Maria and I were fortunate enough to get into the Ghost a week ago and climb Beuwolf. Thanks to friends Toby and Rene who were also driving in that day, we caught a very early ride and managed to get ahead of the group of Calgary ACC’ers that we knew were camping there.
Pretty cool really that Calgary ACC does an ice review in the ghost. They bring a porta potty in and set up quite the base camp at the bottom of the big hill. Warm weather had 52 participants! Wow! That is a dedicated section of Ice Climbers! Good on you guys!
Despite knowing this, we thought we would take the chance and see if we could beat the crowds. Sure enough, we got there about a half hour ahead of the first two crews.
Beuwolf has always been one of my favorite climbs in the ghost. It is a classic narrow water worn break in the rock that features numerous pitches of climbing up to grade 4. Super aesthetic. Finding it can be a challenge if you have never been there or if there are no trails in, as it actually starts from an unlikely break in a drainage that is slightly hidden from the road.
In the past, I have always found myself the only one there, but apparently it has really grown in popularity, likely due to the road improvement. When we arrived, we noticed quickly that it had seen numerous ascents the day before. Despite its slightly “travelled” nature, it was still super fun as usual, and Maria and I enjoyed each pitch and step as if we were the first to encounter it:)
After we climbed the final steps, we high fived and headed down to meet and greet all the parties following behind. Many hellos, sharing ropes for the descent, and quick catch ups made for a social descent. We were going to check out Devils Punchbowl, but Toby and Rene ran up ahead of us and told us not to bother. Too bad, I always wondered if it was any good up there!
Toby drove us back out safely and with ease. Sometimes the drive is the most exciting part of the trip, but the road was in great shape today! A pretty darn pleasurable day in the Ghost! Thanks Maria for a fun day out…nice work despite feeling under the weather! Those new nomics are going to have a great season!!!