First good glimpse of the Bugaboo's on the drive i...
Description
The Bugaboo Provincial Park is one of the greatest alpine playgrounds in North America, and the world for that matter. Imagine large granite spires of all shapes and sizes surrounded by beautiful glaciers and mountains as far as the eye can see in any direction and that's the Bugaboos. All the rock is alpine granite and the quality on most routes is superb, even those which are not considered classics. Routes range from a few hundred feet tall to a few thousand and offer anything from ridge scrambles and moderate free climbs to hard test pieces and multi-day big walls.
The climbing season is generally June to September with July and August having the best chance of good weather. But be prepared for any kind of weather, it can storm at anytime and it snows every month of the year. Temperatures can vary greatly depending on what side of a spire you're climbing on (North or South), if the sun's out or not, or if it's windy so plan accordingly. An ice axe and crampons are mandatory to be safe especially later in the season when the glaciers can become a little more troublesome to negotiate due to melting. Glacier travel skills are recommended for getting to and from most climbs unless you're staying near the campground.
There are several options for staying in the park when your visiting. The most comfortable but also most expensive is the Conrad Kain Hut which is managed by the Alpine Club of Canada and will cost you $22 a night (Canadian) per person as of 2006. But provides you with a warm dry place to hang out in foul weather, a kitchen with running water and lights for late night reading. Other more cost effective options are the campgrounds, with the Applebee campground being the most popular by far. It will cost you $5 (Canadian) a night per person (pay at the Kain hut) and is basically a large area of somewhat flat rocks to place your tent on. It does offer you a toilet, racks for hanging gear and food and great views which make the price seem more reasonable.
Getting There
The Bugaboo Provincial Park is located in the Purcell range of British Columbia, off of Highway 95. To get to the Bugaboos travel 17 miles north of Radium Hotsprings or 48 miles south of Golden on Highway 95 depending on where your coming from to the really small town of Brisco. Head west on a dirt road that has a sign for the park and goes past a lumber mill. Follow the dirt road over the Columbia River and up into the mountains for 28.5 miles. There are several turn offs along the road but there are signs at most of them for the Bugaboos otherwise just stay on the main road.
Once at the parking area there should be enough chicken wire, wood posts and rocks to protect your vehicle from rubber eating porcupines. You'll see what I mean when you get there, don't take a chance. The trailhead is at the west end of the parking lot and the next 3 miles to the Conrad Kain Hut are steep so pace yourself. It's about .5 miles from the hut to the Applebee campground up more steep trail. The new guide book "The Bugaboos" written by Chris Atkinson and Marc Piche has all the info you need for a great trip.
By way of the N. lateral moraine of Bugaboo glacier and snowfield to the Snowpatch-Bugaboo col above which the S. arete is followed. Scramble up ledges easily for more then 500' to the base of a steep chimney where the rope is put on. Climb chimney (120';two leads; strenuous) to crest of ridge leading to base of formidable gendarme. Two leads on the gendarme reach groove where belay is established for the crux. Leader moves up...[more]
sport climber here, who will be climbing in skaha for a couple weeks (july 16th- aug 1st) and was thinking about making a bug trip. the info page says i'll need things like crampons and an ice pick. is this true for july? also, can i get by on a small rack? set of nuts, hexes and a handful of cams from .5 - 2? i'm really looking to take it easy and gain some alpine/ multipitch trad experiance on things like kain route, north east ridge, mctech arete and the west ridge route. any information/ suggestions would be greatly apprieciated.
You could probably get by without crampons and an ice axe but I would not recommend it. Especially if your not very experienced in alpine environments. You don't need crampons for McTech but you'll want them to go up and down the Snowpatch-Bugaboo Col. A small rack should be fine for the easier routes. I would just start on some shorter routes and see how it goes before jumping on anything big. And be prepared for anything, it could be nice and sunny or it could rain and snow, the weather changes fast in the Bugs.
kyber, There is an alternative rap that avoids the down climb on the Snowpatch-Bugaboo Col if you are doing the NE Ridge of Bugaboo Spire. This should negate the need for crampons/axe. If you are doing anything over on Crescent Spire or Crescent Towers you don't need crampons/axe. Anywhere else e.g. Pigeon, Howser Spires) you will. Be careful out there. This ain't sport climbing.
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