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South Wall, Devonshire-Cornell

5.10- R, Trad, 500 ft (152 m), 4 pitches,  Avg: 2 from 1 vote
FA: T.Devonshire and G.Cornell, July 2003
International > N America > Canada > Alberta > Kananaskis > Barrier Lake Walls

Description

We don’t have information to T.Jones’s original line on the wall – maybe sometime- but described below is the more recent right-hand line that heads to the same yellow open book near the top of the wall which was not completed by the 2003 team.

This is a 10a line, not as direct as we first thought, done using many bolts to get to the obvious finish in the center of the cliff. Surprisingly, the pitch below it had an old pin belay and old SMC bolt just before the corner. T.Jones has confirmed he did finish the yellow corner and it appears you can exit into a tree gully above this pitch. **You will need to bring a number of hangers to do this as we removed some of them on rappel.**

Pitch 1: Start at a crack down and right of the scree slope. Climb it to a ledge and move right about 5m then move up and left around to a short crack that leads up to a small tree and hangerless bolt belay.(5.7, 35m)

Pitch 2: Traverse left on shattered rock past the corner, and go up steeper rock between two trees to a two bolt belay under a roof. (5.7, 30m)

Pitch 3: Traverse left on nice rock to a bolt(all 5 lead bolts on this pitch have no hangers) then continue up excellent compact stone, over a bulge, moving left past 4 more bolts to a two bolt belay on a ledge.(5.10a, 45m)

Pitch 4: From the belay climb straight up steep featureless rock with no pro for about 10m to the old SMC bolt. Climb left and up to the good ledge with a two bolt belay under an overhang. (5.9R, 15m) Above is the yellow corner and looks to take gear to 3″.

Protection

trad gear, a good head