GIMLI PEAK (GIMLI II) 2806m 9206′
Gimli is both the premier rock climb and hikeable summit in the West Kootenay. This magnificent many- faceted summit rises above the southwest side of the largest Mulvey Lake.
Gimli was the new hall of the Norse gods in the time of rejuvenation, after the destruction of Odin and the old gods.
The most common route into Mulvey Meadows is via the Gimli-Nisleheim col (watch for steep snow and ice).
1. East Ridge. Although this east ridge steepens with elevation, no rope is required under good conditions. Time, 3 hours to the top. (II,3,s).
FA HB ,DD, KD, MS, PW, 1, 1963.
This is the only non-technical route. Approach by the Gimli Ridge trail. Cross to the right under the small cliff bands to a short 3m section that is easily climbed. If this is not used, continue under all the cliff bands to a narrow gully in the middle of the cliffs, a much longer route. Stroll up the grassy slopes walking around the end of the above gulley. Access the east ridge. Follow a minimalist hiker-made “trail” up the ridge to the summit.
Very old approaches to Gimli’s east ridge and Gimli Ridge were from Robertson Creek (as in Whipple’s descriptions dating to prior to the 70s). Go over the col south of Wolf’s Ears and down 150 meters in a narrow gully to talus-strewn meadows in the Gimli-Wolf’s Ears cirque; then 0.8 km to the base of the ridge.
From Mulvey Lakes, ascend to the Wolf’s Ears, cross the ridge on the west side of the ears, descend and traverse to the main ridge forming the right hand side of the major gully. Alternately ascend to the Midgard/Niselhiem col, cross the glacier to the Niselhiem/Gimli col and ascend the cliff on the easy trail (but often requiring crampons especially late in the season).
Another error in Whipple is to approach via the gulley. “If it is desired to climb the east ridge on Gimli (Route 1), do not go beyond tree line on the trail. At treeline, traverse horizontally to the right across sloping meadows to the wide valley between Gimli and Wolf’s Ears. (One can traverse high under Gimli, but it involves altitude loss and encounters a hidden cliff band and steep side-hilling. The band can be passed, but is not worth the danger.) Then ascend snow and talus to the east ridge.”
The east ridge (Route 1), the south ridge (Route 4), and Routes 5 – 10 are approached from the road up the north fork of Bannock Burn Creek.
2. Northeast Ridge. Pass Mulvey Lake on the north side, reach the glacier and traverse onto the northeast
Pitches 1-2. Grassy rock.
Pitch 3. Steeper, good climbing.
Pitches 4-6. Ascend broken ledges and corners of the gully system on the north face about 10 meters west of the northeast ridge.
The next five to ten pitches are a very few meters to the left of the ridge, and are easy to moderate. The final pitch is a 2.5 meter overhang with good holds. The FA party traversed onto the east face near the summit, which is easier.
Pitons, including angles, and hexcentrics up to #7 were used for protection. Ice, Glacier (III,5.6,s).
FA Gerry Brown, Frank Tarver, 4/8/1969.
3. East Face. From the northeast ridge (Route 2), traverse south onto the east face (Class 5.0) about one third of the way up the face, then continue straight up. The east face is Class 4, except for the last pitch which is Class 5.
Ascent, 7 hours. Descent was by Route 1. Ice, Glacier (III,5.3,s).
FA Doug Fosdick, Chris Kopczynski, 6/8/1971.
4. South Ridge. From the Wolf’s Ears, the convex south ridge is a prominent feature, and it is another outstanding route in the Mulvey Group. The climb takes the crest of the ridge all the way on excellent Peter Rowat, a pioneer of the climb, was stormed off. For the approach, see Route 1 and the introduction.
Pitch 1. Jam a crack at the back of a 40 meter, steep, wide chimney capped by an overhang. Exit right to a stance beside the overhang (well protected by nuts, 5.8).
Pitch 2. Go straight up for 2 meters, then back left onto the ridge crest, and climb easier rock to the first notch (5.7).
Pitch 3. Go up to an obvious flake, aim for an obvious crack but traverse around a corner to the right. Continue up with little for the hands (5.8).
Pitch 4. Ascend to a big flat step (5.6-5.7).
Pitch 5. Continuous Class 5.6 rock for 60 meters (stance at 15m).
Pitch 6. Climb up underneath an overhang and then go left. Reach up over the left hand edge of the overhang to a good bucket hold, followed by an orangutan move (5.8).
Pitches 7-10. Class 3-4 slabs lead to the summit. Beware of black lichen which is slippery when wet.
Protection used was 6 pitons, from small horizontal to 4 cm, and 12 nuts.
One may rappel to the east halfway up for an emergency exit. (IV,5.8,**).
FA James Hamlin, Peter Koedt, 9/9/1973.
Alternate Start #1. If one follows the bottom of the southwest face toward the south ridge, one will be forced to descend abruptly about 100 meters short of the start of the climb. At this breakover point, climb a double crack (a very wide stem, 5.7 to 5.9 depending on one’s height) for 6 meters and then diagonal up and right into the obvious gully-chimney which intersects the ridge at the large step halfway up. This avoids the first four pitches, but is full of loose flakes. FA Peter Koedt, Scott Rowed, July 1977.
Alternate Start #2. About 45 meters up from the edge of the ridge (to the left looking up) there is a long diagonal chimney-like crack (60m). Ascend it, the bottom is the most difficult (Class 5.3), and go around the overhang at the top. A few balance moves lead to the first notch. This shortens the climb considerably.
FA Steven Horvath, Pat Taddy, 8/1977.
5. Northwest Ridge (String of Diamonds). From the Gimli-Nisleheim col, walk 100 meters south to where a great diagonal ledge (the Big Step) abuts the west face, two hours from the lower
Gain the top of the ledges either via a chimney (5.4) or a short face (5.6; unprotected). Then follow an obvious joint between the ledge and face to the top of the Big Step. This start curves up and left on the west face to join the northwest ridge. From there climb the edge of the north face, very exposed, immediately next to the ridge crest, two full pitches of Class 5.7 rock. The last two pitches are easy Class 5, with a steep finish.
Carry chocks and a few pitons. (III,5.7,**).
FA Steven Horvath, Derek Moule, 22/8/1983.
Variation: At the foot of the northwest ridge, traverse an easy ledge out onto the north face to near the deep couloir. After two pitches on the face on the right (5.6-5.7), climb a strange but useful chimney between the main wall and its “outside” (stemming; Class 5.7) to join the original route.
FA Fred Beckey, Cliff Leight, Dan Waters, 12/8/1988.
6. West Buttress (Space Buttress). This line lies on the dividing buttress between the west and southwest faces – two crack systems with some blank sections in There is a large notch directly above. (V,5.11+,A2).
FA Mirek Hladik, David Lussier, Dan Mack, 2001.
If one has to rappel off, there is a hard sidewise section where one has to pull the other to the anchors.
Alternate Gimli Descent Route: Use the couloir on the north face between the main summit and the lower north summit. Rappel onto snow, then descend 60 vertical meters of 65 degree snow. Six more 40 meter rappels over ice and rock follow, plus some snow walking, ending next to the bergschrund and the glacier.
Route 1, the east ridge, is usually used for the descent. Do not descend directly to Mulvey Lake.
7. Southwest Face (Another Dimension). This route lies to the right of Space Buttress in a number of disconnected crack systems which were then linked together. At the bottom, the climb goes up and left at first, then straight up, then a little left, back to the right, and up to the
Rope up, and traverse to the base of the first prominent crack. Past the first of several hanging belays, the crack ended with a slightly over- hanging flake that required some underclinging. The climbers found themselves in a corner with a short chimney, and then moved left to climb a slightly overhanging section (0.75 Camalot used for belay). At the lip, a fall occurred, pulling protection and resulting in an injured knee. The leader made the move on the second try, using the Camalot.
The next pitch ended in another steep flake. Instead of climbing the thin edge, Tasker placed a cam in a shallow groove which was the line. Another fall occurred, but the cam held. Choosing a route a little to the left (crux), he found a jug hold at the top of the flake.
After a few similar cracks, they saw the top of a large corner where the route ‘Lusting After Women’ exits. A quick but tricky traverse brought them to the corner and the top. (III,5.10,A1).
FA J.T. Croston, Shawn Tasker, 30/7/2011.
The southwest face left of the south ridge is a maze of routes and interconnections. It is best to rely on a specialist’s guidebook, as below.
The guidebook ‘West Kootenay Rock Guide’, by Aaron Kristiansen and Vince Hempsall (Wonow Media Ltd., Nelson, B. C.) available in Nelson, describes additional routes, mostly 5.10 – 5.11, on Gimli Peak, Nisleheim Peak and Wolf’s Ears, mostly for the rock specialist and easily accessible from the Gimli Trail. None of the routes is within the cirque.
8. Southwest Face (Dark Side of the Moon). This route is best with a 70m rope, and required cleaning only in the first 15m (moss). Go along the main hiking trail past the ‘beach’ toward the col into Mulvey Basin. After the trail descends steeply, and starts to climb again, look for the obvious shallow corner crack in dark rock.
Pitch 1. Start at shallow corner crack in dark rock. Follow it to a bolted belay station in a shallow dish. One can rappel to a ledge at the base of the climb. 5.8, 35m.
Pitch 2. Go up the crack past two pitons to a small ledge (5m above the second piton) below a steep mossy section in the crack.
Transition left to belay at the base of a left-facing flake, which is not visible from the corner. 5.10, 30m.
Pitch 3. Start up flake, which trends right back into the corner crack. Continue past the flaring corner (crux) up steep terrain, stemming and moving toward a large alcove/chimney behind a left-facing flake. Squeeze through and up (a #4 Camelot fits perfectly at the top), and then step right to a small ledge and belay. 5.10, 65m.
Pitch 4. Move right into a left-facing corner and follow it to the top of the headwall. Continue up and slightly right through dis- continuous cracks. As the angle lessens, look to right for an obvious belay ledge below a small roof. Small gear is useful on this pitch. 5.8, 50m.
Pitch 5. Pull through the roof and move up through slabs with small vertical sections until the ground eases, and then easy fifth class to the top. 5.7, 35m. (III,5.10).
FA J.T. Croston, Shawn Tasker, 27/7/2012.
Gear: a double rack of Camalots from #0.3 to #3, one #4 Camalot, and a single set of micro cams, and a full set of nuts with a 70m rope. If using a 60m rope, the second belay can be moved up to shorten the third pitch.
9. Little South Face (Sailor Jerry). From the south side of Gimli, gain the high snowfield on the east side and climb part way up the snow The route is threatened by a cornice in spring and early summer, and by rockfall. Follow the main corner system (wet; two bolts). At the massive roof, evade it by a mini foot ledge traversing to a right-facing corner, and the top. Five rock pitches. (III,5.10,s).
FA J.T. Croston, Cam Shute, 16/6/2013.
10. East Face (Rumble in the Jungle). Approach for Route 9; the route is left of the The first three pitches are on excellent rock; the fourth has lots of lichen and steep, hard climbing. Then traverse right to top out. Pitch three is fantastic on good rock, but tricky gear. Five pitches of rock climbing. (III,5.10,s).
FA J.T. Croston, Cam Shute, 14/9/2013.