Exclusive: Connor Herson Frees ‘Drifter’s Escape,’ World’s First 5.15 Trad Climb

Last summer, Connor Herson completed the first free ascent of Drifter’s Escape in Squamish, British Columbia, and proposed 5.15a. Drifter’s Escape begins with two protection bolts to allow safe access to the crux crack feature, but the majority of the pitch is protected with trad gear. While definitions of what constitutes a “trad” climb may vary, at the very least, Drifter’s Escape features some of the hardest trad climbing on the planet, with two V11 cruxes. During a telephone conversation on January 26...