Crescent Spire, McTech Arete, 5.10a

Lat/Lon: 50.75028°N / 116.77722°W- CLICK FOR TOPO MAP
Crescent Spire is located in Bugaboo Provincial Park, (33,700+ acres) the home of
several legendary granite spires. Bugaboo (Glacier) Provincial Park is part of the
Bugaboo Alpine Provincial Recreation Area located in the Purcell Mountain Range of
British Columbia. The Purcells parallel the Canadian Rockies on the western side.
Despite the fact it does not look like its neighboring spires on approach, Crescent
was named such by Conrad Kain in 1933 because it forms a spire at its base on the
north where it connects to the Bugaboo snowfield. It is the first feature east of
Bugaboo Spire and is just west of the Crescent Towers which involve additional
climbs.

Despite lacking prominence upon approach, Crescent Spire’s two dihedrals on its
south face offer up some of the best 5.10 climbing in the park. The following
routes are featured in “The Bugaboos, One of the World’s Great Alpine Rockclimbing
Centres”, an exceptional guidebook in my opinion put out by Marc Piche and Chris
Atkinson:

West Ridge- 5.4/180m
WIMTA- 5.10-/5 Pitches
Clean and Dirty- 5.10-/6 Pitches
Paddle Flake Direct- 5.10/6 Pitches
Paddle Flake- 5.10/6 Pitches
Left Dihedral- 5.11+/6 Pitches
Westside Story- 5.10-/6 Pitches
Roof McTech- 5.10+/2 Pitches
Energy Crisis- 5.11+/2 Pitches
McTech Arête- 5.10-/6 Pitches- I climbed this route and it is considered the classic of
this group, given three stars by the guidebook. Exceptional rock with one of the finer
10a pitches (2nd pitch) found anywhere as well as an optional roof start for the first
pitch which is challenging. The first two pitches are definitely the crux of the climb.
McTech Direct- 5.10/6 Pitches
Woza Moya- 5.10-/6 Pitches
Dunlop’s Dangle- 5.10-/6 Pitches
Surprisingly Subsevere- 5.10-/6 Pitches
Northeast Ridge- 5.6/300m

Mechanized bolting is not allowed in the park, therefore, this is specifically a trad
climbing area. The glaciers in Bugaboo Provincial Park are retreating as most in
Canada are. The Bugaboo Glacier itself has receded over 3000’ in the past 100
years. The wildlife is still exceptional. We spotted a black bear on the road in and
wolverine tracks on the Pigeon Fork-Bugaboo Glacier. The weather is more volatile
than even the Canadian Rockies due to the park’s closer proximity to the Pacific
Ocean. Rock fall and weather remain the two most dangerous objective hazards for
most climbing in the area.

Getting There
Bugaboo Provincial Park is located in southeastern B.C., between Golden and
Radium Hot Springs, and west of Highway 95. Access to the park is via a gravel
logging road, open late spring through late fall, that begins at Brisco, 27 kilometres
north of Radium Hot Springs or 76 km south of Golden on Highway 95. You must
travel 46 kilmetres on the dirt road to get back to the trailhead. Watch for the small
directional signs at intersections.

The trail to the Conrad Kain Hut is approximately 2260’ of gain spread out over 4.6
kms and the Applebee campground is another 820’ of gain from the hut spread out
over 1 km. We made the hut in under 2 hours, some parties took 3.5 hours during
our visit.

Access to the northern portions of the park via the Vowell and Malloy Creek
drainages is possible by leaving Highway 95 at Spillimacheen, north of Brisco, then
crossing the Columbia River and turning left on the West Side Road. After travelling
0.8 km, turn right onto Bobbie Burns Creek drainage and drive past the lodge of the
same name. Logging roads up Vowell Creek and Malloy Creek lead to semi-open
terrain which can be hiked into the park. The status of bridges in inactive logging
areas may vary in upper drainages.

Red Tape
• Bugaboo Provincial Park is a remote area. Persons intending to visit the Bugaboos
must realize there are no supplies, equipment or transportation arrangements of any
kind available in the park. Hut accommodation is not available in winter because of
avalanche dangers.
• It is recommended that visitors protect their vehicle perimeter with a portable
chicken wire fence to deter porcupines and other small animals from chewing on
wires and tires.
• National Topographic Series Maps 82K/10 (Howser Creek) and 82K/15 (Bugaboo
Creek) are at a scale of 1:50,000 and cover all but the western limits of the park.
• 'The Bugaboos - One of the World's Great Alpine Rockclimbing Centres' is a
comprehensive and accurate guidebook to climbing and mountaineering in
Bugaboo Park. It is written by Chris Atkinson and Marc Piche and published by Elaho
Publishing (ISBN # 0-9733035-1-4).
• Weather conditions can change suddenly in this area and lightning storms with hail
and snow are common in summer. Only experienced climbers practiced in crevasse
rescue and properly roped should venture onto snowfields and glaciers.
• Loaded logging trucks and other industrial traffic may be encountered while
accessing this park. Drive with extreme caution and for your safety always yield to
industrial traffic.

Climbers should check with the hut keepers on current conditions and destinations
before departure. Climbers are responsible for their own safety; rescue services are
not readily available. Public communications services are not available.

When to Climb
Although CMH offers winter heli-skiing for tourists, Bugaboo Provincial Park is
primarily a summer destination for climbers. Despite the necessary glacier travel,
the quality of the rock is what most come to Bugaboo for therefore the summer
months are prime. Late August was when I climbed in the region for the first time
and it was stellar conditions. However, Bugaboo Provincial Park is well known for its
volatile weather swings and for the most part, your views from the west are obscured.

Camping
Wilderness, backcountry or walk-in camping is allowed. Backcountry campgrounds
are provided at Boulder Camp below the Conrad Kain Hut and on the bare rock
slabs of Applebee Dome, 1km above the Conrad Kain Hut. A per-person fee is in
effect at these campgrounds, payable at a self-registration station located inside the
Conrad Kain Hut. To prevent contamination of the water supply and damage to the
sensitive alpine environment, camping in the park is not permitted elsewhere in the
vicinity of the main spires (Bugaboo, Snowpatch, Crescent, Pigeon, Howsers).
Bivouacking is not permitted unless circumstances dictate it's necessity. Wilderness
camping is allowed in other, more remote areas of the park, such as the Vowell
Group. Leave-no-trace wilderness camping ethics should be utilized.

Backcountry Camping Fee: $5.00 per person / night, for all persons 13 years of age
or older.

There are hot and cold water taps in the Kain Hut. There are two pit toilets located
near the Kain Hut for users of the Hut and Boulder Camp. There is also one pit toilet
located at the Applebee campground and in the parking lot at the trailhead.

The Conrad Kain hut is a class “A” (pads, fuel, pots and dishes, running water) hut
that sleeps 40. Reservations for the hut can be made through the ACC National Office
from 9:00am to 8:00pm, seven days per week. The campgrounds operate on a "first
come, first served" basis.

An on-site custodian collects fees for the campgrounds and hut (for those who did
not reserve through the ACC office in Canmore) from mid June to late September.
Tent sites and hut bedding must be cleared by 11:00am if you are not planning on
staying that night.

Open fires and dogs are prohibited in the park. Ski tourers can book the hut from
approximately mid March to May.

Mountain Conditions
The Ministry of the Environment of BC has weather, wildlife reports, trail closures, etc.
Outside of the parks web site, Canadian Avalanche Association is also useful,
particularly for winter travel. Canadian Alpine Accident Reports are also extremely
useful.

Route
Crescent Spire is a 2000’+/- ascent day from the Conrad Kain hut. From the hut, we
ascended the Applebee Dome trail above the waterfall until near the camp and then
followed a fainter trail up left onto moraine. Follow trails to the outlet of a small tarn
and cross this outlet and remain low as you traverse around the lake and eventually
ascend a small mass of moraine to the outlet of another tarn right below the
Crescent Glacier. Move right to cross this water flow at its narrowest section.
Traverse left staying low until you gain the fringes of the glacier and ascend the edge
of the glacier towards Crescent Spire which is left of the Crescent Towers and right
of the Crescent-Bugaboo col.

McTech Arête is an arête located between the two main corner systems on the south
face of Crescent Spire. Scramble up off the ice to the top of a large boulder that puts
you squarely below a corner leading up and through a small roof. This was the first
free route up the wall and is also the most popular today.

1st Pitch- 5.9/35m- Climb up flakes to the base of the corner. The route is supposed
to bypass the roof to the left, however, we took the roof and belayed at the junction
with a crack that leads left away from the corner a few meters above the roof.

2nd Pitch- 5.10a/35m- Probably one of the finer 5.10 pitches in Bugaboo. Follow
the hand and finger crack as it moves up left away from the corner, to a small alcove.
Continue up a non protected corner utilizing cracks to your left to gain a belay ledge
with chain anchors.

3rd Pitch- 5.4/15m- Probably the worst pitch in the Bugaboos. We soloed on up to
the base of pitch 4. Follow broken ground up right to a chain anchor hidden in a slot
to your right below a low angled ramp.

4th Pitch- 5.9/35m- This pitch felt more like 5.8 to us. Step out right onto a ramp
and follow a corner to a small roof, undercling left to the next corner. Follow the 2nd
corner as it straightens up and moves through another roof to a belay ledge. We
missed the chain anchors but found a webbing station. We never did see where the
chain anchors were.

5th Pitch- 5.8/35m- Scramble up right to the base of some face cracks and gain
another corner which is followed to a small ledge and chain anchors directly above.

6th Pitch- 5.7/30m- Scramble up and to the right where ledges below the ridge open
up to your right. Climb the wall over your left shoulder for a few short moves to the
ridge top. Scramble from there to the summit(s).

Descent
The first rappel anchors are out on the face of the left dihedral. Rap back down to the
top of the 5th pitch. Three 60 meter rappels get you down from there. The first full
rappel from here is a little hairy. You cannot see the rap anchors until you are damn
near at the end of your ropes. You rappel into a carved out groove on the face so to
speak. You have to climb over right a few meters to reach them and you are definitely
at the end of your rope at that point. The next chains are also hard to find. Rap down
as gravity decides and look to the right of some mini chimneys. This is not the most
comfortable station and is not a full 60m, so start looking before you descend too far.
The last rap takes you to several meters above the ground in a corner, but it is easy
downclimbing from there. Move back right past your start and return the same. There
is also a walk off descent in a gully between Crescent Spire and Crescent Towers.
We chose the rap so we could leave most of our gear, boots, etc at the base of the
climb and pass them on the way out.

Essential Gear
Full set of nuts and cams, doubled up on the small to medium sizes for Pitch 2 and
4. At least one 120cm sling. 8-10 draws, helmets (popular route). You should be
comfortable without crampons if you stay to the right edge of the glacier on approach.