Heart Line Rock Climb (17 pitches, 5.9, 1100m)

Heartline

17 Pitches (sport)

5.9 A0

1061 m

Hunting for the start

The Heart Line is a full day "sportaineering" route from Heart Creek to the summit of Heart Mountain. We were able to climb it in ~7 hours with a single rope and a rack of 12 alpine draws (although one went missing along the way). We linked a few pitches for efficiency, but ended up with a fair amount of rope drag thanks to the rambling nature of the route that follows the obvious ridge all the way to the top. As with any rockies alpine route, there was some route-finding and loose rock but the climbing was varied and interesting without being too difficult. The rock sections are broken up by a few 3rd and 4th class scrambles and there was even an aid ladder pitch to add some variety.

The start of the route is beside a wet streak on the rock on the left side of the creek just before the 6th bridge. We drew a large crowd of onlookers as we started up the first low-angle pitch and I caused some panic when a few pieces of loose rock started bouncing down towards them. The first 6 pitches were quite slabby but easy going and Kyle and I quickly fell into a rhythm of swinging leads and quick transitions despite having almost 2 years off of multipitch climbing.

Heading up pitch 4

A long scramble on an easy to follow trail took us from the top of pitch 6 to a notch in the ridge that can be pitched out or easily scrambled with one steep move before a short downclimb to the bottom of the 8th pitch which started on a steeper face and had a bit more exposure than the earlier pitches.

Bow Valley views

Mt. McGillvray

Kyle on the 5.8 pitch 

I made the mistake of linking the 8th and 9th pitch, a short 5.2 that had a significant traverse. The rope drag was terrible and I don't recommend it. Kyle lead the next 2 pitches as 55m link-up that worked out much better. By this point, we had climbed up into the sun and were able to enjoy spectacular views of the valley.

Excellent position looking down the Bow Valley

After a short scramble, I took the sharp end up a chossy corner and gave Kyle the 5.9 pitch (13th pitch). I found this to be the most difficult moves of the day with an awkward step out under a bulge, but Kyle climbed through it with ease. 

Kyle followed that up by leading the aid pitch, which fortunately wasn't as difficult as I was expecting. The last time I aid climbed was 6 years ago on the Monkey Face in Smith Rock. I had struggled to climb it and had a melt-down while Kyle hauled me up, only to propose to me one pitch later at the summit. The rationale for choosing Heart Line for our 5th anniversary climb had been the fact it was on Heart Mountain and it was just coincidence that we picked route with an aid pitch. It brought back some awesome memories of the Smith Rock trip and Kyle's proposal.

Perfect day for climbing

Pitch 15 was another 5.8/5.9 pitch that had great holds and felt well protected. We were getting close to the top and getting pretty tired too!

High above Heart Creek

The final 2 pitches climb up from a big ledge where lost hikers often end up when they miss the short step on the Heart Mountain scramble. Kyle and I had done this a few years ago and knew exactly why a lone hiker was wandering around up there. Kyle gave him some directions as I led up the right-sloping ramp toward the top. Unfortunately, I ran out of headspace and brainpower 2 bolts from the top and had to get Kyle to lead the final section. By using lower footholds, he unlocked the puzzle and I felt pretty silly but was just happy we had finished the route.

Shoes off and smiles at the top

We enjoyed a late lunch in the sun at the top of Heart Mountain before starting slowly down the scrambling route. By the time we reached the bottom I was ready to tear my shoes off my feet.

Summit shot

Heart Line was a great day out with my favourite adventure buddy. Happy 5th Anniversary Kyle!

Celebration beverages after a long descent