Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Megawatts - 5.8 Sport Multipitch in Castlegar, BC

Megawatts
5.8 sport route
8 pitches
280m
Megawatts Topo

Megawatts is a 280m sport climb located on Brilliant Buttress in Castlegar, BC. It was a fun, leisurely morning with awesome views of the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers.
Great views from the top of Megawatts
The route is accessed from the Brilliant Terminal Station a few kilometers from Castlegar. The approach to the base of the route was delightfully short (8 minutes of uphill walking) and we easily found the bolted line on the right side of the rocky outcrop. The first 4 pitches climb up and left along a ridge. The bolts are widely spaced but the climbing between them is easy enough that you don't feel too run out. After the 4th pitch, the route crosses a gully on the right and starts up the steeper rock face. Here the climbing gets a bit more challenging but the rock is solid. The cruxes of the route are found at the bottom and top of pitch 5. The first is a short traverse though a steep section that requires you to trust your feet and the second moves through thin holds to the anchor.
Kyle scrambling up the ridge on pitch 4
Crossing the gully and straight up pitch 5
Pitch 6 is a zig-zag right, then left and finally right again which caused a lot of rope drag. The final move through the traverse is exposed and is another crux of the route. Above that, slabby climbing takes you to the top! We unroped for the final scramble to Brilliant Outlook and then followed the hiking trail back down to the valley. The descent took us about 45 minutes.
Kyle traversing to the belay on pitch 6

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