Michael and I decided it was high time to get into the alpine. I had climbed the
Southwest Corner of the Saber a few years previous and found it excellent, so I was eager to return and climb another route. So to the Saber we went.
Originally called
The Saber, the
Kor Route has gained popularity because at 5.8 it is the easiest line on the south buttress of The Saber. The route is long and steep, and has some sections of really good 5.7-5.8 climbing along with a fair bit of choss on the upper pitches. A classic alpine adventure route. Although Michael and I had a fun day climbing the
Kor Route, in my opinion both the
Southwest Corner and the
Southeast Corner (which I climbed the following week) are far superior (but also harder) routes.
Although the weather was absolutely perfect (no wind and comfortable in t-shirts), due to the fact it was a Tuesday and still late spring conditions on the approach, we were the only party climbing The Saber that day. And we only saw one party on the Petit Grepon. It was rather special to have the entire rock to ourselves.
This page gives a trip report and photos from our climb of the Kor Route.