The best things in life are free!
By Adam Hart
What do you think?
I say YES!!!
The month of Aug 2008 will go down in my world as the culmination of a series of life experiences aligning the universe to provide one heck of ride. In the end what remained were 10 bloody digits, black grainy, scratchy bits of grit pouring from both tear ducks, forearms crying for a Swedish message and a new Squamish multi pitch route called La Coalition.
La Coalition, La Coalition, La Coalition…….my first time. You remember your first time…don’t you? The soft touch of her skin, the sweet smell of her neck, the gentle caress of her lips....ahhhh La Coalition…..my first time.
Hey Damien what do you say we go climb Rock On into the Lower Pan Tease and finish up the Buttress? Damien, in his heavy French tongue, electrified the phone with his super keen demeanor. OUI!….I pick you up in 10 minutes.
Arriving at the base of Rock On all the thoughts that come to your mind when you see a dozen people waiting to start a route rushed through me like a bull charging the herd at Pamplona. I was ready to strike…..staring down the crowd in anticipation for the first blow. For a few minutes Damien and I stared blankly at each other trying to figure out what we should do as an alternative. Bad Pants Party was our first idea……..ahhhh, I don’t know, I belted out, still overheated from the crowd. What about something on the apron then into the Buttress was the second idea, but that only added more fuel to my fire seeing as a similar crowed was surely waiting on the apron.
Hey Damien…..what do you say to a little exploration? Damien is a strong climbing who can handle an ice axe like Sharon stone handles an ice pick. Where we go, Damien asked? Let’s keep hiking up the gully for a bit and see what we can find.
Damien and I hiked up the gully for only about two minutes when I spotted this awesome looking roof on the Opal side of the gully. UP THERE, look up their Damien…..lets go climb that roof! I was as excited as a kid in a candy store. How we get there? Damien wondered out loud. We took a good look around and notice that there was a natural overgrown ledge offering access to the roof.
We stashed our bags by the base of the route and took flight back to Squamish to grab a few things. Charging down past the cattle in line at the base of Rock On all I could think about was the list of things we needed to get……pitons, hammer, extra tat, bolts and so on. We were so motivated to get on that roof that we were back up at the base in under an hour, ready to attack with a hammer as our side arm and pitons in place of bullets.
Damien started up the very dirty and overgrown ledge with ease. Leading the ledge which started hard right and finish extremely left, Damien fixed a couple of pins along the way. At its obvious conclusion we found ourselves staring down what appeared to be an impenetrable, overgrown ramp. The thin ramp traversed back right for some 10 meters and got smaller and smaller as each meter was revealed. Staring at this ramp I couldn’t help but feel as if Damien and I were a couple of gun slingers about to walk our ten paces before dawn. This thin, intimidating ramp was our draw bridge leading to the promised land. Damien started up the ramp cautiously with all the ammo we would need to siege the draw bridge and lower for all to enter.
Seven hours, four pins, three bolts and two very tired gunslingers later Damien and I were back in Squamish trying to decide when we would make it back up to finish conquering the ramp and expose the porn above. Weather and other commitments found us back at it two weeks later.
This was my first time……never hammered a pin, never placed a bolt, I hadn’t even spent any time scouting new routes before La Coalition...but that has all changed. Not only did we lower the draw bridge and send the magnificent roof, which was one of my proudest climbing accomplishments do date, but to our surprise the roof exit revealed a fourth pitch, fifth pitch and a final sixth pitch. After six long days and a few key additional soldiers later we had established La Coalition. I feel comfortable in saying that putting up this route, ground up with all bolts hand drilled, was a highlight in my life and took all the sweat, strength, energy and kahonies I could muster. I know Damien would agree with me when I say…it is a classic route and one worthy of a summer log jam similar to that fateful day in Aug 2008 waiting to climb Rock On.
Adam Hart
www.poweroffood.com
Roses Lime Juice
