These climbers hope to be the 1st all-ladies team to get on of Canada’s tallest mountains
Two climbers are carrying out what ever it requires to obtain their target of climbing a single of the highest mountains in Canada — even if that usually means obtaining to isolate in Whitehorse for two months right before the ascent even starts.
Pascale Marceau, from Ottawa, and fellow climber Eva Capozzola, who now lives in Golden, B.C., are set to try to climb Mount Lucania, dependent in Yukon’s Saint Elias mountain assortment. It can be the third best mountain in Canada, with an elevation of 5,226 metres.
“The purpose, I guess, is its appeal,” Marceau stated. “It truly is seriously on a path a lot less traveled.”
Several people today climb Lucania, which sits in the shadow of its huge neighbour (and the tallest in the state), Mount Logan.
The pair flew out Thursday early morning.
The journey will have to have the pair to answer to the disorders of the mountain and use their mountaineering skills to make it through the route. That incorporates remaining conscious of the snowpack, which is deeper than numerous many years in the past, Capozzola stated.
“That place gets a good deal of wind, so we’ll just have to see how that has transported the snow, how that’s impacted the situations,” she mentioned.
“We are going to just have to just take it 1 working day at a time and use our judgment.”
The 2-week ‘calm’
Right before even taking 1 move on the mountain, the two are presently well into their journey, as they have been isolating at an Airbnb in Whitehorse for the earlier two weeks.
Marceau suggests since of the pandemic, the duo didn’t get to put together together.
“We didn’t get to do a good deal of climbing jointly and all the logistics and stuff. So this two weeks [of isolation] has just been excellent. We have been ready to prepare, go by way of all our equipment. Just relaxation up,” she stated.
“It really is sort of a welcome little quiet.”
The pair estimate it will get them about 16 days total, together with the return journey to the base camp where they are going to be flown out once again.
On best of quite a few other basic safety precautions they are using, they also have packed 22 days worthy of of food stuff and gasoline in circumstance it normally takes for a longer time than anticipated. They have also packed an additional 10 times truly worth of food items and fuel that will remain at the foundation camp in scenario they have to wait around for a weather window for a pickup.
“It’s a lovely mountain, we’ve been able to see it a few occasions now. And it really is received an aesthetic route and a pleasant wide range of skiing and climbing,” Marceau reported.
“We just are not able to wait around to be in that wonderful location.”
First all-females journey
Whilst this trip will mark Marceau’s next endeavor at the mountain, the duo hope this time about will mark the initial all-gals group to comprehensive the climb.
“As considerably as we can tell, so significantly, there has by no means been an all-women of all ages get together up that mountain. So that helps make it kind of special for a good deal of motives for us,” Marceau reported.
They’re going to be bringing the Royal Canadian Geographical Society flag together with them much too.
“It’s just this kind of a excellent prospect,” Capazzola reported. “I am just fired up to be out there.”
