Episode 6: Barry Blanchards Greatest Canadian Rockies first ascents

Episode #6: Sans Blitz on the East Face of Mt Fay, 2001, and Infinite Patience on the Emperor Face of Mt Robson. April 2001, the fifth time that I'd planned to establish a winter route on the magnificent Emperor Face of Yexyexescen (Mt Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, The King). My Emperor odyssey began on a day in March 1989, when it was -40 Celsius, which is exactly the same temperature in Fahrenheit. My partners were Jim Elzinga and Ward Robinson and it was just too damn cold! I returned in 1997 with Steve House and Joe Josephson, but we failed. 1998 we didn't get the weather and we came up with an alternate plan, it was the same in 1999 and both of those alternates, The Silver Lining and M-16 comprised episode 5 in this series. In April 2000, Steve, Jo-Jo and I got back on the Emperor, but we failed. This brings us to the present episode, #6, and my fifth winter of looking for success on the Emperor. The snowpack was too dangerous and Rolando Garibotti, Steve House and I climbed Sans Blitz as an alternative. 2002, October, at long last Eric Dumerac, Philippe Pellet and I finally succeeded. My partners named our route, Infinite Patience, in deference to me, and my odyssey on the Emperor.