Polar Circus is one of those climbs that requires a true Alpine Start. Since we were staying in Canmore that meant a 2:30 wakeup call. After a big breakfast we got on the road for the 2 hour drive up the Icefields Parkway, arriving at the pulloff at 5:30. After 2 previous attempts ended here with multiple other parties in front of us, we were happy not to see any other cars. By 6, still in the dark, we were hydrated, suited up and on the trail - a light snow flickering in the glow of our headlamps. While you can begin the climb with a series of grade 3 pillars, we decided to do the alternate start which goes up a moderately steep snow slope on the left side of the main gully, eventually traversing right into the main flow just below an easy grade 2 bulge.

We soloed this and hiked about 100 meters up a snow slope to the start of the first pitch. It was just getting light when I started this 3+ or easy 4 pitch. A light snow was still drifting down and I found myself wishing I had another cup of coffee. Still it was a great way to start the day and 45 minutes later we were both at the double-bolt chain anchor on the right. A second 40-meter hike led to a small bulge and then another short slog led to the next 3+/4 pitch. Dave led this one, again to well placed chain anchors on the right. All of the anchors and rap stations on the route are well placed and in reasonably good condition. I wasn't expecting that to be the case considering how few fixed stations I had seen in all the climbing I've done in the area.

Even thought we hadn't done any multi-pitch climbing together, we fell quite naturally into the rhythm of alternating leads and it worked well. There were many of snow slogs interspursed between the actual climbing and it made the outing much longer than we anticipated. Althought in retrospect it felt as if we were moving at a good clip, we were spending too much time roped up on easy hiking. This would come back to bite us later. Still after all the years of dreaming about the climb, it was exhilerating to actually be there.