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HELENA RIDGE 2862 m & STUART KNOB 2850 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1850 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 11 hrs /// Greg, So and I spent a beautiful fall day traversing Helena Ridge and Stuart Knob. Both peaks have always fit the “I’ll do it if there’s nothing else to do” bill for me. The ascent route has always appeared to be a long scree slog with mediocre views. I was sooo wrong! Both Helena and Stuart turned out to be fantastic with very unique views. Now I can`t wait to go back to this great area and spend another terrific day on Television Peak and Pulsatilla Mtn.

Oct 16, 2011

Photos: 86

SMUTWOOD PEAK 2698 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 846 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 8 hrs /// Smutwood Peak sits on the continental divide between Mt. Smuts and Mt. Birdwood. The summit of this obscure peak can be reached via Smuts Pass without much difficulty. Once on top, you will be rewarded with a million dollar view of Mt. Birdwood and the surrounding area. Terrific objective for hikers and photographers looking for a more challenging ascent and an awesome view. I`ve been up on pretty much all of the major peaks in this area including Smuts, Birdwood, Turner, French and Sir Douglas, and I must admit that the most spectacular view is from Smutwood Peak! It`s shocking, but true!

Oct 15, 2011

Photos: 66

MT. BURNS 2936 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1300 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 10 hrs /// Mt. Burns is the highest mountain in the Sheep River Valley rising 2936 m above the sea level. Due to its strategic location, it provides a comprehensive view in all directions. If you have done everything in this area, then this one should be high on your list. The 12 km bike ride is great, the scenery is pleasant and the scrambling is fun. Plus, it`s a short drive from Calgary. Don`t do this trip early in the season when the water levels are high. The creek crossings will slow you down considerably. Late summer and early fall is the best time to do this terrific front range mountain.

Oct 1, 2011

Photos: 68

MT. TORNADO 3099 m

HG: 1900 m TIME: 10 hrs /// Tornado sits on the continental divide and is the highest mountain in the High Rock range. It has been the most illusive mountain for me. I wanted to do it on two different occasions and everytime something happened that prevented me from even getting close to the mountain. On my last attempt at the beginning of September this year, I lost control on the gravel road and my truck landed in the ditch. I got out of it unharmed and there was no serious damage to my vehicle. A stranger helped me out with tipping my truck back on its wheels. After putting a spare tire on, I was on my way back home. Two weeks later I hooked up with Eric and So to settle the score with Tornado Mtn. It was personal. We approached the mountain via a different route - the Dutch Creek trail, which worked out great. The mountain tried to stop us with hurricane force winds, but did not succeed. We made the summit. Three times is the charm. The closure is now complete.

Sep 25, 2011

Photos: 59

MT. RESOLUTE 3120 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1800 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 12 hrs /// Mt. Resolute is Mt. Cline`s smaller neighbour to the east. At a healthy height of 3120 m it provides an excellent viewpoint in all directions. Glaciers, pinnacles, towers, lakes, valleys, colorful ridges and famous mountains can be seen from this relatively obscure peak. A good trail on the east side of Thompson Creek takes you to the Cline/Resolute col. From there follow the easy ridge to both summits of Resolute Mountain - Lion and Lioness Peaks. It`s a long, but straighforward ascent. Highly recommended!

Sep 24, 2011

Photos: 75

MT. PTOLEMY 2815 m

GAIN: 1300 m TIME: 10 hrs /// Mt. Ptolemy is the highest peak in the Flathead range. A rough logging road close to the mining community of Corbin, BC provides an excellent access to the mountain. We took a direct line to the false summit from where we parked. It worked out perfect! From the false summit, the connecting ridge to the summit looked incredibly daunting. The traverse to the true summit involved some intense and sustained stretches of difficult and exposed scrambling. The crux for us was the last big notch in the connecting ridge. It was severely exposed, so there was no room for error. First we had to descend a loose gully and then traverse a scree covered ledge to a wall of steep slabs. This is where I put my climbing shoes on and Liz asked for a rope. After we regained the ridge, we`ve encountered no further difficulties. After a lengthy summit stay, we retraced our steps back along the ridge. Hard to believe that such a prominent peak sees very few visitors.

Sep 5, 2011

Photos: 79

MT. BOSWELL 2440 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1200 m TIME: 8 hrs /// Mount Boswell lies near the famous Crypt Lake on the east side of Waterton Lake. This moderate scramble with 1200 m of elevation gain is a challenging exercise in planning and logistics. In order to successfully complete the trip in one day, you must take the first boat to Crypt Lake from Waterton Village and be back at the dock by 5:30 pm in order to catch the last boat. The consequences of missing the boat can be very unpleasant. We moved at a moderately fast pace, spent one hour on the summit and made it back to Crypt Landing at 5:20 pm. For those of you who find the top rated hike to Crypt Lake boring or not challenging enough, Mt. Boswell is a great alternative. Highly recommended!

Sep 4, 2011

Photos: 54

MT. RICHARDS 2416 m

Mt. Richards is the best scramble in Waterton, in my humble opinion. The north ridge is long, physically demanding and provides lots of great scrambling opportunities. It`s difficult and exposed, so pick your line carefully. If you do this scramble at the end of August, you`ll run into your first crux right above Bertha Lake - a field of big and juicy raspberries! The whole trip is extremely scenic including the approach to Bertha Lake and the hike out along Waterton Lake. Highly recommended!

Sep 3, 2011

Photos: 72

MT. LAUSSEDAT 3060 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 2300 m TOTAL TIME: 14 hrs /// Laussedat is a striking mountain in the Mummery group with an eye-catching glacier on top, that resembles a tooth cavity filling. The usual access road to the mountain was closed, so we were forced to approach it from the north. This meant a significant increase in elevation gain and some nasty bushwacking. It was a hot, sunny day with no wind and bluebird skies, so we didn`t mind having a long day. The east ridge was quite long with many obstacles along the way. After hours of climbing, traversing and rappelling, we have reached the glacier. From there it was another 45 minutes to the summit. After soaking in the mindblowing views and scoping out potential routes in the area, we headed down. We took a shortcut on the way down in order to avoid the lower part of the ridge. In the process we had to regain 300 meters. Back at the treeline, we decided to go to sleep and complete the descent the next day. It was simply an outstanding trip!

Aug 28, 2011

Photos: 102

MT. ELLIOT 2872 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1500 m TOTAL TIME: 12 hrs Mt. Elliot is a significant and one of the most prominent mountains in the David Thompson area. It was a landmark for early explorers. There`s an easy route up this mountain, but with my "expert" routefinding skills we ended up climbing some steep and exposed 5th class rock on the north face of the mountain. The climbing was actually very good and we probably would have enjoyed it more, if it wasn`t so unnerving. We had to choose our route very carefully in order not to get cliffed out by the overhanging pinnacles above. We spotted an easy descent route on the way up, so we knew that once we reach the summit we`ll be home free. We were commited to make the summit. There was no turning back. Downclimbing and rappeling our route would have been extremely difficult and time consuming. We made it and at the same time we possibly climbed a new route. It wasn`t our intention, though.

Aug 26, 2011

Photos: 71

MT. ALCANTARA 3020 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1680 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 12 hrs /// After completing the ascents of some famous peaks nearby, the sexy Mt. Alcantara was next on my radar. Most obscure peaks are very remote, taking days to get to. This one, however, can be done as a daytrip from the car. We spent the first 4 hours bushwacking which was followed by some great scrambling above the treeline. The views throughout the trip were simply mind boggling! The view to the south included striking peaks in the Kananaskis range as well as Joffre, Abruzzi, King George, Soderholm and Brussilof. The view of the three giants Mt. Aye, Assiniboine and Eon was also stunning. There was only one name recorded in the summit register, but I know that other people made the summit of Alcantara including Rick Collier and of course the first ascent party. It`s possible that we were only the 4th ascent party on this mountain, althought I wouldn`t be surprised if more people have visited this amazing mountain.

Aug 25, 2011

Photos: 67

MT. NELSON 3315 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1990 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 11 hrs Mt. Nelson is the landmark of the town of Invermere. This beautiful mountain, almost 11,000 feet in height, provides a terrific ascent and killer views. The approach valley is filled with beautiful flowers, a variety of rock types and is full of staggering colors. The views include famous mountains like Jumbo and Delphine, where the movie "Alive" was filmed. I will definately be doing more ascents in this spectacular area including a repeat of this trip!

Aug 24, 2011

Photos: 72

MT. COPPER 2795 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1425 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 8 hrs /// Copper is a terrific mountain with the most amount of continuous hands on scrambling of all of the Kane’s peaks I had done so far. If you factor in the excellent bike approach, amazing views and a great descent route, which provides a super fast way down the mountain, Copper deserves to be in the KANE TOP 10. As we were side sloping the meadows on the way to the ascent gully, we ran into a black bear and her cub. Thankfully she wasn’t aggressive and just watched as we turned around and walked in the opposite direction. We then lost some elevation and circled around, giving the pair a wide berth. It worked and the rest of the ascent went without any further interruptions. At the end of the day near the bottom of the descent gully, we spotted the bears again. They quickly took off when we yelled at them. It was an unexpectedly good and thrilling day for us!

Aug 23, 2011

Photos: 49

MT. CUSTER 2708 m & FORUM PEAK 2415 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1700 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 14 hrs Mt. Custer is one of the most photographed and recognized mountains by tourists in Waterton Park. It sits above the beautiful Cameron Lake right in the middle of everything. I wanted to climb it for years and finally in 2011 I made it happen. Having very limited beta on the route, we knew that it`s going to be a challenge. Somehow we managed to find the way to the summit, which made the accomplishment even sweeter. The routefinding was challenging and the ascent very loose, steep and exposed. The summit views did not disappoint. They were even more spectacular than I expected. Mt. Custer is by far my favourite mountain in the park!

Aug 21, 2011

Photos: 91

MT. FISHER 2846 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1400 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 7 hrs Mt. Fisher is the highest, very attractive and the most significant mountain in the Cranbrook area. The NHL player Scott Niedermayer hoisted the Stanley Cup he won with the Anaheim Ducks at the top of this peak. Since both Andrew and I were tired after a long day on Mt. Jackson the previous day, we wanted to do something relatively short and Mt. Fisher came to mind. The drive was fairly long, but it was totally worth it!

Aug 20, 2011

Photos: 51

MT. JACKSON 3064 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1800 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 14 hrs Mt. Jackson is one of six 10,000 foot peaks in Internation Peace Park (Waterton + Glacier Parks). The climb usually takes two days, but Andrew and I decided to do it in one day. The Northeast Ridge on Mt. Jackson is mostly class 3, if steep snow and ice are avoided. The views from the summit are simply mindblowing. An extensive sea of peaks to the north, a seldom seen Harrison glacier on red argilite to the south, acres of snow and ice in the glaciated basin of Mt. Blackfoot and a beautiful Lake MacDonald to the west. Andrew and I were under pressure to be back at the car before 10 pm, as we wanted to drive back to Canada that evening. The border crossing at Peigan closes at 11 pm. We made the crossing with half an hour to spare. It was perfect!

Aug 19, 2011

Photos: 80

MT. GOULD 2912 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 900 m ROUND TRIP TIME: 8 hrs Mt. Gould is the highest peak on the Garden Wall - a great arete extending south of Logan Pass in Glacier Park (an extension of Waterton National Park). If care is taken to find the safest pitches, nothing worse than class 3 will be encountered on the west face of the mountain. The panorama from the summit is terrific, thanks to Mt. Gould`s central location. No significant portion of the park is blocked from view by larger peaks. We spent over an hour enjoying the view from the summit. Highly recommended!

Aug 18, 2011

Photos: 57

MT. BOSWORTH 2771 m

HEIGHT GAIN: 1160 m Round trip time: 7 hrs Bosworth is a small roadside peak, which makes it a perfect candidate for a short ascent day if time is an issue. The summit provides an excellent view of famous peaks nearby like Mt. Victoria and Mt. Stephen.

Aug 16, 2011

Photos: 35

MT. DES POILUS 3161 m

This striking mountain is the jewel of Yoho National Park. Due to a heavy snowpack this year, the ascent up the southwest glacier was very straightforward and completely stress free. I was happy to share the summit with two good friends and passionate mountaineers, Vern and Alan. I loved everything about this trip. The approach, the bivy, the views, the company and the weather. It doesn`t get any better than this!

Aug 14, 2011

Photos: 50

YOHO PEAK 2760 m

This lovely peak was part of our two day Mt. Des Poilus trip. After completing the approach and setting up our camp, we ascended easy slopes of Yoho Peak. The summit panorama of the icefields and the Yoho & Wapta peaks was fantastic.

Aug 13, 2011

Photos: 31

MT. TOMBSTONE NORTH 3035 m

The summit of Tombstone Mountain is incorrectly labelled on the NTS map. The northern summit at GR401182 is higher than the more southerly peak, often called Tombstone South. We decided to climb the proper Tombstone Mtn. via the West Ridge. The majority of the route we took was a walk up with the final summit ridge providing difficult and exposed scrambling and two short pitches of rock climbing ranging from about 5.2 to 5.5. It took us 11 hours to reach the summit and only 4 hours from summit to car. Unbelievable!

Aug 7, 2011

Photos: 85

MT. INFLEXIBLE 3000 m & MT. KENT NORTH 2914 m

Mt. Inflexible is usually reached via the connecting ridge from Mt. Lawson, however the route is extremely sketchy according to many people who have done it. Since I have done Lawson already, I decided to reach Mt. Inflexible via the west ridge from Mt. Kent North. I heard that Bob Parr has done it solo, so I figured it can`t be that bad. And it wasn`t, although we used a rope on one occasion. We reached the summit of Inflexible 3 hours after we left Mt. Kent. We traversed over to the north peak of Mt. Inflexible, because it was about 6 meter higher than the peak where the summit cairn was. Since we had no desire to climb back up Mt. Kent North, we took a chance and descended down a gully to the west. Careful routefinding is required in the gully or you may end up on some really steep and exposed terrain. Our descent route worked and we were all happy about that!

Aug 6, 2011

Photos: 58

MT. ABRUZZI 3267 m

6 years ago while camping in the beautiful Limestone Lakes, Mt. Abruzzi caught my eye. It`s been on my mind ever since. Finally, on July 31, 2011, I summited this lovely and prominent mountain. What made it even more special was that my girlfriend made it up there with me. It was her first multiday mountaineering trip. The entire ascent was a pleasant plod to the summit on low angled limestone and snow. Fantastic views throughout, no exposure, no technical difficulties and no postholing. The only annoying thing were the mosquitos. There were thousands of them in the valley. The hike out was uneventful, however the drive out on the logging road was very exciting. My driveshaft fell off when I hit a bump. I thought I was screwed, but then I realized that all I had to do was to take the entire driveshaft out, turn the 4x4 on and the front wheel drive would kick in. A helpful camper helped me take the driveshaft out and about 20 minutes later I was on my way home. What an adventure!

Jul 31, 2011

Photos: 82

LITTLE SISTER 2694 m

Finally bagged all three sisters. The little one was definately the toughest and the crux was the scrambling part, not the 5.6 pitch. The technical pitches were fun and relatively easy on generally good rock. None of us had any difficulties on any of them. Jeff called it quits when we got to the ridge. Only Grant and I were crazy enough to do the traverse to get to the summit. Pretty much the whole traverse was a no slip zone. It was severely exposed, you make one mistake and you`re gone. The rock was so loose, it was impossible to protect. Downsloping slab with small pebbles and wet moss on it - what a perfect combination! Plus some 4th class rock to get to the true summit. It was mentally exhausting. We downclimbed and rappelled the route. Little Sister is more sketchy than Louis, Goodsirs and Sir Douglas combined. If you`re not a peakbagger, than I suggest you do a nice rock route on Yamnuska.

Jul 24, 2011

Photos: 53

MT. BROCK 2902 m

After climbing Mt. Blane last year, Mt. Brock was next on my list. I went up a wrong gully on the way up to the col and because of it I wasted over an hour. From the col, I scrambled up the south east face and then climbed slab on the east ridge to the false summit. From the false summit I downclimbed a south facing gully to reach the notch between the two summit blocks. The downclimb was nasty and I`m glad I found a different line to climb back up the false summit, because I wasn`t looking forward to climbing the gully again. I chose to climb the exposed slab on the summit block instead of doing the "crack route". With climbing shoes it was no problem. After enjoying terrific views from the summit, Brad and I rappelled the summit block, climbed back up to the sub-peak and then did one more rappel and more downclimbing to get down to easier terrain. From there it was a very quick descent back to the car. A fantastic day out!

Jul 23, 2011

Photos: 58

NOSEEUM MTN. 3002 m

The most enjoyable ascent of the year! The views from this mountain are more spectacular than the views from other nearby peaks including Hector. Andrew and I traversed the whole mountain and took a difficult line up the 4th class rock to gain the ridge. There`s an easier line to gain the ridge, but was completely covered in snow. After spending close to one hour on the summit, we came down the south ridge, which turned out to be more challenging than expected. After we downclimbed all the sketchy rock, the rest of the descent was uneventful and fast.

Jul 17, 2011

Photos: 89

MT. BURGESS 2599 m & WALCOTT PEAK 2575 m

Walcott Peak is the north peak of the Burgess mountain and the true summit of Mt. Burgess is the south peak. Thanks to Vern, who pointed it out to me. So, if you want to claim Mt. Burgess, the traverse to the south peak is mandatory and is not an option as Alan Kane states in his guidebook. I was shocked at how difficult and exposed the traverse to the south peak was. It was more challenging than most of Kane`s difficult peaks. I would almost put it in the same category as Smuts, Northover and Fox. Careful routefinding and climbing is essential. The rock is rotten and most of the ridge is severely exposed on both sides.

Jul 16, 2011

Photos: 50

MT. LOUIS 2682 m

It was a punishing day on a beautiful mountain. Grant and I scrambled as much as we could and roped up for the most exposed sections. There were several parties on the mountain including Chris and Nicole who climbed right below us. Very friendly couple. We ended up descending with them. Since the mountain was so busy, two guys in front of us climbed the Perren crack on the summit block. We had no choice but to climb the chimney. The chimney was very interesting and the hardest one I have ever climbed. Every climbing technique was used including stemming, pulling, slab and crack climbing. It was so long I thought the mountain didn`t want to get rid of us. I heard horror stories about the descent route, but it turned out to be very straighforward and fast. Four 30 m and three 60 m rappels got us down onto easy terrain. Fantastic, but an extremely long day.

Jul 10, 2011

Photos: 58

ORIENT POINT MTN. 2636 m

Our original objective was Mt. Costigan, but due to poor condition of the approach trail we changed the objective to Orient Point Mtn. It was supposed to be a straighforward scramble, but we ended up climbing a steep rockband which involved some seriously exposed 4th class and 5.5 downsloping rock. We`re still not exactly sure where the scramble route is. We got lucky and found our way through the rockband to the summit. We came down the same way, meaning we had to downclimb all those terrifying sections. Since it wasn`t really a scramble nor a real climb, Sonny called it a 'sclimb'. I totally agree with it. It was a nice summit to get and the unknown route made the trip very exciting.

Jul 9, 2011

Photos: 47

MT. SYNCLINE 2500 m

This outing took me longer than expected. First of all, I took the wrong ridge at the beginning and ended up bushwacking for almost 2.5 hrs. In addition to it, I ran into snow high up in the trees. It was miserable. My original plan was to climb only the first peak, because it is the true summit. However, based on my GPS and Topo Canada, the second summit of Syncline Mtn. is the true summit. So, I decided to traverse over to the second peak and bag it just in case. It was totally worth it. The views were 100 times better than from the first summit and the traverse was very scenic and interesting. For the descent I used a different gully, which I spotted during the traverse. The steep scree provided fast descent. There was some bushwacking in the lower part of the gully, but it wasn`t too bad. Round trip was 8 hours.

Jul 3, 2011

Photos: 63

LA CLYTTE MTN. 2920 m attempt

It took a lot of effort to get to this beautiful place. The logging road was in horrific shape. It was washed out in many places. Bad snow conditions and unsettled weather prevented us to climb anything in the area including La Clytte Mtn.

Jul 1, 2011

Photos: 19

COMPRESSION RIDGE 2500 m

My last Kane peak in Little Elbow.

Jun 27, 2011

Photos: 34

MT. WENDELL 2410 m

On my first attempt I climbed Morrowmount, thinking it was Mt. Wendell. Last saturday I returned to the CMC valley and bagged the real Mt. Wendell. The ascent was actually much easier than I thought it would be. The approach was quite long.

Jun 25, 2011

Photos: 34

MT. McDOUGALL 2726 m

Great trip! Love this mountain. The snow made it a mountaineering ascent. Steep slabs, snow, scree and awesome views. This peak had it all!

Jun 22, 2011

Photos: 64

ROCHE MIETTE 2316 m

An impressive looking peak. Routefinding is important on this mountain or else one can run into some serious problems.

Jun 21, 2011

Photos: 31

ROCHE A PERDRIX 2135 m

Shortest Kane peak in Jasper. Great views from the top!

Jun 20, 2011

Photos: 35

MOOSE MTN. 2437 m

Finally, after so many years, I bagged Moose Mountain. I can retire now!

Jun 14, 2011

Photos: 27

DEATH VALLEY Furnace Creek (- 60 m)

Journey to the lowest point in North America... 60 meters below the sea level.

May 29, 2011

Photos: 124

WHISTLERS MTN. 2464 m and INDIAN RIDGE attempt

Attempted Indian Ridge on this beautiful spring day. A dangerous avalanche slope stopped my progress, only 50 vertical meters from the summit ridge.

May 21, 2011

Photos: 44

MIDNIGHT PEAK 2340 m

Awesome trip with Marko, Amelie, Kerry and Blanka. We bagged two peaks of Midnight Mtn. It felt good to be slogging up the scree for the first time this season.

May 14, 2011

Photos: 35

CITADEL PEAK 2610 m

A magnificent ski ascent up Citadel Peak. Highly recommended! Having great company on this trip lets you forget the long approach.

May 1, 2011

Photos: 70

DRUMMOND ICEFIELD

Wonderful multiday ski trip to a seldom visited icefield in the Rockies. I would have enjoyed this trip even more, if my AT boots were more comfortable. My feet were pretty much done on the first day. I still can not believe I made it all the way in there and back. I didn`t want to waste a beautiful weekend, I guess...

Apr 24, 2011

Photos: 63

EMERALD SLIDE PATH

Apr 10, 2011

Photos: 11

MT. HECTOR 3394 m

Apr 9, 2011

Photos: 45

MALIGNE CANYON WI3

Wow! What a magical place! Brad and I explored the canyon and soloed some easy ice in this beautiful spot.

Apr 3, 2011

Photos: 37

KERKESLIN FALLS WI3

We escaped the big dump of snow in Calgary and climbed one of the most enjoyable ice routes in the Jasper area - the Kerkeslin Falls. Highly recommended!

Apr 2, 2011

Photos: 18

SLURPEE FALLS WI4

Great climb in a beautiful setting.

Mar 20, 2011

Photos: 17

A BRIDGE TOO FAR WI4

One of the classic ice climbs in Kananaskis.

Mar 19, 2011

Photos: 11

SKOOKUMCHUK FALLS WI3

Fantastic ice climbing area in the Columbia Valley. Many lines to choose from - easy WI2 for soloeing and hard WI4 ice for top roping.

Mar 13, 2011

Photos: 6

CHICKADEE VALLEY

Great place to go yo-yo skiing.

Feb 27, 2011

Photos: 22

B2 FALLS WI3

My first time in the Evan Thomas Creek area - loved it!!!

Feb 26, 2011

Photos: 21

MARBLE CANYON TOKUMM FALLS WI5

Did a couple of laps on Tokumm Pole and explored the beautiful Marble Canyon. The WI2 exit was in great shape when I was there.

Feb 19, 2011

Photos: 25

JOHNSTON FALLS WI4

All the highways were closed due to high avalanche hazard, so we had no choice but to go to Johnston Canyon to salvage the day and do some ice climbing. We climbed different lines. It was a fun and relatively warm day.

Feb 13, 2011

Photos: 15

BEAR SPIRIT WI4

Finally checked out this popular cragging area. It`s a busy place. Many lines to choose from.

Feb 5, 2011

Photos: 15

BREWERS DROOP WI4

My favourite ice climb of the season. I didn`t mind the long approach. Great suggestion Kevin!

Jan 23, 2011

Photos: 35

GHOSTER COASTER WI3

My first ice climb of the season. Loved it, although I wish it was a bit longer.

Jan 16, 2011

Photos: 17

REVELSTOKE & FAIRMONT SKIING

Revelstoke - in my humble opinion, it`s the best ski hill in Western Canada. Great views, long and steep runs and deep powder - can`t beat that! Fairmont is a nice small ski hill. The ski pass for a day is only $40 and it also includes hot springs.

Jan 1, 2011

Photos: 40

SKOGAN PEAK 2662 m

Excellent scramble up to the highest point of the McGillivray range. I actually liked it more than the alpine route on Lorette. Had good weather with little wind for most of the day. Unfortunately the clouds rolled in as I was approaching the summit and the visibility was reduced to zero. Despite the whiteout at the top, I absolutely loved the trip!

Nov 7, 2010

Photos: 54

MT. STRACHAN 2682 m

Excellent late season trip. The scenery was simply breathtaking. Wanted to combine it with the ascent of Mt. Maclaren, but didn`t have enough time to do it. The snow and ice made things very interesting at the headwall below Carnarvon Lake. It was the crux of the trip. I almost bailed because we didn`t bring crampons and there was ice everywhere! Even the chain was covered with ice. The exposure is quite significant at the headwall, so even though there`s a chain, extra care is required to climb the slab. Thank God I brought the ice axe. It allowed me to chop steps and clean the ice off the rock and the chain.

Oct 30, 2010

Photos: 63

WIND MTN. 3108 m

What can I say... Simply perfect... I have nothing negative to say about this trip... Short drive, nice approach, terrific scenery, beautiful mountain, gorgeous weather, perfect conditions, and great company. Both Will and I found this mountain difficult. It is very slabby and deceivingly steep. I put my climbing shoes on for the steep slab on the ridge and they made a huge difference... It requires some friction climbing like Smuts... I don`t think I would have made it otherwise. My boots are pretty beat up and worn out. The routefinding on this mountain is not difficult, but you have to pay attention. It`s very easy to get lost, especially on the way down. We built two big cairns halfway up the mountain above the ramp we ascended and I`m glad we did, because we almost missed it on the way down.

Oct 21, 2010

Photos: 55

MT. ODLUM 2716 m

This is a great objective when more difficult peaks in the area are out of shape. It`s relatively easy and offers magnificent views. The approach trail is hard to follow at the beginning, but gets better after a kilometer or so.

Oct 17, 2010

Photos: 50

MT. GRASSI 2685 m

It was actually my second attempt on this small and popular mountain, because the first time around I did not paying attention and ascended an unnamed peak to the south of it. I actually liked Grassi. I don`t have anything bad to say about it, other than I should have used my bike for the approach. It would have saved me at least half an hour.

Oct 16, 2010

Photos: 31

MT. BRETT 2984 m

Beautiful! Take your time on this one, if you can. You can have a picnic on the high plateau with the lovely larches around you. The ridge is very enjoyable and scenic and you get very high before you encounter any difficulties. You can make it hard, if you want, but it is unnecessary. You only do it for fun. The most difficult part of the ridge can be avoided by dropping some 20 meters on the right. From there it`s only about 15 minutes to the summit. Despite being so close to Mt. Pilot, I found the views from Mt. Brett much nicer. The scrambling and the routefinding on Pilot are more difficult than on Brett. In my opinion, anyway.

Oct 14, 2010

Photos: 41

EIFFEL PEAK 3084 m

Million dollar views, zero objective hazard, and a fast ascent.

Oct 11, 2010

Photos: 36

THE TOWER 3117 m

Not as nice as its neighbour Galatea. In my opinion, Galatea is easier, shorter and more enjoyable than the Tower. If Kane gives Mt. Galatea a difficult rating, then why is the Tower only moderate (in dry conditions)? I even found the routefinding tougher on the Tower than on Galatea. Other than that, it is an attractive peak to get.

Oct 9, 2010

Photos: 30

GUSTY PEAK 3000 m

Sweet and short, especially if you bike all the way to Chester Lake. Great views from the top.

Oct 7, 2010

Photos: 36

MT. RUNDLE 2949 m

I hate to say this, but I`m not a big fan of Mt. Rundle. The views are uninspiring, the elevation gain is huge, the mountain is always crowded, the approach long and the summit isn`t even the highest point on the Rundle massif. Glad I did it during the week after work. It was better than sitting at home watching Bugs Bunny.

Oct 6, 2010

Photos: 32

MT. INGLISMALDIE 2964 m

Loved it! It was very scenic and interesting. Wanted to bag it before the park officials decide to close this area down permanently.

Oct 2, 2010

Photos: 53

MT. LAWSON 2795 m

It was probably a bad choice for an afternoon trip, but somehow everything worked out at the end. Took me over 7 hours and thanks to my compass, I found my way out of the bush in the dark. I ended up ascending the third gully at the beginning, thinking it was the 2nd gully Alan Kane mentions in his book. Not a big deal, but it definately slowed me down on the way up. I would rate this one difficult, because the last bit is steep, long and sustained and if you`re not careful you can end up on some really steep terrain. If you do it early in the season on snow, it definately becomes a serious mountaineering ascent. This slope is steep and long and I can see why there has already been one fatality on it.

Oct 1, 2010

Photos: 35

COMMONWEALTH PEAK 2775 m

It`s nice and fast. I would rate it difficult, because the routefinding is a bit tricky and there`s definately some steep, loose and exposed rock you have to climb. It`s short, but you have to be careful.

Sep 30, 2010

Photos: 40

MT. KIDD SOUTH 2895 m

This peak has better views than its higher brother Kidd North. Did not like the ascent, because of the big boulders. It was almost as slow coming down as it was going up. Where`s the nice, soft scree when you need it?

Sep 29, 2010

Photos: 48

MIDDLE SISTER 2769 m

After many years I finally decided to bag it. Used my bike for the first part of the approach, which saved me a few extra steps. What can I say about Middle Sister... The views are mediocre, the approach is long and not very interesting and the elevation gain is big for such a small mountain. On the positive note, I checked out the west ridge of Little Sister and the view of Canmore was nice.

Sep 26, 2010

Photos: 25

MT. BULLER 2805 m

Nice and short. A good candidate for an after work scramble. The slab can be easily avoided on the right.

Sep 25, 2010

Photos: 29

MT. HENKEL 2673 m

Simply perfect! We lucked out on this one, because there was a downpour a few minutes after we left the parking lot and headed back to Canada.

Sep 4, 2010

Photos: 26

MT. BEARHAT 2647 m

This sexy mountain exceeded all of my expectations. I thought my brain was gonna explode from the visual overload.

Sep 3, 2010

Photos: 32

MT. SIYEH 3052 m

My second 10,000er in Glacier National Park. It did not dissappoint!

Sep 2, 2010

Photos: 41

LUNETTE PEAK 3400 m

I knew it was my last chance to get my 40th 11,000 foot peak this year before the snow arrives, so I decided to do the drive, approach and climb on the first day and hike out the next day. The timing was perfect, because the hell broke loose when I got back to my tent. It was snowing hard all night.

Aug 28, 2010

Photos: 40

MT. INDEFITAGABLE 2670 m

Another after work scramble. It was a lot shorter than expected. Only 5.5 hrs.

Aug 25, 2010

Photos: 24

MT. CHESTER 3054 m

A quick 4.5 hrs after work scramble.

Aug 24, 2010

Photos: 18

WINDOW MTN. 2576 m

My last Kane peak in Crowsnest.

Aug 21, 2010

Photos: 19

THE HELMET 3420 m

The Helmet has exceeded my expectations in every way. It was longer and tougher than expected. The views were very unique. Huge crevasses, narrow snowbridges, hanging glaciers, massive bergschrunds and the impressive North Face of Robson make you feel like you`re in the Himalayas. The Helmet is one of a kind!

Aug 14, 2010

Photos: 55

MT. LOGAN 2816 m attempt

It`s true what they say - "Nobody gets Logan on the first attempt".

Aug 8, 2010

Photos: 32

PYRAMID MTN. 2763 m

A pleasant day with Marta and JP. The descent was the best part of the trip. It was quick, fun and painless.

Aug 1, 2010

Photos: 41

MT. PILOT 2935 m

Both the scenery and the route were very nice. Had a one hour nap on the summit. Shocked to see a tick on the summit cairn at the end of July.

Jul 28, 2010

Photos: 31

MT. JIMMY SIMPSON 2963 m

Magnifique! Big mountain with terrific views right from the beginning.

Jul 24, 2010

Photos: 36

JUMBO MTN. 3424 m

Beautiful mountain in the Purcells. Jumbo glacier is where the movie "Alive" was filmed.

Jul 16, 2010

Photos: 29

COMMANDER MTN. 3371 m

Great trip! Good snow coverage on the glacier and quartzite rock on the mountain made the ascent safe and enjoyable.

Jul 15, 2010

Photos: 43

MT. BLANE 2996 m

The sexiest mountain in the Opal range with a brutally exposed NW ridge.

Jul 11, 2010

Photos: 29

MT. FORBES 3612 m

This mountain defines the Canadian Rockies. It`s remote, glaciated and beautiful. The weather and the conditions were perfect, which made the ascent safe, enjoyable and stress free.

Jul 7, 2010

Photos: 76

MT. GIBRALTAR 2665 m

The Canadian halfdome.

Jul 3, 2010

Photos: 32

NEWMAN PEAK 2515 m

I didn`t think we were gonna make it to the top of Newman Peak for the following reasons: 1. The last 4 km of the Red Rock road was closed due to construction 2. A group of hikers saw a bear on the trail minutes before we arrived 3. There was still a lot of snow on the ground 4. The bad weather was moving in Despite all these obstacles we made the summit without any problems. We biked the road, never saw the bear, the snow did not slow us down too much and the bad weather missed Newman Peak completely. Very nice!

Jul 1, 2010

Photos: 22

MT. OLD BALDY 2728 m

Solo trip up a prominent mountain in Kananaskis Country.

Jun 27, 2010

Photos: 21

MT. TECUMSEH 2547 m

Finding the road and getting to Philips Pass turned out to be the crux of the entire trip. Everything worked out at the end.

Jun 26, 2010

Photos: 17

MT. SPARROWHAWK 3121 m

It felt like a winter ascent!

Jun 20, 2010

Photos: 30

BLUEROCK MTN. 2789 m

If you want to get back in shape, then this trip is for you! A long and exhillirating bike ride followed by a steep hike and kick stepping on snow with a big elevation gain. I probably should have saved it for later in the season, as there was still quite a bit of snow on the trail, making the bike ride slow and wet. It was a good test of persistence.