Kristoffer Szilas

I’m currently staying a few weeks in Edmonton (Canada) to do some isotope analyses for my PhD-project. This gives me the opportunity to go and do some climbing on weekends.

A good friend of mine in Copenhagen (Hans Bräuner-Osborne) knows Carlos Buhler and his wife Crista-Lee Mitchell. They live in the Canadian ice-Mecca, Canmore, and have been kind enough to let me stay at their house and show me around the different venues in the area.

Carlos, who is one of the most successful American expedition climbers ever, introduced me to the Canadian Rockies by taking me out on the classic alpine route Coire Dubh Integrale on Loder Peak. We had a fun day and Carlos found a pretty desperate and sketchy alternative finish just to spice up the experience.

The next day Crista-Lee and I went out to Lake Louise and climbed Louise Falls and this weekend we climbed the amazing Weeping Wall at Icefields Parkway where we met Rafal and Jeff, who snapped this photo of me leading out of the ice cave in the middle of the wall:

The day after Jeff and I went to the local mixed crag, Haffner Creek, and climbed a route called Half ‘n’ Half (M7) and later that day I climbed Swank (M8-) with Niels, who had that route as a project.

Canadian winter is FUN!