Eastern Medicine

Multipitch up the ~750m Snootli East face. Many excellent pitches on fine rock, some runouts on easier ground but well protected where you need it. First 1/4 is almost a route on its own, gaining a 200m pillar feature in 4 long and substaintial pitches. Difficulty eases after that for the majority of the route, with a nice sting in the tail on the final pitch. Bring 70m lead rope for climbing. 60m ropes will get you down. Double rack to 2", triples or quadruples of small sizes (Metolius #0 and #1), small wires. 3" gear useful but not required. FA 2020 Devon Girard, Grant McCartney, Peter Wainswright.

Approach as for the East Walls:

https://bellacoolatrails.ca/content/snootli-east-walls

Descend via either Snootli Descent trail or Crystal Creek trail:

https://bellacoolatrails.ca/content/nuxalk-ridge-crystal-creek
https://bellacoolatrails.ca/content/snootli-descent-trail

Pitch 1 - 5.10+ 2pa: Choose from one of several belay spots at the base of the East face; about 10m of easy climbing gains a small ledge and the first series of bolts. Climb meandering edges and small flake features past bolts and some small gear placements, until the final pair of aid bolts below the anchors. 60m
Pitch 2 - 5.11:Trend right from the belay past 2 bolts, some small gear and a cruxy transition from thin cracks to easy face climbing. Continue up an easy corner feature to another bolt protecting some thin face moves to gain a large ledge and friendly offwidth corner. Continue to the top of the wide corner and pull a few easy face moves to the belay. 60m.
Pitch 3 - 5.11: Climb friendly edges past 4 bolts to the base of a large looming column; traverse left and around the arete of the pillar to gain a thin crack system. Climb the well protected thin cracks in spectacular position to an exposed belay midway up the pillar. Be mindful of ropedrag on the traverse; long slings on the final bolt before and first piece after crossing the arete is recommended. An epic pitch. 60m+.
Pitch 4 - 5.11-: Continue up thin cracks and one bolt in exposed position to the top of the pillar. Well protected, exciting climbing. 55m.
Pitch 5 - 5.10-: Traverse right directly off the belay, leaving the pillar for the righthand face. Climb past 2 bolts to an undercling feature, more face climbing, a glorious large hand crack, another face traverse past a bolt, and then a friendly exit crack to anchors. 60m.
Pitch 6 - 5.9: Climb up through some broken yet clean and fun terrain. Gear where it's needed. Anchors directly below a large patch of cedar vegitation. 50m.
Pitch 7 - 5.8: A very short pitch up and towards the right. Climb an easy flake and then face to anchors. 20m.
Pitch 8 - 5.10+: Start up a clean shallow groove, transitioning to face climbing past a bolt, then out left towards a large roof feature via a friendly flake and good footholds. Overcome the roof to the left; some thin face moves past 2 bolts lead to an easier finger crack and slab. Trend right for anchors. 50m.
Pitch 9 - 5.9: A grand pitch of beautiful features. Trend right across clean slabs, up some easy flakes up into a slippery corner, then zigzag up the fractures white wall via friendly finger and hand cracks. Wide at the end but always easy. 60m.
Pitch 10 - 5.9: Easy face climbing past 5 bolts, exiting left from the belay ledge and wrapping back right to anchors at the base of a left-trending crack up a blank wall. 50m.
Pitch 11 - 5.10+ 1pa: Hard slab moves (11+? or pull past a bolt) to gain a long layback crack feature splitting an otherwise blank wall. Good gear and rests punctuated with thin and delicate sections. Clambour onto the right-hand slab as the seam pinches off, then easy faceclimbing to anchors. 50m.
Pitch 12 - 5.10-: Easy faceclimbing past a couple bolts leads to a thin corner, then more easy faceclimbing trending right, to anchors at the top of a column and below a large clean corner. 60m+.
Pitch 13 - 5.10: Easy slab leading to thin face cracks in the large asthetic bay framed by the corner and looming roof. Thin wires and a bolt before the roof, which is overcome with a reachy move to good finger locks, gear, and a right highstep and rockover. 50m.
Pitch 14 - 5.7: Easy climbing up a thin seam, delicately negotiating an often-wet spot trending left, then more easy slab to anchors at the base of a long thin seam. 60m.
Pitch 15 - 5.6: Easy slab climbing trending left gains a wide crack system. Follow this to the base of the final pillar. 60m.
Pitch 16 - 5.11-: Climb the impressive pillar, starting just right of the belay. Some hard layback moves past 2 bolts, followed by a wild entry left into an easier crack. Continue past a couple delicate moves to easier ground, another bolt and an often-wet topout before greenery, and the final anchors just left. 50m.

From the final anchors, continue up 100 vertical meters through the scrub alpine forest following a faint path (look for chainsaw marks, limbed trees, some flagging etc) to gain the alpine proper. Recommended descent is via Crystal Creek trail: https://bellacoolatrails.ca/content/nuxalk-ridge-crystal-creek approx. 3 hours to parking lot from summit. Or rap the route.