foot northwest face. In 2003, Guy Edwards and John Millar, two top-tier Canadian climbers, had disappeared on that face during a week of bad weather and frequent avalanches. After a six-day search, Alaska state troopers gave up looking.
I would frequently find myself stemming on rock in my mountain boots while swinging my tools into water ice in the back of the corner, dry tooling on secure flakes or dancing up icy slabs balancing on my tip toes on perfect waves of granite. In 2017, Harrington made a failed attempt at Riders on the Storm, on Torre Central del Paine, Patagonia. She and climbing partner Mayan Smith-Gobat were able to work on some of the critical crux pitches, but were turned back from the summit by bad weather. “We were forced to use every technique we knew to get through the ice-covered and often run out climbing. Our goal then changed to just making it through the first half of “Riders on the Storm” in any style possible.” The only frightening moment of the whole climb came during the descent. After a 40m rappel, I reached the ends of my ropes only a meter above an in-situ anchor consisting of an old bolt stud lashed with a wire, and a fixed nut.
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It all started in January with Canadians Paul McSorley and Will Stanhope, along with American Matthew Van Biene. They climbed a new 18-pitch route and made the first ascent of the peak Cerro Mariposa above Lago Mariposa, near the headwaters of one branch of the Rio Turbio in Argentina. The search and rescue mission had to be slowed down due to horrible weather. All helicopters were grounded, but hopes still remained high.
It could have been that while the pair were rappelling the anchor failed – for a multitude of reasons. Rock and ice can break, gear can slip, or ice and rock fall can push gear out. They were both very experienced climbers but gear can always fail. Marc-André was an incredible all-round climber who enjoyed everything from sport and trad on rock, to alpine and ice climbing. He was prepared to climb anything, anywhere, in any weather, by any means. Much of the stunning routes shown in The Alpinist show him switching from rock, to ice, to snow with no hesitation in between.
I guess I … right after he passed away I just alpine climbed for about two years, put rock climbing to the side. I want to get better at all skills, as good at everything as I can. Mount Robson’s North Face on the left and Emperor Face on the right. Photo John ScurlockLeclerc’s ascent is the first solo of the famous Emperor Face. It is also one of the few ascents of the wall to climb to the summit.
Wednesday the 7th and the textual content hardly ever arrived. Leclerc and Johnson saved their gear, like skis, avalanche probe, and reflective vest, at the base for their return trip household. Leclerc and Johnson probably made about five rappels before they reached the bergschrund. They would have braced themselves against the bergschrund, hoping that by some miracle whatever it was that fell from the sky missed them. It was Wednesday morning, March 7, when they got Harrington’s call. One of JMR’s members had talked to Johnson before he left for the towers and reported that the men weren’t due back to town until later that evening.
She had anticipated the challenge of recovering her skis and had brought a full-sized garden shovel along with her avalanche rescue shovel for the task. When she and Banfield reached the hole, it was well into the process of collapsing in on itself. Kadatz began scraping out the snow-ice that was clogging the opening, while Banfield wandered uphill to search for Schumacher’s skis, which had disengaged during the slide and disappeared. Left alone with her task, Kadatz chiseled out the opening to lower herself back in. By the time Kadatz, Banfield and Schumacher reached the base of the final ascent leading up to Sentinel Pass, she was ready to ski.
The snow hadn’t moved; that would have been impossible. Kadatz tuned in and listened to the stillness, sensing a presence, like someone else was there. The same way she knew her boyfriend had walked into the kitchen when she had her back to the door, Kadatz knew she wasn’t alone. UP ON THE SURFACE, about 200 feet below the crest of Sentinel Pass, Banfield worked his way down slope to Schumacher, who stood buried to her thighs in avalanche debris.
A 13a traverse on the Muir, Austin Siadak PhotoNightmare on Wolf Street, Stanley Headwall – Surprisingly, before this climb I had never in my life clipped bolts while mixed climbing, nor had I climbed a hanging dagger of ice. Having the opportunity to enjoy this amazing route with Brette, and both ski out by moonlight afterwards was the perfect way to end the 2015 climbing season. The Venturi Effect + Solar Flare, The Incredible Hulk – California is a dreamy place for those who love clean granite cracks and everything from boulders to big walls.
Searchers found a cache of ski equipment left by the men below the peak. They also saw an intact anchor rope at the top of an ice shoot in the Fourth Tower, and two climbing ropes in a crevasse midway down the Fourth Tower. They never found Johnson and Leclerc, however, and on March 14 the search was called off.
Marc-André died on his birthday at 25 years old, Ryan was 34. Marc-André Leclerc and Ryan Johnson are now part of the mountain. Reviews are great, with a 93% critic’s score and 97% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Of course it has been called “Free Solo on ice” and it’s really an apt comparison.
Willie became one of Kadatz’s biggest supporters and inspirers, emailing her tick lists of “must climbs” and encouraging her to keep trying new things in the alpine. In November 2017, a month before Willie died, Kadatz sent him an email to check in on how he was feeling, sensing that something wasn’t right. She wrote that she loved him, something she’d never said to a guy friend before. On December 21, 2017, about a year after Smith’s death, another good friend of Kadatz’s, Chris Willie, died of a fentanyl overdose. Thirty-two years old, he had just recently returned from a climbing expedition in South America. Willie also worked in the medical field as a researcher; he and Kadatz had met nearly a decade prior.
The peak held special significance for the family, and Kadatz’s parents spoke of it often. They marveled that it was so big it made its own weather system. They took Kadatz and her younger brother on road trips and campouts to Mt. Robson and all over the mountains of western Canada. Kadatz was raised to believe these were places of great power. Her dear friend and climbing partner, Anna Smith, with her perpetually messy blond hair and sunburned nose, was there.
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