Mount Gimli South Ridge

The Mount Gimli South ridge is straight up world class.  5.9 steep, juggy climbing on perfect interesting rock.  Pretty crazy really how with such a good route there is really no one in the area!  …except lots of friendly goats!.

Here is the abbreviated low down on the approach and the route.  Do your self a favor and tag this on to the “to do” list this summer.

Drive: South of Revelstoke to Slocan (2:30h depending on ferries) Head up a logging road for another hour to the trail head.  Heads up as the road is pretty over grown so i woudnt recommend driving your new shiny car!

Approach:  700m up over a few km.  Pretty damn easy.  1 – 2 hours depending on pack size.

Route:  Start up the ridge feature you have been starting at for the last half an hour of the hike.  8 pitches up the 5.9.  We climbed the route in 5 with a 70m rope.    The first pitch in my opinion is the hardest by a lot so dont be discouraged if it give you a tough time.  It gets easier!

Pitch 1: 5.9 (really 5.10) tight corner/hang crack to physical under clinging 45m. Fixed anchor

Pitch 2: 5.7 cruising up jugs and cracks.  Lots of good rock horns to sling for an anchor

Pitch 3/4: 5.8 A bit tricky to figure out where to go but up a face move to a pin then either straight up a corner and roof or out right to easier terrain.   Here you can either do a shorter pitch and belay off a horn or run it out 70m so a big ledge.

Pitch 5/6: 5.7 Either 2 35-40m pitches up mellow terrain or one long one to obvious corner topped with a roof.

Pitch 7: 5.10  Easy corner to a crimpy roof traverse out left.  Good gear in the roof keeps you nicely on top rope!  Good jugs just out of sight 😉

Pitch 8:  Easy to the summit

Decent:  50 meter from the summit cairn find another small cairn and follow a faint trail down the ridge heading south (right)  As the ridge starts to flatten out take a gully out right until you can cross the main bowl separating the S and West ridge.  At the bottom right hand you will find a fixed anchor to make a 4m rappel.  End up 100m from the base of the route (1 hour)

Gear:  Normal rack to 3”  doubles of hand sizes  Bring lots of runners as the gear is a bit wandering.

http://home/altusmou/public_html.summitpost.org/gimli-south-ridge/538351

other things to climb:

http://home/altusmou/public_html.summitpost.org/4-climbs-in-the-valhallas-gimli-niselheim-asgard-gladsheim/547730