On the great white headwall.

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All Locations > International > North America > Canada > British Columbia > Columbia Mountains > Purcell Mountains > The Bugaboos > Howser Towers > South Howser Tower > Beckey-Chouinard (5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b)

On the great white headwall.

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launching off

Route Overlay Beckey-Chouinard.

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4.9 from 8 votes

Devan Johnson

Aug 31, 2010

“On the great white headwall.”

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abe r
Boise, ID

abe r Boise, ID

my favorite pitch of the climb...sustained and hardest at the top I thought! MP description says use the OW on left side of the photo, P12. Group next to us did that and found some ice in it. They also wished they had (2) 4's for it. Jul 30, 2018

Nearby Photos

South Howser from the approach to the Beckey-Chouinard

What could be better than getting Fred's blessing before hiking in to climb South Howser?

Tim and Grant nearing the top

The dihedral on the lower part of the BC, with the headwall above.

launching off

On the great white headwall.

Route Overlay Beckey-Chouinard.

Erik & Felix super stoked to be on the summit of South Howser Tower.

Bivy site below Great White Headwall.

Looking up from the base of the rap route.

Peter Cole at the top of the B-C/South Howser Tower, July 1979

Harz on the tricky traverse above the headwall.

Can use these pins for the tension traverse at start of Pitch 15.

The first pitch of the Great White Headwall climbs a short 5.10 offwidth/fist crack, then up these steep 5.9 cracks to the belay

The rap route puts you on flat glacier.

Sunset on the big bivy ledge below the headwall.

Great White Headwall.

Tension traverse (or 5.10 free) at start of Pitch 15.

A rimed up view of the route after a four day storm. July 1979

Pitch 8.

Looking down at the lower part of the Beckey-Chouinard from the top of pitch 11.

Perspectives<br>

Beckey-Chouinard, South Howser<br>
Photo by Mtn. Proj. contributor Timmy! Tormey

Samuel somewhere on the slabby, White Headwall

Rappels 4-5 go down this corner system that faces North Howser.

Rap route off S. Howser Tower, from sign hanging in Kain Hut.

Starting up the headwall. When we climbed the route the next chimney section was the crux, as it was swamped with snow and ice! Full value fun!

The climb ends with ~150-200m of 4th + several short 5th class moves.

Dennis Ellsohn at the bivy in July 1979

Descent anchors

The awesome corner of Pitches 6-7.

Approaching the base of the ridge.

Pitch 4.

Pitch 5.

Pitch 3.

Pitch 1.

At the split boulders which mark the start of the roped climbing.

At the Pigeon-Howser Col looking down into East Creek Basin.

Pitch 2.

From the summit looking North West during sunset

Glenn T. follows the second pitch of the BC, which climbs this 5.7 corner crack

The first pitch of the Great White Headwall

Pitch 9.

Pitch 6 or 7.

Pitch 10. The right-hand crack is a bit easier.

5.6 gully on Pitch 15 after tension traverse.

Bivy site below Great White Headwall.

At the top of Pitch 15, make a 20m rappel to the right to easier blocky terrain.

On the rap route. With the wind and the lower angle of the first half of the rappel route, we decided to rap the first half with a single 70 rather than double ropes. The basic idea for Rappels 1-3 is to stay on the ridge and don't wander towards North Howser.

Me at the rap station after the crux pitch

On the summit. A pair of rap bolts is just around the block Jon (in orange) is standing at in the photo.

Start of Pitch 6.

Partial solar eclipse taken through a pair of very sweaty cardboard eclipse glasses from the top of Pitch 9.

First rappel at the top of the gully on pitch 15.

Rap route off S. Howser Tower, from sign hanging in Kain Hut.

Starting up Pitch 11.

Pitch 11 up Great White Headwall.

Nate during our Patagonian conditions ascent. The chimneys on P12 were completely iced over so we opted for the cracks out left.

Pitch 12.