The Canadian Rockies have seen an aggressive start to this year's ice climbing season. On October 13, Cory Richards, Dana Ruddy and Ian Welsted climbed a new ice route around the corner from the famous Slipstream (VI WI4+, 925m), almost nabbing the the first ascent of the north face of Mt. Snowdome in the process. The new route is called Polarity (VI WI5+, 800m). The team did not summit the peak because of the highly dangerous overhanging seracs at the top.

Two weeks later, the Swiss pair of Ueli Steck and Simon Anthamatten snagged the second ascent of Polarity, adding approximately 50 meters to the route by climbing some of the steep serac ice.

Eiger News: Italian Christoph Hainz and the Swiss Roger Schali opened a new route on the Eiger's north face this October. The route, Magic Mushroom, climbs twenty pitches of the vertical and overhanging face to the "stone mushroom" often used by BASE jumpers as a launch point from the mountain.

Hainz and Schali reported very compact rock, which they bolted from hooks. They propose a grade of 7c--5.12d--for the most difficult pitches of the route. The lower wall was reported at 6a to 6b+, the middle at 6c+ to 7a.

Read the full stories by Luke Bauer at www.alpinist.com.