A bugaboo is an imaginary monster invented to frighten children. In British Columbia, the Bugaboos are real-life rock monsters that make the hearts of rock climbers skip a beat when they see them.

They’d been camping at the base of Snowpatch Spire in the Bugaboos in British Columbia for two months, attempting the first free ascent of the Tom Egan Memorial Route, a 1,500-foot splitter ...