The news of this story broke a week or so back while I was on the road, and it got lost in my email box until now. Still, it is a good story and I thought it was worth sharing, even if I'm a little late on reporting it.Three climbers have made the first ascent of an unclimbed peak in the Selwyn Range of the Canadian Rockies in eastern British Columbia. On April 2, at 5:10 PM local time, American Lonnie Dupre, along with Canadians Pascale Marceau and Vern Stice, reached the summit of Jeannette Peak, a 3089 meter (10,135 ft) mountain that is the highest in the region.
The team chose this particular mountain because after an exhaustive search they could find no records of it having been climbed at anytime in the past. They were also drawn to its large prominence, which is reportedly 1657 meters (5437 ft). It is believed that it has remained unclimbed until now due to a parameter of knife-edge mountains circling its bace and the numerous narrow, avalanche-prone valleys that are part of its summit approach.
Dupre and Marceau made an attempt on the mountain three weeks prior to their successful ascent, but were turned back 120 meters (393 ft) from the summit due to technical rock obstacles in their path and a high risk of avalanche. They returned in early April and added Stice to the team, finding success along the northwest shoulder and western ridge of Jeanette Peak. When they reached the summit they found a small plateau located there that was made up of snow and rock. The trio spent just 15 minutes on top, before turning back down.
In a press release announcing the success of the team, Canadian Mountaineer David P. Jones commented on the successful climbing, saying “From my perspective, it seems fewer and fewer folk are willing to get off the beaten track and explore without the benefit of a guidebook — so it’s always great to see there are still a few skiers and climbers venturing into more remote areas of the mountains.”
Congrats to the team on their success.
