all along the watchtower bugaboos Howser Towers

all along the watchtower bugaboos Howser TowersThe granite spires of the Bugaboos, in eastern British Columbia, are the North American version of Patagonia or the Trango Towers. With perfect rock, nice huts and campgrounds, reasonable approaches (though climate change is taking its toll on the glaciers) and proximity to Calgary and Vancouver, it is no wonder that the Bugaboos are exploding in popularity. The Howser Towers are the tallest peaks in the small range, and their west faces, hidden from

The granite spires of the Bugaboos, in eastern British Columbia, are the North American version of Patagonia or the Trango Towers. With perfect rock, nice huts and campgrounds, reasonable approaches (though climate change is taking its toll on the glaciers) and proximity to Calgary and Vancouver, it is no wonder that the Bugaboos are exploding in popularity. The Howser Towers are the tallest peaks in the small range, and their west faces, hidden from view, offer an incredible 1000+ meters of vertical relief, an ocean of granite splitter cracks and endless corners for the 5.8 to 5.12+ climbers. And of course, perhaps the best free climb in Canada (North America?), the ultra-classic Beckey-Chouinard on South Howser (line 26).

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Route List

1: North Ridge Integral, 5.8+, M. Finlay, E. Gale, R. Gibson, T. Johnston, A. Styles, D. Wessel, 07/1946
2: North-Northwest Face, 5.10, G. Campbell, B. Knowler, P. Zvengrowski, 08/1967
3: Northwest Buttress, 5.10 A1, F. Beckey, B. Greenwood, 08/1963
4: Eye of Providence, 5.12-, J. Simms, M. Verwey, 08/2012
5: All Along the Watchtower, 5.12-, W. Robinson, J. Walseth, 08/1981/T. Donahue, K. Harvey, 08/1996
6: Armageddon, 5.12+, J. Copp, M. Pennings, 08/1999/M. Birdwell, J. Huey, 08/2016
7: Bunny Fu Fu, 5.11+, C. McGee, B. White, 08/2006
8: Warrior, 5.11 A3, H. Burton, S. Sutton, 08/1973
9: Spicy Red Beans and Rice, 5.12-, E. Greene, C. Tague, 08/1997/J. Lavigne, J. Walsh, 08/2011
10: Rat Race, 5.11+ A1, R. Laroque, S. Pelletti, 09/2024
11: White Bread and Christ, 5.12a, C. Giesler, J. Lavigne, 08/2012
12: Dodging Deanna, 5.10+, N. MacDonald, T. McLane, 07/2014
13: The Real Mescalito, 5.11+ C1, C. Johnston, J. Lavigne, 2007
14: Doogie Howser, 5.11+, T. Gibson, J. Schaffer, 07/2012
15: The Seventh Rifle, 5.11, C. Jones, G. Rowell, T. Qamar, 07/1971/W. Robinson, M. Tschipper, 08/1980
16: Shooting Gallery/Underfire, 5.11, C. George, M. Synnott, 09/1994/J. Lavigne, S. Meis, 08/2006
17: Young Men on Fire, 5.11- A4, J. Gore, W. Hollinger, 09/1994
18: The Simulator, 5.11 C2, C. Kellog, D. Johnston, 08/2010
19: Hey Koolaid, 5.11+, B. Miller, C. Weidner, 08/2005
20: Southwest Face, 5.11-, C. Jones, A. Simpson, O. Woodcock, 08/1970/J. Lavigne, S. Meis, 08/2006
21: Voodoo Chile, 5.11+, A. Berg, U. Hawthorn, 08/2020
22: Fear and Desire, 5.11 A3+, N. Davis, T. Offenbacher, 07/1999
23: Chocolate Fudge Brownie, 5.12+, S. Isaac, B. Webster, 08/1999/J. Kruk, M. Segal, W. Stanhope, 07/2009
24: Spinstone Gully, TD+ M7, S. Isaac, S. Semple, 09/2002
25: Compassion Club, 5.11+, T. Gibson, J. Schaffer, 07/2012
26: Wandering Direct, 5.11 R, M. McCormick, J.P. Ouellet, 07/2012
27: Beckey-Chouinard, 5.10, F. Beckey, Y. Chouinard, 08/1961/K. Trout, 06/1977
28: Your Girlfriend Gave Me RPs, 5.11+, J. Bowlby, T. Tourney, 08/2006
29: Lost in the Towers, 5.11, W. Kamara, J. Walseth, 08/1980/G. Trump et al., 08/1999
30: Catalonian Route, 5.11, J. Cabau, E. Burgada, A. Masana, J. Wenciesko, 08/1983/C. Giesler, D. Edgar, 08/2003
31: Soul Cinders, 5.11 C2 R, N. Martino, R. Ozturk, 08/2003
32: Reinhold Pussycat, 5.12c, B. Miller, C. Weidner, 07/2006/B. Miller, C. Weidner, 08/2015
33: Italian Pillar, 5.11d, F. Stedile, F. DeFrancesco, 07/1987/N. Martino, R. Ozturk, C. Wright, 08/2004

Sources

• “The Bugaboos, The Climbers Guide,” Chris Atkinson, Marc Piché, High Col Press, 2022

• “Bugaboo Rock, A Climbing Guide,” 2nd ed., Randall Green, Joe Bensen, The Mountaineers Books, 2003

• “The Bugaboos, An Alpine History,” J.F. Garden, Footprint Publishing, 1987

• Mountain Project

• Steven Lucarelli

• Seba Pelletti

Updates

Jan 23, 2023: First version published.

Jan 28, 2023: Corrected a FA name on line 29.

May 15, 2024: Graphic design update

Sept 13, 2024: Added Rat Race (line 10) by Pelletti and Laroque, the latest route on the face. Also corrected the lower line of Spicy Red Beans.

Feb 18, 2026: Graphic design and caption update, including line color change.

Apr 16, 2026: Fixed typo on the summit label, thanks to Nick Ayers.