Squamishrock

Fred Beckey

From the 1973 Canadian Alpine Journal

I object strongly to the inference in the article "The Complete North Arete", by Les MacDonald (1972 CAJ), that Bjornstad and I did not climb the lower half of the arete. MacDonald is putting the facts of this climb in a way that is incoherent to the reader. On the original ascent of the upper half of the arete (which we called Angel's Crest) by MacDonald, Mather and I, we reached the approximate mid-point of the arete by a relatively easy gully entrance from North Gully. Prior to this time I had been with two other climbers on an attempt from the same locale, but the ascent by the three of us was the first climb through to the summit. Though there may be a ledge or gully which intersects this route at a point higher than our entrance, I did not know of it at the time and still do not. The entry by the Woodsworth party to climb the Acrophobes may have used a higher gully, unknown to me. MacDonalds statement to the effect that I secretly knew of an easy exit or entrance on the upper portion of the route is entirely misleading.

On another climb, during a later year, Bjornstad and I climbed the North Arete (Angel's Crest) from its lowest point, where it emerges from the trees, to about the midway point of the arete - which is the exact locale where MacDonald, Mather and I reached the arete. The entire arete therefor had been climbed prior to his first complete climb recently but in a curiously inverse stage. MacDonald is to be congratulated for making the forst complete ascent, but not for his misleading inferences.