Magog

History: After reading both the 1975 Putnam Guide (which is the guide that was current when we did the climb in 1977) and the 2004 Jones guide, it is not clear if the route we chose at the time was a FA, or at least a major variant of the 1953 route. 

According to Putnam the 1953 party climbed up to the notch from the east side (i.e. " from snow basin between Magog and Friendship Col." William Lowell Putnam, 1975 edition Interior Ranges BC North, pg 88 - 89) This is BY FAR the most obvious way to at least start. Then, according to Putnam they climbed up about 30 ft, then traversed to the west face then continued to the summit. This is the route we took.

 However, according to Jones [page 335] ,  the 1953 route climbed the west face, really the west face of Gog, and then traversed to their left at about the level of the notch to the west face of Magog and thence to the summit.  I know Jones did a through research job on his guide, and at least McCarthy was (and is) still alive to comment, as may be others, so I would tend to lend a bit more credence to his route description. That being said, the route on the East up to the notch and then along the west face is just really obvious! 

Jones describes [ page 336] the "East Face" route. In 2000 Microys & Factor would have known our 1977 party had climbed to the notch from the East (It was a GMC Camp and I was present and we're good friends) so it would not have been unusual for them to have approached it that way.  The 2000 route (R. Factor, H. Microys, T. Maryon) followed our route almost to the notch, then branched right on a more difficult face ("steep, slightly overhanging...") before the actual notch. (As I overheard Fritz Wiessner say once "Good route, poor route finding!" )  

Description: Here's how we climbed it : From Fairy Meadow approach via the path towards Friendship col and Echo glacier ( or what's left of it)

Looking westerly, Gog  is on the left ( the closer to Friendship Col ) and Magog on the right.

From the Echo glacier/snowfield hike towards the East face of the formation, 

Pitch 1 - Cross the moat to the rock at a point  below the notch between the two crags. Climb easy, but a bit fractured, rock up to the notch ( photos). Go through/around the notch to the west face ( Check out the "letter box", photo)  and then traverse left to a comfortable belay below a wide crack / narrow chimney. Due to rope drag through the notch this may be done as 2 pitches.  

Pitch 2 - Climb up to a wide crack ( photos, crux 5.6?); up this then up and left to the summit. Whether the 1953 party climbed the wide crack is not known.  Jones [ pg 335 ] states the 1953 party climbed " a short, steep pitch (10m) to a ledge....traverse left...and [then] climb easy rock to summit."  Jones then continues with an alternate of a "chossy gully" but again he speaks of this being on the west side of the formation.

Descent - I understand there is/was a rap anchor for a 50-60m free rappel from the summit, but in 1977 we descended by rapping the west face to the belay ledge, then rapping down P1.

See description for the approach 

Std rack. We climbed this in 1977 in the pre-cam era, and I don’t remember needing anything large, but then I wasn’t leading it. Take the 5.6 grade I assigned with a grain of salt.