, and later seeing Eric & Lucie's account on their website. Its inclusion in lists such as North American Classic Climbs and Fred Beckey's 100 Favorite North American Climbs further reinforced for me the idea that this place was well worth visiting, even though it was out of the way of most other international climbing destinations in BC, and few other climbing friends of mine had heard of it (Alec included). I am very glad that we made this detour! The scenery was beautiful, the campsite was wonderful, mountain goats plentiful and friendly, and the climbing was excellent. Although it can be climbed car-to-car reasonable enough, the bivy at the base is so nice that I'd say it would be a shame to do it this way unless you are pressed for time. There is even a toilet and food storage lockers, so there is no need to worry about packing in or out extra gear like a bear canister or wag bags. We hiked in the evening we arrived, then did the climb, descended, and drove to Revelstoke the following day.
The South Ridge was originally rated 5.8, but has since been re-rated in some sources to 5.10, with the big roof seeming to be the most commonly considered crux of the route. I felt like a section on P1 was harder, and the topo in Beckey's book shows this lower crux at a comparable rating. The lower crux was more committing and physical, but straightforward on the moves, while the upper crux is intimidating and requires some thinking, but it can be well protected and is only a couple of moves, although height can play a big role in how hard those moves are. Still, compared to climbs I have done in Yosemite, the High Sierra, and Southern Utah, I'd say 5.10 is a generous rating for the route. It really is more like 5.9- to 5.9+, so solid 5.9 leaders shouldn't be discouraged from getting on this one.
The route itself is surprisingly steep for being mostly 5.7, and it is like this due to all of the horizontal dike bands. It reminds me of an alpine version of some of the climbing classics at Lover's Leap.