Scramblegs: West Lion

Saturday, October 14, 2006

West Lion

Kyle above the precipice!
Originally uploaded by Master Pip.

West Vancouver
1,654m

What a leg-burner! This was Kyle's first time up the Lions, and Pip's first since he was a wee lad. A nice, steep trail heads up from Lions Bay (one can also go from Cypress, over Unnecessary Mountain) through the woods to the notch at the base of the Lion's "head" (Kyle is looking down into the notch in this photo). Such good views of HoweSound from up there, and then over to the mountains east once at the top. From the notch it's a pretty straightforward scramble, but the exposure is no joke and we had to backtrack a couple times to stay out of trouble. On top it was chilly, and the clouds were coming in, so after a quick feast of muffins we picked our way down. Perhap's the last scramble of the year?? Trip photos.

Participants: Kyle and Pip.

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Subjective rating systems used in blog

Reference: The Mountaineers (2010), Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills. 8th Edition (pp. 566-567).

NATIONAL CLIMBING CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
(overall difficulty; technical / scrambling portion only; see posts for length of our outings).

Grade I: Normally requires several hours; can be of any technical difficulty.

Grade II: Requires half a day; any technical difficulty.

Grade III: Requires a day to do the technical portion; any technical difficulty.

Grade IV: Requires a full day for the technical portion; the hardest pitch is usually no less than 5.7 (YDS; see below).

Grade V: Requires a day and a half; the hardest pitch is at least 5.8.

Grade VI: A multiday excursion with difficult free climbing and/or aid climbing.

YOSEMITE DECIMAL SYSTEM (YDS)
(climbing difficulty)

Class 1. Hiking

Class 2. Simple scrambling, with possible occasional use of the hands.

Class 3. Scrambling; hands are used for balance; a rope might be carried.

Class 4. Simple climbing, often with exposure. A rope is often used. A fall could be fatal. Typically, natural protection can be easily found.

Class 5. Where rock climbing begins in earnest. Climbing involves the use of a rope, belaying, and protection (natural or artificial) to protect the leader from a long fall.

5.0-5.7. Easy for experienced climbers; where most novices begin.

5.8-5.9. Where most weekend climbers become comfortable; employs the specific skills of rock climbing.

5.10-5.11. A committed recreational climber can reach this level.

5.12-5.15. The realm of true experts!

ALPINE GRADES
(Reference: David Jones, Rogers Pass Alpine Guide, p. 28)

F (easy).

PD (little difficulty). 4th and easy 5th class; some exposure.

AD (fairly difficult). Low to mid-5th class and/or steep snow and ice. Mixed terrain. Route finding challenges.

D (Difficult). Mid 5th class and/or very steep snow and ice. Sustained climbing; possibly loose rock; route finding challenges; typically descended via an easier route.

TD (very difficult) and ED (extremely difficult). Not likely to encounter these grades in this blog!