Ascending The Unclimbables

When big wall free climber Mason Earle headed north to the Cirque of the Unclimbables in Canada's Northwest Territories, it was with his sights set on the sheer 2,000-foot SE Face of Mt. Proboscis. The imposing tower of steep, hard granite has drawn climbers from Royal Robbins and Layton Kor to Todd Skinner and Galen Rowell to its remote location for decades due to the massive vertical challenge. Over a 17-day stretch Earle completed a bold new free ascent of the 15-pitch At Dawn We Ride (VI 5.12c R) with the climbing support of Eddie Bauer teamate Katie Lambert, photographer Ben Ditto and Bronson Hovnanian.