Curtain Call
125m IV, WI 6
Peter Valchev, Hedd-wyn Williams
April 4, 2009
Youtube video

In Joe Josephson's "Waterfall Ice", this is described as a climb that can be "one of the scariest-looking routes around". It didn't look that scary this year and I always wanted to do it - I felt good this year and suggested it to Hedd-wyn as an objective when I booked my flight a couple of weeks prior. I was in Calgary for a week as I needed to renew my passport and was hoping to sneak in a couple of climbs between work. So here we were: Friday night, 6pm in Calgary, Hedd-wyn came by my house to pick me up.

We got to Canmore and decided we were hungry, so we stopped by The Drake. I love the bison burger there, so my choice was made, Hedd-wyn had some chicken pie. Yummy!

I drove the next stretch from Canmore and somehow it started snowing when we got to Lake Louise. At times it was dumping so heavily you could barely see the road! The road quickly accumulated a couple of inches of snow at Bow Summit too. The forecast was promising blue skies! By the time we got to the base of the climb, it was snowing only lightly and we shuffled the gear into the front seats of the truck, preparing the back for sleeping. What followed is one of the most comfortable nights of sleep I ever had - somehow, I love sleeping in a sleeping bag when it's cold outside. The thick mattress Hedd-wyn had installed made it quite comfortable too.

In the morning it was cold and we boiled some water for breakfast. We woke up early because wanted to ensure we were first to get on the climb - it would have sucked to do all that driving, and get scooped by a party from Jasper that woke up earlier than us! And we were definitely first. :) The hike up went quite quickly, despite some post holing through the meadow - there was a trail the rest of the way, 1 hour to the climb. We were in no rush, so we snacked some more at the base and I got into my warm down jacket. We had my 70m ropes, so we could easily do the climb in two pitches. Of course Hedd-wyn wanted to lead one, and I gave up the first pitch as I heard the second one was the crux (this later turned out to not be true, the first pitch was more strenuous also due to the longer length). Hedd-wyn let me have what I wanted, and headed off.

About 1/3 of the way up there was a section that was not too well-consolidated, so he took his time to carefully climb it. Shortly after that, he broke the first few teeth of one of his picks again (after doing the same on Wednesday to his other tool)... he finished the pitch with a broken pick. I joined, took the remaining gear and headed up the 2nd pitch.

The second pitch was quite technical to climb around & over some of the big mushrooms, but it was over before I knew it and the angle started backing off. That was it!? I wasn't going to complain... I belayed Hedd-wyn and soaked in the sun that was JUST coming around the mountain. You gotta love ice climbing in April, when you're becoming a soft Californian! He joined me, we snapped a lot of photos and reluctantly rappelled.

After lunch & admiring the views, we got out of there. There were some guys from Calgary that had come in to do a mixed climb next to Curtain Call - apparently they pulled off some serious loose rock and we chatted with them for a while... After we got to the truck, we leisurely drove down the highway stopping to take pictures. I have been up the parkway a few times and I've never seen such blue skies the whole way - the day was totally blue bird and we could actually see all the mountains! We debated climbing something else as we had plenty of time, but just shot for Calgary in the end. Another great day of climbing in Canada! I was off to California the next day, arriving to 22 degC temperatures...

  The pile of fun-facilitating gear at home. Hedd-wyn making breakfast on the side of the highway after we had a very comfortable sleep in the back of the Durango Mmm, breakfast time  
  The pile of fun-facilitating gear at home. Hedd-wyn making breakfast on the side of the highway after we had a very comfortable sleep in the back of the Durango Mmm, breakfast time

  The comfortable mattress that provided an excellent night's sleep Cramming a bowl of oatmeal and bottles of calories in the morning Curtain Call as seen from the truck  
  The comfortable mattress that provided an excellent night's sleep Cramming a bowl of oatmeal and bottles of calories in the morning Curtain Call as seen from the truck

  Sunrise on the icefields parkway  
  Sunrise on the icefields parkway

  The slogging through the trees is minimal (less than an hour total approach) Beautiful morning Curtain Call  
  The slogging through the trees is minimal (less than an hour total approach) Beautiful morning Curtain Call

  Curtain Call Responding to a call from The Curtain  
  Curtain Call Responding to a call from The Curtain

  Hedd-wyn is being called too Almost there! Our car is on the bottom right.  
  Hedd-wyn is being called too Almost there! Our car is on the bottom right.

  I told my tools to stop posing already. But they wanted another shot, sigh... enough! Looking up at Curtain Call from the bottom Gearing up at the base.  
  I told my tools to stop posing already. But they wanted another shot, sigh... enough! Looking up at Curtain Call from the bottom Gearing up at the base.

  Gearing up Hedd-wyn on the first pitch of Curtain Call Hedd-wyn higher up on Curtain Call  
  Gearing up Hedd-wyn on the first pitch of Curtain Call Hedd-wyn higher up on Curtain Call

  Getting to the cave Looking up at the second pitch of Curtain Call  
  Getting to the cave Looking up at the second pitch of Curtain Call

  And another one bites the dust! Hedd-wyn actually climbed the top 1/3 of the pitch like that. Jasper is 45 minutes up the road that way... Exchanged gear, let's climb already  
  And another one bites the dust! Hedd-wyn actually climbed the top 1/3 of the pitch like that. Jasper is 45 minutes up the road that way... Exchanged gear, let's climb already

  Protection is good, let's get some Hello!  
  Protection is good, let's get some Hello!

  Coming onto the front Belay anchor at the top of Curtain Call  
  Coming onto the front Belay anchor at the top of Curtain Call

  Happy The climb is in a spectacular position!  
  Happy The climb is in a spectacular position!

  Hedd-wyn topping out  
  Hedd-wyn topping out

  Thumbs up!  
  Thumbs up!

  Hedd-wyn on top of Curtain Call with the Banff-Jasper highway Looking down straight down the second pitch on rappel Looking down the very-featured second pitch  
  Hedd-wyn on top of Curtain Call with the Banff-Jasper highway Looking down straight down the second pitch on rappel Looking down the very-featured second pitch

  Another shot on rappel, now looking up Time to leave... Hiking down from Curtain Call  
  Another shot on rappel, now looking up Time to leave... Hiking down from Curtain Call

  Curtain Call as seen from the car, cropped version Curtain Call as seen from the car  
  Curtain Call as seen from the car, cropped version Curtain Call as seen from the car

  Shooting into the sun at the Icefields Parkway There's no end in sight for the posing More posing with Curtain Call in the background  
  Shooting into the sun at the Icefields Parkway There's no end in sight for the posing More posing with Curtain Call in the background

  Back at the truck! The classic north face of Athabasca One of these is Echo Madness? The one on the left seems like the book picture. Massive seracs...  
  Back at the truck! The classic north face of Athabasca One of these is Echo Madness? The one on the left seems like the book picture. Massive seracs...

  Mt Kitchener, home of the Grand Central Couloir in the middle of the face Athabasca & Andromeda Mt Andromeda, several routes here, Andromeda Strain being one of the famous ones  
  Mt Kitchener, home of the Grand Central Couloir in the middle of the face Athabasca & Andromeda Mt Andromeda, several routes here, Andromeda Strain being one of the famous ones

  Sure is a pretty drive! We couldn't help but stop several times. Snowdome, East Face hosting Slipstream, a classic ice climb with scary serac/avalanche danger (the fat blue line) Parker Ridge, a popular yo-yo skiing destination, with some fresh tracks  
  Sure is a pretty drive! We couldn't help but stop several times. Snowdome, East Face hosting Slipstream, a classic ice climb with scary serac/avalanche danger (the fat blue line) Parker Ridge, a popular yo-yo skiing destination, with some fresh tracks

  The Weeping Wall looking fat and friendly The Weeping Pillar looks super-fat and surely has hero ice at this time! The upper tiers of Polar Circus  
  The Weeping Wall looking fat and friendly The Weeping Pillar looks super-fat and surely has hero ice at this time! The upper tiers of Polar Circus

  Not sure which one this is, but the tower on the right looks neat Ice Nine (WI 6) on the left (not formed), and Happy Days in fat condition on the right (WI 6 X) Mt Chephren  
  Not sure which one this is, but the tower on the right looks neat Ice Nine (WI 6) on the left (not formed), and Happy Days in fat condition on the right (WI 6 X) Mt Chephren

  The much-coveted face of House Peak with many possible lines The Trophy Wall. Left to right: Terminator, Replicant, Troubled Dreams, Postcriptum, Sea of Vapors  
  The much-coveted face of House Peak with many possible lines The Trophy Wall. Left to right: Terminator, Replicant, Troubled Dreams, Postcriptum, Sea of Vapors

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