Grand Central Couloir on Mount Kitchener

Jun 9, 03:17 PM | Climbing

I am back in Calgary and on my way back to Boulder after an ascent of the Grand Central Couloir (Guidebook grade: V, AI 5, M6, VS, 4500 feet) on the Northeast Face of Mount Kitchener in the Canadian Rockies. I got WAY lucky by hooking up with mega-superstar Canadian alpinists last week. Canadian A-Teamers – Raphael Slawinski, Eamonn Walsh, Dana Ruddy and I found the route in prime condition – primarily ice. We climbed it car-to-car on April 22 in slightly less than 17 hours.

The GCC was first climbed in 1974 by Jeff Lowe and Mike Weis. Over the years it has earned a deserved reputation as on one the Canadian Rockies “grand cours” routes. The route has been soloed several times. Ours might have been the first car-to-car ascent.

See also: Raphael’s Pics and Raphael’s Homepage.

Photos by Eamonn Walsh and Raphael Slawinski.