For anyone who’s never done the Spearhead Traverse, it’s one of those legendary backcountry lines connecting Blackcomb to Whistler through a chain of glaciers, ridgelines, and passes that look like they belong on another planet. It’s beauty and brutality wrapped in one long lung-burning march that some freaks complete in a day, but most normal humans will do in 1-2 nights.
Day 1: All Smiles and Heavy Packs
We loaded up at the top of Blackcomb, ducked the backcountry gate, and immediately started earning every turn. Over
Decker Lake, up Decker Glacier, and across Trorey Glacier before the climb beside Mount Pattison dropped us onto Tremor Glacier for camp night one.
The stoke was high. Packs were heavy. Spirits even heavier.
Day 2: Tremor and the Wall
Morning started with a literal wall — the ice climb out of Tremor Glacier. A solid, vertical sheet of blue that laughed at our crampons. From there it was a tour of Platform and Ripsaw Glaciers, with a couple of spicy downclimbs and another pitch that needed ropes to drop onto Naden Glacier. We made camp under a clear sky, half-frozen but buzzing from how far we’d come.
Day 3: The Avalanche and the Call
By sunrise, two feet of new snow had buried the world again. We climbed through the whiteout of Naden, dropped toward Curtain Glacier, and hit our next crux.
The sun came out, visibility returned… and then the slope went.
A small pocket broke loose just above the trees and swept Tyee for a ride. Thankfully, he wasn’t buried, but his knees took the hit hard. It was the call no one wants to make — get him out before the window closed. Within hours, a SAR chopper punched through the clouds and pulled him out safely.
The rest of us had another five-hour push through 40km/h winds to the Kees and Claire Hut, moving through the dark, running on fumes and adrenaline. We made it. Barely.
Day 4 — The Long Glide Home
After a “bonus night” at Kees and Claire, we dragged whatever calories we had left through Singing Pass — that cruel, endless luge track that never seems to end. But when Whistler Village finally appeared through the trees, it was pure relief.
We linked up with Tyee later that night. Banged up, but smiling. He’d spent the night in the hospital, soloed back to the cabin, and was already planning next year’s attempt. Because of course he was.
The Debrief
Trips like this remind you that nature doesn’t care about your plans. You can be fit, skilled, and prepared — and still be humbled in a heartbeat. But they also remind you how solid your people are. When things go sideways, you find out fast who’s calm under pressure, who carries more weight, and who cracks a joke at the perfect time. It was a good reminder why we always choose to hire a guide if we're heading more than a day away from civilization. When shit goes south you need to have 100% confidence in the decisions being made.
So yeah… we didn’t quite get the full traverse this time. But we’ll be back. Better weather, same crew, same stubborn drive.
Because that’s what adventure really is, right? Choosing to go again even after the mountain said “not today.”
Grateful for this crew, for the rescue team, and for one more wild story.
– Thor
