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WEST TWIN 3361 m

The controversial West Twin is basically an extension of South Twin. If you`re not after the 11,000ers in the Rockies, then forget about it. If you have the time, however, go for it. It`s a pleasant diversion from South Twin with some spectacular glacier and cornice scenery. We climbed the east face on the far right. The crossing of the bergschrund was easy, thanks to the large amount of snow deposited this season. We traversed a small bench below the permanent cornice to gain the north ridge of West Twin. From there, it was a nice walk to the top.

May 15, 2012

Photos: 37

SOUTH TWIN 3580 m

South Twin is one of the most attractive mountains on the Columbia Icefield. Its impressive East Face will catch your eye instantly. From our camp, we followed a snow bench towards the south ridge of the North Twin. From there we kicked steps down to the South/North Twin col. We put the skis back on and started making our way up the north ridge of South Twin. When the slope got steeper, we traded the skis for crampons. Thanks to the high winds that ravaged the icefield almost nonstop, most of the north ridge was snow free and we had to climb glacier ice. I used my second ice tool, since I had it with me, but it was possible to climb it with only one ice axe. The final horizontal section of the ridge was a windhammered knife edge. We traversed just below it on the slopes on the right and then regained the ridge proper near the summit. To our surprise there was no wind at the top, so we decided to have a lunch break right on the summit. It was lovely up there.

May 14, 2012

Photos: 46

TWINS TOWER 3640 m

Twins Tower is one of the most striking 11,000ers in the Rockies. Its sharply etched ridge looks quite intimidating from every angle, but in a good snow year it is a relatively straightforward snow climb. Even the descent from the North Twin was easier than normal. The big schrund that usually poses problems for climbers was filled with snow. We just walked right on top of it. We climbed the Tower relatively quickly. TJ`s group was right behind us. They joined us at the summit. After congratulatory hand shakes, we retraced our steps down the ridge and had a short break at the col. Couldn`t have asked for a better day!

May 13, 2012

Photos: 38

NORTH TWIN 3730 m

The North Twin is the third highest mountain in the Rockies. The views from the top will take your breath away. If you`re only gonna do one peak on the Columbia Icefield, then I highly recommend you do the North Twin. Satisfaction guaranteed! From our high camp at Stutfield col, it only took us 2.5 hours to reach the summit of this lofty peak. TJ`s group summited almost at the same time as us. The run down the east slopes of North Twin was fun, but it was hard to focus on skiing due to the distracting scenery all around.

May 12, 2012

Photos: 32

MT. JELLICOE 3065 m

Mt. Jellicoe is the jewel of the Haig Icefield, however not many people climb it in the ski season. Under good snow conditions it is a terrific ski mountaineering objective. If the snow stability is good and you`re an expert skier, it is possible to ski right from the top of the south ridge all the way down the south face to Haig icefield. The main problem with this southfacing slope is the exposure to the sun. The conditions can deteriorate on it very quickly. The heavily corniced and exposed ridge between the false and the true summits is the crux. I highly recommend you protect it, because there no room for error on this ridge. It took us 18 hours to do this mountain due to a number of reasons. We took a wrong turn in French Creek on the way in and out and we also had to take a long detour on Jellicoe in order to avoid the most dangerous southfacing slopes. Assuming everything goes smooth and the shortest possible route is taken, it shouldn`t take you more than 14 hours.

May 6, 2012

Photos: 68

QUARTZITE PEAK 2865 m

Highly enjoyable ski ascent of Quartzite Peak. Fantastic weather, perfect snow conditions, great views and awesome company - simply perfect!

Apr 28, 2012

Photos: 42

PTARMIGAN PEAK 3059 m

Ptarmigan Peak is rarely ascended in winter/spring. It is, however, an excellent ski mountaineering objective. In the right conditions it`s a lot of fun with a fun cornice section at the crux. The summit views are fantastic and the run back down awesome. Couldn`t have asked for a better day!

Apr 21, 2012

Photos: 56

THE SIX PASS TRAVERSE & BALD HILLS SUMMIT 2418 m

What`s the best way to get back in shape and test your new equipment? Do a multiday ski traverse with lots of ups and downs along the way. With the iffy weather forecast and questionable avalanche conditions, we decided the Six Pass traverse will be the perfect choice. It requires 4 days to complete. The traverse exceeded my expectations. The scenery was fantastic and the skiing very good. The Rampart like appearances of the mountains quickly made you forget about the cold nights and the heavy pack. I survived my first multiday trip of the season and all of my new gear including new ski boots passed the test.

Apr 6, 2012

Photos: 57

DREAM ON WI4

Apr 1, 2012

Photos: 21

GREEN MONSTER WI4

Mar 25, 2012

Photos: 21

HOUSE OF SNOW WI3

Mar 11, 2012

Photos: 17

PINCHER RIDGE 2431 m

Greg and I enjoyed a bike approach, ridiculously warm temperatures, and no wind in the most windy place on earth. Throw in the fact that it only took us 4.5 hours in the middle of winter and this was one fantastic trip! We stayed on the summit for at least 30min just enjoying everything about the day. Seriously, life doesn't get much better than this people and I mean it. Overall a great mountain! Bike approach, great hands on scrambling, and a long scree slope to the bottom. Perfect.

Feb 5, 2012

Photos: 41

MT. SHANKS 2868 m attempt

Here`s the scenerio. A gorgeous, warm, bluebird winter day with low avalanche hazard... Pretty much anything can be climbed on this day... Andrew and I picked a rarely visited mountain in the Kootenay Park with million dollar views and potentially an awesome ski ascent... Well, it was anything but... We literally spent an 8 hour round trip day in trying to break through the tree line (which we never did), bushwhacking for hours upon end and only gaining 300m in elevation! As for a potential ski ascent - forget it! You need a bulldozer for this trip! I used my cross country skis for the flat 8 km approach and then snowshoes for the rest.

Feb 4, 2012

Photos: 18

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY WI4

Jan 29, 2012

Photos: 20

YELLOWBIRD WI4

Jan 28, 2012

Photos: 14

KANANASKIS PEAK 2412 m

This peak had a bit of everything: brief exposure at the top to keep the senses sharp, postholing for endurance, and of course amazing company of 4 other people including Vern, Greg, Wietse and Marcel.

Jan 7, 2012

Photos: 23

LAKEVIEW RIDGE 1952 m

New Year`s day scramble with Andrew, Nina, and Helen. Great company, fantastic weather, lovely conditions and a good workout. Perfect way to start the new year!

Jan 1, 2012

Photos: 21

LADY KILLER WI3

Dec 28, 2009

Photos: 36

S.A.R.S. FALLS WI3

Dec 26, 2009

Photos: 15

SOFA MTN. 2515 m

Nov 4, 2009

Photos: 37

PASQUE MTN. 2543 m

Oct 25, 2009

Photos: 42

WINDY PEAK 2240 m

Oct 17, 2009

Photos: 33

MT. BALL 3310 m & BEATRICE PEAK 3080 m

Mt. Ball is one of the major peaks in the Banff area and it should be on everyones summit list. I wouldn`t do this sexy mountain on a cloudy day. You only want to do it on a beautiful, sunny day. The views are absolutely amazing! It`s one of the few mountains I`d visit again.

Sep 27, 2009

Photos: 117

MT. STANLEY 3155 m

Mt. Stanley is a beautiful peak in the Kootenay National Park. If you`re doing the non-technical route, then you should combine it with the ascent of Mt. Ball and Beatrice Peak on the same trip. From the high bivy at the end of Haffner Creek, it only took me 2.5 hours to get to the summit of this lovely mountain. The Haffner Creek approach is not as bad as people say it is. I`ve seen a lot worse. If you stay close to the creek, the area is fairly open. Even in the trees I found dry creek beds, which I happily followed. Depending on how fast you are, you can make it to the high bivy between 3.5 and 5 hrs.

Sep 26, 2009

Photos: 61

CENTER PEAK 2549 m

Center Peak is the highest point in the Livingstone Range and a worthwhile objective. It offers great views and difficult scrambling. The approach involves jumping over barb wire fences. You gotta move like a ninja in order not to be detected by the owner of the property. Round trip time 5 hours.

Sep 23, 2009

Photos: 58

MT. BIRDWOOD 3097 m

Terrific climb! The rock was surprisingly good for the Rockies standards. The climbing was up to 5.5, sustained and brutally exposed. The vicious wind made it even more exhillirating. Our total time was 9 hours car to car. The clouds moved in as we got off the ridge and it started raining. Talking about perfect timing.

Sep 19, 2009

Photos: 100

MT. SARBACH 3155 m

Sep 16, 2009

Photos: 88

MT. POLAND 2840 m

Sep 13, 2009

Photos: 88

MT. MUMMERY 3328 m

One of my favourite trips this year! Mt. Mummery is an impressive mountain, which rewards you with the finest view in the Rockies on a bluebird day. The ascent is moderately difficult. The main objective hazard is the icefall, which came down while we were on the summit. The glacier on the mountain is heavily crevassed, so finding a safe route around them is crucial. The approach to the Poland/Mummery col is a bit tricky involving an exciting creek crossing at the beginning and then some climbing on steep and exposed rock with a heavy pack. The elevation gain for Mt. Mummery is almost 2200m, so expect a big day.

Sep 12, 2009

Photos: 103

OLD GOAT MTN. 3125 m

The east ridge of Old Goat Mtn. is pretty intense. There are multiple cruxes on it, in fact the whole mountain is the crux. I found the east ridge of Assiniboine less complicated than the east ridge of Old Goat. We had a rope and a full rock rack with us, but since we wanted to see if it can be done without a rope, we didn`t use it. However, I was ready to take it out a few times. If you are okey with taking the risk and have a high comfort level on steep, loose and very exposed rock then this peak is for you. The Old Goat Mtn. is located right in the center of K-Country and the view of many familiar peaks is spectacular!

Sep 5, 2009

Photos: 86

MT. EVAN THOMAS 3097 m

This ascent turned out to be more challenging than I anticipated. I may have found a new route on this mountain. Instead of going up a break in the steeply tilted strata (it wasn`t obvious to me), I went up a gully between the two summits. From the 3020 m notch the traverse to the west summit looked suicidal, so I went for the east summit. It looked scary, but doable. The ridge was narrow, loose and steep with tremendous exposure on both sides. The climbing was pretty intense, but I knew I could downclimb it. I made it to within 20 vertical meters of the east summit. The last 12 meters was too risky to climb without a rope. I downclimbed the ridge back to my ascent gully and descended about 200 meters. I noticed there was another gully running toward the true summit, so I decided to give it a try. This time I was successful. After 7.5 hours of some tricky routefinding and climbing I finally made the summit. It felt good! It all worked out at the end.

Aug 30, 2009

Photos: 80

MT. EON 3310 m

It was a very enjoyable trip. The approach to the beautiful meadow between Mt. Aye and Eon only took us 2.5 hrs. We had plenty of time to cook a delicious dinner and eat a tasty desert afterwards. The climb was pretty straightforward. It was mostly difficult scrambling. Alan rapped two sections on the final summit ridge. The view from the summit was mindblowing! This mountain deserves more attention. We were the 9th party in 15 years!

Aug 29, 2009

Photos: 72

MT. SASKATCHEWAN 3344 m

My favourite trip of the year! The approach was extremely scenic, the bivy site was lovely and the ascent itself was very exciting. Most of the ascent involved scree slopes, a long and sustained 4th class rock section and a couple 15 meter fifth class sections (5.4 - 5.5). We rapped them both on the way down. I enjoyed Mt. Saskatchewan more than many of the 11,000ers I climbed. It deserves to be in the 11,000ers club! Loved it! What a beautiful mountain!

Aug 25, 2009

Photos: 153

MT. CHEPHREN 3307 m

An excellent trip with good company. Since the weather for the next day looked iffy, we did the approach and the ascent on the first day. Slept in and hiked out on the second day. We followed the ridge all the way to the summit and came down the scree. The route we took involved two sections of fifth class climbing. We found an easier way down on the descent. We didn`t have to rap at all.

Aug 22, 2009

Photos: 45

RECONDITE PEAK 3356 m

An obscure 11,000-foot peak in the untouched Siffleur Wilderness. The 40 km approach involved numerous river crossings and some bushwacking. The snow on the upper part of the mountain added extra challenge. It is not an easy peak. Don`t underestimate it. The downsloping and extremely loose rock on this mountain makes the climbing awkward and challenging. Bring an extra rope, some rock gear, ice axe and crampons for extra safety and to increase your chances of summiting. I really enjoyed the entire trip, even though it was brutally long and physically exhausting. Kevin and I are glad we bagged the peak on the first attempt and therefore we don`t have to go back there again!

Aug 18, 2009

Photos: 120

MT. DELTAFORM 3424 m

My favourite mountain in the Lake Louise area. We were the 6th ascent party up there in 3 years. No wonder Deltaform feels lonely... It was a pretty intense climb on different types of rock with lots of exposure and no fall zones. You get used to it after a while and it doesn`t bother you too much. My finger tips lost their first layers of skin because of sharp rock. There`s a lot of hands on stuff on this mountain and you have to downclimb most of it too.

Aug 8, 2009

Photos: 104

MT. NEPTUAK 3234 m

You have to climb up and over this mountain in order to get to Mt. Deltaform. Even if you don`t plan to climb Deltaform, Neptuak is a good objective in itself. There`s lots of good climbing on it and excellent views. Route finding can be tricky. Neptuak in combination with Deltaform is one of the most physically demanding trips in the Rockies.

Aug 7, 2009

Photos: 34

MT. FRYATT 3360 m

Fantastic "old school" climb! I enjoyed the ascent more than I anticipated. The approach was reasonable, the bivy site lovely and the climbing a lot of fun! On a few occasions I wished I brought my rock climbing shoes... It would have made the climbing a little easier... But hey, if Hans Gmoser, Glen Boles and Conrad Kain climbed this mountain in their big boots, why should I be any different? Awesome peak! We were the first non-professionals up there this year. A guide with his client climbed Fryatt two weeks before us, but didn`t sign the summit register.

Aug 2, 2009

Photos: 81

MT. FRENCH 3234 m

Mother nature was nice to us and kept the thunderstorms away from the Haig Icefield long enough for us to complete the climb and get off the mountain. At first we backed down, but when the nasty storm moved farther north, we decided to go for it. The approach was long and the climb pretty intense. Climbed a sustained wall of slab (mostly 4th class) to gain the ridge. Found a nice scree slope on the way down, so our descent was fast and easy. I guess our ascent would have been less intense if we had gone up that scree slope at the beginning. Highly recommended trip! Mt. French is the third highest mountain in Kananaskis country. My injured leg performed well on this outing, so I think I am ready for a multiday trip now.

Jul 22, 2009

Photos: 66

MT. REYNOLDS 2781 m

Spectacular scenery, terrific weather, fun climbing, tremendous exposure, lovely vegetation, interesting wildlife, and good company made Mt. Reynolds one of my favourite trips this year!

Jul 20, 2009

Photos: 67

LOAF MTN. 2640 m

Extremely scenic and a very enjoyable trip. The wildflowers and the multicolored rock were amazing! If you can drive all the way to Boven Lake, this colorful peak will only take you a maximum of 4 hours including breaks. Highly recommended when done in late spring or summer!

Jul 18, 2009

Photos: 27

MT. ALDERSON 2692 m

My first mountain trip since my leg surgery. I was insanely slow, tired and could barely walk at the end of the day. It took me a record time of 12.5 hours to do this mountain. I should have picked a shorter and easier objective. Got home at 5:30 am. I will never forget my last Kane peak in Waterton.

Jul 16, 2009

Photos: 23

MT. WINTOUR 27OO m

Sexy, little peak with brutal exposure, spectacular views and nerve-wrecking climbing on loose rock. There were a couple of places of good rock (slab), where it needed to be, otherwise we probably wouldn`t have made the summit.

Jun 27, 2009

Photos: 80

MT. CIRRUS 3270m

Spectacular peak, but very tough. The ascent involves steep hiking, skiing, lots of ups and downs, high objective hazard and a challenging summit ridge with nailbiting exposure. Perseverence and a positive attitude are required for this trip, otherwise it`ll be your worse trip ever. The summit view is one of the best in the Rockies.

Jun 14, 2009

Photos: 95

MT. ANDROMACHE 3000 m

May 31, 2009

Photos: 75

LITTLE HECTOR 3125 m

May 31, 2009

Photos: 38

MORROWMOUNT 2540 m

The original plan was to climb Mt. Wendell, but we ended up ascending Morrowmount thinking it was Wendell. I have no regrets, because the ridge turned out to be a lot of fun (and unnerving at times) and the summit was over 200 m higher than the mountain we intended to climb. We followed the west ridge to the summit, possibly a new route??? Steep cliffs and slabs with pebbles on it made the ascent very challenging. At first I couldn`t believe how my friend Vern climbed this mountain in the winter when the ridge was covered in snow and then I realized I was on the wrong mountain. hehe