Barry Blanchard has been described as "the Walter Bonatti of the Canadian Rockies", which means nothing outside of the small world of alpine climbers who know a little bit of history. He is one of the most respected alpinists in the world, and one of the most prolific first-ascensionists in the Canadian Rockies, with more new routes to his credit up there than anyone else I have heard of.

Barry describes himself thusly, "I am Métis, and a seventh-generation descendent of the leader of the Métis at the battle of Seven Oaks in the early 1800s”. Two hundred years ago my people made their living hunting buffalo from horseback – kinda predisposes me to an adventurous life, don’t you think?"

I first met him in February 1988 on the Banff-Jasper Parkway below the Weeping Wall. If memory serves, Randy Rackliff and I were trying to start our Ford Aerostar, aka The Florida Van, in very sub-zero temperatures. With the road being too flat to gain any momentum by pushing it, we eventually did a drag-start: towed up to about 20mph by another vehicle before shifting the automatic transmission into "drive". That didn't work out too well for the next users of the vehicle but we got it started that day which was all that mattered in the moment.

After admitting that he had read the original "Kiss or Kill" essay in Climbing Magazine over forty times, Barry made me a proposition. He, Kevin Doyle and Ward Robinson held permits for both Nanga Parbat and Everest later in the year but needed a fourth, "Would you be interested?"

Of course, I said yes. And a few days later we drove over to Field to climb Carlsberg Column to see if what we had heard of each other was true. I had met Ward in Chamonix back in 1984 and we simul-soloed the north face of Mount Temple in April of 1988. I finally met Doyle in front of The Wildboys Sports shop in Calgary shortly before we boarded the airplane for Pakistan. That spring — in fact, the whole year — was a whirlwind of madness I recounted in an article titled, "I Hurt Therefore I Am" that appeared first in Rock & Ice magazine and later in my book, "Kiss Or Kill". There is an early draft I wrote about the Nanga Part epic here.

It is difficult to describe the depth of our relationship. Barry does a fine job in his book titled "The Calling, A Life Rocked By Mountains", which won the 2015 Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature.

I tried to write it recently, here.

During the years we climbed together Barry and I were very close. We went to the figurative and literal edge together on numerous occasions, holding each other's lives in our hands, figuratively and literally, and trusting implicitly. Being ambitious (and sometimes opportunistic) men with hearty appetites likely contributed to our paths and lives separating but that is laundry that won't be cleaned or aired here. Suffice to say we went some years without seeing each other but eventually did some make-up climbs together and reached a point of equanimity despite being on wildly different tracks in life.

Barry worked as the safety officer on the Hollywood films The Edge, Vertical Limit and Cliffhanger, as well as The Last of the Dogmen.

He continues to earn a living by teaching and guiding others, writes prolifically, and is a good father to his daughters. I love him very much.

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These are a few of Barry's more important first ascents:

1983: The Andromeda Strain on Mount Andromeda with Dave Cheesmond and Tim Friesen, Grade VI

1984: North Ridge of Rakaposhi, 7788m (25,551') in Pakistan, first alpine style ascent with David Cheesmond and Kevin Doyle

1984: East Face of Mount Fay in the Canadian Rockies with Dave Cheesmond and Carl Tobin, Grade V/VI 5.8 WI5

1985: North Pillar of North Twin with David Cheesmond, Grade VI 5.10d A3

1991: North Face of Kusum Kanguru, 6367m (20,889') in Nepal, solo

1991: "Richard Cranium Memorial" on the northwest face of Les Droites in French Alps with Mark Twight, Grade V

1999: "M-16" on East Face of Howse Peak with Steve House and Scott Backes, Grade VI

1999: "Pugilist at Rest" on Mount Alverstone, 4420m (14,500') in Saint Elias Mountains with Mark Wilford, Grade VI 5.10 A3 M5

2000: Infinite Spur on Mount Foraker, 5304m (17,400") in the Alaska Range, third ascent with Carl Tobin, Alaska Grade 6, 5.9, M5, AI 4

2001: "Sans Blitz" on the east face of Mount Fay in the Canadian Rockies with Rolando Garibotti and Steve House, Grade V 5.5 WI7

2002: "Infinite Patience: on Mount Robson, 3954m (12,972'), Canadian Rockies with Eric Dumerac and Philipe Pellet, Grade VI 5.9 M5 WI5

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Some words and video:

A Wolf

Ice Chasers - Episode 6 - Barry Blanchard

Barry Blanchard First Ascents: Episode 1

Barry Blanchard's Greatest First Ascents: Episode 2

Barry Blanchard

TNSTAAFL Citations

Alastair Humphreys