ASGARD PEAK (MULVEY CONE) 2825m
Asgard was the citadel of the Norse gods, reached over the rainbow bridge Bifrost. This handsome mountain is 1.6 km northwest of Mulvey Lakes. It presents as a perfect three sided pyramid from every direction.
1. East Ridge. From the Asgard-Gladsheim col, near Asgard, ascend the east ridge. The final part is narrow and the edge is of loose rock. (I,3).
FRA Bob Dean, Roy Penniket, 20/08/1964.
2. Southwest Ridge. The SW ridge is that from the Asgard-Midgard col. A 50m rope is recommended.
Pitch 1. Climb to a small sitting belay stance north (left) of the first bulge, 50m.
Pitch 2. Five meters above is a one-meter overhanging, exposed wall (crux; large chock). Finish in a deep crack in the prominent ramp just north of the ridge.
Pitch 3. Ascend to a small ledge on a ramp system, 50m.
Pitch 4. Climb on steep friction holds, and back onto the crest of the ridge just below the second bulge.
Pitch 5. Go over the bulge and up slabs to a ledge belay, 50m. Pitch 6. Thirty meters.
Four hours were spent on the ridge, and 25 pitons were placed, plus 3 chocks and 2 sling runners; many hero loops and carabiners were recommended. One 5-centimetre angle, 3 Lost Arrows and 7 knife blades have been used. Chock placements seemed rare. It has been climbed using only chocks, or a set of Friends. (II,5.5,*).
FRA Howie Ridge, Wm. Ward, 7/1972.
3. East. Start from the east at the saddle, and ascend almost completely on the edge, staying as close to the drop-off of the south face as possible. There is a vertical off-size crack just before the summit.
The climb is 4.5 leads long, and 10 pitons were used. (II,5.7).
FRA John Marts, Richard Olson, 24/8/1972.
4. South Face. One of the outstanding climbs in the area.
Pitch 1. Start up an obvious slanting crack in the right centre and attain a wedge-shaped slot, traversing left onto the face occasionally.
Pitch 2. Zigzag up ramps and ledges in a leftward trending line to a ledge beneath an overhanging wall.
Pitch 3. Take the overhang directly; work slightly right and then head back left to reach a ledge above a right-facing corner. (There is a conspicuous black water streak diagonally left above the ledge.)
Pitch 4. Traverse right on easy ground, ascending very slightly, to a stance on a slab next to a small black left-facing corner.
Pitch 5. Attain the huge jug hold on the steep wall above the stance. Mantle shelf, traverse right for 3 meters, go up a small crack, and then go back and forth to another mantle shelf. Traverse left and up to a stance on a small horizontal crack.
Pitch 6. Ascend to a niche beneath an overhang. Get into the niche, go over the overhang, and then go up left and reach a large dierde. There is a stance 12 meters up.
Pitch 7. Traverse left on slabs beneath overhangs on the left wall of the diedre, go up a steep ramp that cleaves the overhangs, and continue straight up to a big ledge at the bottom of a big diedre system with a black overhang at its top. (This black overhang is a prominent feature of the climb from a distance.)
Pitch 8. Climb easy ground in the diedre for 20 meters, make a traverse right, and head straight back up to and over the overhang to a good stance, 45m.
Pitch 9. Go up left around a nose, and then straight up the nose for a rope length – very easy on magnificent rock.
Pitch 10. Go right and up for a rope length.
Pitch 11. Ascend the final slabs directly to the summit.
Note: It would be better to take a direct line from the top of Pitch 1 to the bottom of Pitch 5. Gear used: 12 pitons including small horizontals, knife blades to 4 cm, and 12 nuts
(IV,5.8,**).
FRA Peter Koedt, Peter Rowat, Greg Shannon, 27/06/1973.
5. North Ridge. Traverse the glacier on the north side, from the Asgard-Gladsheim col. From beneath a large roof, ascend mostly Class 4 slabs to its right until the crest of the ridge is gained. Continue on the crest, traversing where necessary.
Ten chocks up to 5 cm were used. Glacier (III,5.7,s).
FRA Alan J. Kearney, Shari Nelson, Sept. 2, 1974.
The north ridge may be descended using two rappels, useful if one camps in the area of Valhalla Lake, Prestley Lakes (northeast of Mt. Prestley), or the glacier. Ascend via a snow couloir to gain the southwest ridge from this side, and traverse.
6. Southeast Face Left Centre. Start up the obvious curving cracks on the left side.
Pitch 1. Either climb straight up for the vertical start of the overhang (no protection), or 12-15m to the left and traverse into the overhang to an obvious stance (5.4).
Pitch 2. Go up to the right under the overhang, ending in a not obvious stance (5.2). With a longer rope, there are two variations across two blank sections to a good stance (5.8, fixed pitons).
Pitch 3. From the stance, climb up and right under the overhang, and then make an upward diagonal traverse right into a gray-black water stain which is a series of nice cracks and flakes, a long lead (5.8).
Pitch 4. Three possibilities, to the left (best), straight up, and to the right (avoid), from the stance. Go 3m left of the stance, and up to a fixed piton, and right 3m using layback underholds or friction (5.8) to a good stance.
Pitch 5. Climb two 15-meter laybacks with reasonable protection (5.6 and 5.7). Pitch 5 exits to the summit gully.
Pitch 6. Ascend the gully (5.6), which is difficult to protect. At 9 meters up Pitch 6, one can traverse left to easier ground on the face. One very long lead goes to the southwest ridge (5.2).
Pitch 7. Continue up the gully to a large alcove (5.6).
Pitch 8. Traverse a bit left from the boulder stance at the top of the gully, and then go straight up the left-facing dihedral to a roof. Climb the roof direct, or move right and then back left, to the dihedral above.
A 50-meter rope was used. It can be climbed with a well-graduated selection of 20 nuts from a #2 stopper to a #9 hexcentric, and a medium size cam-nut about 3.2 cm, or a set of Friends and a few smaller chocks. (III,5.8,**).
FRA James Hamlin, Peter Koedt, Jara Popelkova, August 14,
7. South Face, Right Center (Etoile Filante – Shooting Star)
Shooting Star ascends the right-hand side of the south face (bolts and some pitons placed, an intricate route). It starts about 15m to the right of the original center route, about two-thirds of the way right across the south face. It ends on the upper east ridge, 300m.
Pitch 1. Scramble up to a small overhang providing access to a left-trending ramp/crack system. Follow this (one bolt, one piton) to the base of a large V-shaped slot and a two-bolt anchor. Class 5.9, 45m
Pitch 2. Climb the vertical arete defining the right edge of the V-slot to a featured slab and easier ground (four bolts) to a two-bolt belay in an open dish. Class 5.10, 25m
Pitch 3. Climb up and trend right, passing a fixed piton and a few loose blocks, towards an obvious left-facing corner about 30m from the belay. Climb the corner (5.10) and continue up and right along a ramp system to where it is possible to easily move back left to a good ledge (rope drag; two bolt belay). Class 5.10, 55m
Pitch 4. Go up a right-hand crack above the belay for a few meters, then move left across a ledge for a few meters. A vertical crack leads to a long left-leaning corner capped by a roof. Climb this beautiful corner to a small sloping stance; belay on good gear. Class 5.9, 30m
Pitch 5. Continue the steepening corner toward the roof passing an insecure layback section (5.11). Look for protection placements (#1 and #2 Camalots) in odd triangular crack pockets on the right wall just before the very difficult layback. Continue more easily towards the intimidating roof, working out the left side of it before traversing back right along a wildly exposed sloping ledge to a two-bolt belay. Note: it is possible to combine pitches 4 and 5 but there are rope drag and gear problems. Class 5.11, 25m
Pitch 6. A thin layback seam leads up and left past two bolts; move right over a steep flake passing a fixed piton. Beware of a precarious-looking (avoidable) flake above the piton. A steepening right-trending arch passes two more bolts (5.11) before moving left (another bolt), then skirting around the left side of an overhang on wild chicken heads to a small stance (two bolts). Class 5.11, 30m
Pitch 7. A few exposed slabby moves to the right, past one bolt, leading to a thin arching crack capped by a small roof. Exit the roof through the left side on good gear (crux). Continue straight up with some insecure laybacking along a left-facing corner. Then easier terrain. A right-facing corner goes to the east ridge (two-bolt belay). Class 5.11, 30m
Gear: a single set of cams from #0 to #3 Camalots with doubles from #1 to #2, a single set of nuts, double 60m ropes. (IV,5.11,s,**).
FRA David Lussier, Cam Shute, July 2011.
8. South Face Left. From the base under the left side of the imposing south face, climb a run-out slab to a right-facing Then climb about four pitches in the cleft, and exit on cracks (5.8) and ledges to gain the final pitch on the southwest ridge (climbing up and left to reach the ridge), and the top. Class 5.8. FA unknown.