19 Sep Baffin Island 2 new routes on Mt. Asgard

 
Canadians Chris Brazeau and Jon Walsh enjoyed a productive summer trip to Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island, completing seven climbs or attempts in ultra-light style, including a couple of possible new routes or first free ascents. 
Here Jon Walsh report from climbing.com
"We did all our routes in light and clean style, always trying to find challenging, aesthetic lines. Our two most significant climbing achievements were: 
Asgard’s South Tower, south face (5.12-, 600m). We thought we were on an entirely new route until we found a bolt at the route’s crux, on the second to last pitch. It’s hard to say for sure, but we probably climbed 50 percent new terrain and 50 percent the “Italian Route" (Defrancesco-Leoni-Luca-Manica, 1988) on the south face. Our route went in nine amazing, 60-meter pitches of mainly 5.10, with the second to last going at 5.12-. It was probably the first free ascent of the South Tower, and it took about 16 hours round-trip from a camp on the side of the Caribou Glacier.
 
Asgard’s North Tower, east face (5.11+ C1, 800m). Hard to say whether the first half had been climbed or not, but we climbed about 10 nice pitches up to 5.11- to reach the headwall. We then followed an obvious crack system to the right of Line of Credit (Condon-Easton-Prohaska, 1998) that provided the highlight of the trip. Eight 60-meter pitches, six of which were 5.11, and often involving run-out, delicate face climbing that linked the cracks, on some of the best quality stone we’ve ever touched! Some wet rock forced us right near the top, and only one body length didn’t go free due to some wetness. Probably 5.12- free. Wet 5.11 moves constantly made us dig deep, but we onsighted the rest of the headwall. The Favresse brothers repeated the first two-thirds of our headwall route, and drier conditions permitted them to do a more direct finish (Whiskey Gonzales, 2009)."
 
The other ascents: The “Scott Route” (5.11-) on Asgard’s North Tower; Stories in Stone (5.12- A0, 600m), Mt. Walle; Mt. Thor, south ridge (5.8); Mt, Menhir, south ridge (5.10, 600m); Mt. Tirokwa, west face, an attempt on a new route. 
 
source: climbing.com
 
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