Upper Tellot Glacier Camp 2003

Upper Tellot Sunrise, taken from the base of Tellot Spire.

Hues on Mount Bute.

Sun Rays Towards Claw Peak.


Mount Waddingon Summits Through the Clouds.

Mount Waddington, Mount Munday, and Bravo Peak in the Morning Light.

Upper Tellot Evening Mist.

Dwarfs and Giants.

Janez Ales laybacking on the 4th pitch of Tripple Crescent.

Luca attempting the 3rd pitch.

Boys on the summit.

Dragon's Tail Camp in Morning Light.

Range Hierarchy: Pacific Cordillera / Coast Mountains / Pacific Ranges / Waddington Range
Region Hierarchy: BC Coast South / Fraser Plateau / Mount Waddington
July 16, 2003 (1 day)
Calculated Length: 12 km 92N/06
Participants: Graham Rowbotham and Janez Ales
Equipment: Glacier travel + standard rack.
Difficulty: All sorts of grades.

Abstract: Triple Crescent, a new route on Tellot Spire climbed by Graham Rowbotham, Luca, and Janez Ales, and two variations climbed by G. Rowbotham and J. Ales on Phantom Tower and Stiletto Needle.

Sumer 2003 saw a large party camped at the Dragon's Tail campground on the Upper Tellot Glacier, just south of Dragonback Peak. Participants were: Jesse Mason, Toby Froschauer, Jeff Hunt, Robert Nugent, Don Serl, Ade Miller, Graham Rowbotham, Luca Bellin, Silvia Alessi, and Janez Ales.
We were extremely lucky with the weather on this trip. Out of three weeks that my climbing partner Graham and I stayed on the Tellot Glacier we only had about 3-4 forced rest days due to storms or high winds. We spent the first two weeks at the Dragon's Tail Camp. The rest of the party was leaving and with some storm coming in we had to move all our stuff don to the Plummer Hut. The weather window came the next morning for the flight out. Graham and I decided in the last minute to stay there an additional extra week.
The nicest route we climbed was a new route on the Tellot Spire. From the Upper Tellot we climbed a variation of an existing route on Stilleto Needle, and a variation on the only route on Phantom Tower We also climbed the upper part of the South Ridge on Serra II (which was accessed through the col on the south side of Serra I), Dentiform, scramble up Dragonback Peak, and payed a visit to Plummer Hut where we joined the crowed on a social ascent of Claw Peak. There were total of eight of us on the summit on that beautiful afternoon. After moving te camp to the Plummer Hut we climbed routes on the Blade and Tedium Tower.

New route:
Triple Crescent, D+ 5.11, A1, 130m, FA, Tellot Spire, Upper Tellot Glacier, Waddington Range, British Columbia; Graham Rowbotham, Luca, and Janez Ales; July 2003.
The route follows the buttress between the Central Dihedral, D+, 5.11a, 85m (Lorne Glick, Kai Hirvonen, Whit Richardson; 1998) visible on the left side of the photo and Southeast Dihedral, D, 5.10+, 80m (Michael Down, Scott Markey; July 1999).
P1, 5.10+, 60m: Straight up the right facing dihedral, when the angle eases off climb slightly right towards the second of the three small roofs. Belay strategies could vary, we put the 1st belay out of the fall line of the corner due to falling ice.
P2, 5.9, 15m: Climb up to a big ledge bellow a big left facing corner. This is slightly down and right from the start of the main feature on the Central Dihedral route.
P3: 5.11-, 25m: Start up a right leaning diagonal crack feature, stem to the corner on the right and pull on a suspicious block to reach the corner again. Some slab moves bing you to a hanging belay.

P4: 5.10+, A1, 30m: Three beautifull Crescent Crack like arcs (5.10+) and a step to the right along a horizontal crack bring you to the base of another crack. Show your mastery or use aid :) A slab leads to the base of the summit boulder. Mid fifth from there.

On the left you can see a right facing corner, the Central Dihedral route.
There is a 60m freehanging rappel from the summit, 30m scrambling, and another 30m rappel. The lengths of pitches add up to about 130 m of climbing.
(I am not sure what I was more worried about when I was right where I am in the photo: falling on my belayer or falling on my photographer :)
Routes with new variations:
Stilleto Needle, 5.10, 200m, 2pitch variation, OS, Upper Tellot Glacier, Waddington Range, BC, Graham Rowbotham, 2003.
South Ridge, Phantom Tower, 3100m, 5.10, 2 pitch variation, 200m, FA, Sierras, Waddington Range, Graham Rowbotham, 2003.
Other routes:
South Ridge, Serra II, 3605m, TD, 45o 5.9, 600m (upper part), Sierras, Waddington Range, Graham Rowbotham, 2003.
Dentiform, East Peak, 3240m, East Couloir/North Ridge, AD, 55o/5.10, 120m, Upper Tellot Glacier, Waddington Range, Graham Rowbotham, 2003.
Triple Crescent, Tellot Spire, 5.11 A1, 130m, FA, Upper Tellot Glacier, Waddington Range, BC, Graham Rowbotham, 2003.
East Buttress, D, 5.10, 180m, OS, Blade, 3340m, Upper Tellot Glacier, Waddington Range, BC, Graham Rowbotham, 2003.
West Ridge, AD+, 5.6, 130m, Claw Peak, 2812m, Tellot Glacier, Waddington Range, BC, Graham Rowbotham, 2003.
Medium of Tedium, D, 5.10b R, 100m, OS, Tedium Tower, 2660m, Tellot Glacier, Waddington Range, BC, Graham Rowbotham, 2003.

Waypoints:
51:24-125:11=Dragon's Tail Camp (3100 m)
51:24-125:12=Tellot Spire (3356 m)
51:23.1-125:12.1=Phantom Tower (3115 m)
51:23.4-125:11.6=Stiletto Peak (3395 m)
51:23.5-125:12.6=Serra I (3510 m)
51:23.2-125:11.3=Dentiform Peak (3215 m)
51:23.5-125:12.6=Serra II (3605 m)
51:22.4-125:09.7=Claw Peak (2818 m)
51:22.4-125:09.9=Plummer Hut (2680 m)
51:22.5-125:10=Photo Point (2739 m)