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Bugaboo Spire 3186 m

Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia

The Bugaboos are a small outcropping of granite peaks surrounded by glacier in the Purcell Range of British Columbia. Here is a rock climbers heaven, but long ago, I went there too. The classic Kain route on Bugaboo Spire is a 5.5 climb, reached from Boulder Camp and Conrad Kain hut after crossing a small glacier. Try the crux "gendarme pitch" in mountain boots (not rock shoes!) for added challenge. After all, Austrian guide Conrad Kain originally did it in rope-soled shoes in 1916, and without a belay too...

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Oops! Looks like an accident: Should have tied those bootlaces after all. Not a good start.

Climbing beautiful bugaboo granite towards the gendarme under a perfect blue sky.

 After a complete recovery a few hours later we are near the infamous gendarme, the crux, which has pit marks in it from lightning strikes. You traverse across a steep slab to the left of it on ascent, and rappel the north side of it to a ledge on descent.

Lunch on the summit of Bugaboo Spire. Fast, eh? No time wasted on photos. Behind are the three Howser Towers, also popular rock climbs. On a clear day, Mount Assiniboine is visible, as is Mount Sir Donald. But you can't see Mounts Rainier or Whitney.

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© All photos copyright by the author 1999.