Truancy Falls is IN!

[theriault]

Truancy has been lead twice today! She's thin but in with a surprise right where you want it! A roof right at the exit of the roof! This is possibly the best ice pitch in NB or even the Maritimes, she's melting fast and might be gone in a day or two!

Quote from the route description by Cory Hall
" This route is rarely in, but when it is drop everything to climb it....one of New Brunswick’s best routes!!"

Thanks to Mike Delaney for sending me a pic of the route last Sunday and Greg Hughes for making a recon on Monday! Also Thanks to Lucas for having some Whiskey waiting for me after the climb! hahah

[Greg]

After a 4 year hiatus Truancy has reformed! It was one stellar pitch of ice in 2010 and it is even more so now. I got back on it Saturday and I have to say this climb is absolutely spectacular. Huge credit to Cory on the fa and the team that followed him up 4 years ago. This year it is thinner, even more technical and it has the added challenge of a roof crux near the top. I have to give props to Marty for being the first to lead this climb in its present condition. Nice work man! Without his beta and the knowledge that he made a successful send of this route I doubt I would have been able to nut up for the lead. The thing is effin scary looking at it from the ground. Luc G also led it on Friday and Lucas Toron seconded. Since the three sends of this route in its present condition there has been some discussion of the grade. I am not suggesting the official grade on this climb be changed just yet but right now I am inclined to believe it is harder than the 5+ grade given on the fa. I found the difficulty significantly higher than when I climbed it in 2010. Making the crux moves to surmount the roof are seriously hard. So if it was 5+ in 2010 and harder now, should it be WI6? Or perhaps 5+/6? There are a few water ice grade scales out there. Based on most of them Truancy meets the requirements for a 6. Thoughts, opinions? Let’s get some discussion going here – we haven’t a good one in a while!

[theriault]

Truancy 21/03/14

[Joe]

On the rating of Truancy - As we all know the nature of ice is very dynamic; many factors can influence the way a route forms, and conditions may (or may not) change over time. Ice routes are infamously known to have high temporal variation in their conditions, within years and between years. Typically routes are given grades after the FA from consensus of the FA partners. However if something changes and the route consistently forms in conditions different from the original FA, then the local climbing community can elect to change the grade to reflect the new actual conditions. However this can happen only after several consecutive years. A consistent pattern has to be recognized and established.
When I climbed Truancy in 2010, I felt that it was 5+, consistent with other 5+'s I've climbed in other areas. I wouldn't be comfortable changing its grade after one year of different conditions. I would prefer to see how it forms in future years, and then reopen this discussion then.

[theriault]

Since the three sends of this route in its present condition there has been some discussion of the grade. I am not suggesting the official grade on this climb be changed just yet but right now I am inclined to believe it is harder than the 5+ grade given on the fa.

I dont think the intent here is to change the grade of the FA, It's only a simple statement of the consensus grade of a few climbers who lead Truancy in its Mid March 2014 condition. This will help document it for the future IF an official grade change is needed.

[Greg]

Good points gentlemen. Let's keep it on our radar. Perhaps we will get lucky and Truancy will form again next year..........I have a feeling it will