Looks can be deceiving.
"It looks totally impossible," says North Vancouver native Will Stanhope of his latest achievement, having pioneered a route to free climb the Tom Egan Memorial Route on Snowpatch Spire in the Bugaboos, near Golden, B.C. "I've been climbing for a long time and I've never encountered anything quite so trying," he says.
Despite appearances and the unlikeliness of meeting his objective, 28-year-old Stanhope never stopped believing and continued to push himself further than he'd ever thought possible.
"It's kind of like a natural wonder in a lot of ways. If it had had a few more holds we could have done it in the first year. And if it had had any less holds it would forever remain impossible. So it kind of was at that magic difficulty that was basically just out of reach for a long time. I really had to train hard for it and push myself," he says.
Stanhope's perseverance paid off. After 150 or so days spent on the approximately 1,500-foot wall (and nights in the campground below), over a four-year period, victory was finally his. He's set to offer insight into the achievement Friday night at North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre at the Rock Show, part of the 2015 edition of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival Fall Series. The annual event is kicking off Thursday, offering three shows over the course of its run through Saturday.
In addition to the Rock Show is Thursday night's Snow Show at Vancouver's Rio Theatre, and Saturday's Our Nepal - Before and After at Centennial Theatre.
Stanhope, a professional climber and an Association of Canadian Mountain Guides accredited rock guide, has been part of VIMFF in the past, having given half a dozen presentations over the years.
"I've always thought it's an awesome festival. They've always done a great job with it. There's just a great community in North Van. They're so close to the mountains so it breeds a lot of people that are excited about the outdoors, so it's a natural venue for a festival like this," he says.
Currently based in Squamish, Stanhope is excited to share his recent story at this year's Fall Series as it was so many years in the making. While he is the only climber to have actually completed the route, having done so Aug. 11-14, it was developed in partnership with longtime friend Matt Segal, based in Boulder, Colo. While Segal was unable to complete it this summer, Stanhope hopes he'll do so in 2016.
In addition to Stanhope's presentation, entitled Bugaboos Dreams, the Rock Show will include screenings of Orbayu, making its North American premiere, and Redemption, winner of best climbing film at VIMFF 2015, held earlier this year.
The Rock Show, Friday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. (doors and reception 6:30 p.m.) at North Vancouver's Centennial Theatre, part of the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival Fall Series, running Nov. 12-14. Tickets ($17/$19) and full schedule: vimff.org.
