Lunette Peak 2013

Sat/Sun/Mon Aug 3rd/4th/5th - Lunette Peak 3400m

Synopsis: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars. This is an amalgamation, one of our party rated it 3, one 2 and one AL (avec larmes). Expect a beautiful biv site, lots of scree, challenging route finding, rockfall and solitude.

Armed with Bill Corbett's description, we met at 9 am at the Settler's road turnoff just of highway 93. After dropping a car off just past the bridge at the 14km mark, we carried on. The road to the Baymag plant is in excellent shape, the spur at the end less so but still fairly easy travel.

Andrew, Brenda and I parked the trusty CRV at the bottom of the hill to the first bridge given the rough road and dodgy bridge. After wrapping the vehicle in chicken wire we carried on up the road at roughly 11 am. We crossed a second bridge and 1/2 an hour into it reached the path into the cut block. There was a pick up truck parked right at the cut block and spare chicken wire around so you can save some walking with a high clearance vehicle.

Just up the obvious path, we were surprised by a parks registration book. This path obviously gets a fair amount of use going into the Hind Hut to climb Assiniboine. Given the flooding earlier, the trail was in great shape and we made pretty good time, climbing steadily.

An initial water crossing was pretty easy and at the second we found the log and cable 25m upstream. It added a bit of spice but nothing too dramatic.

After that we followed the shore of Assiniboine Creek, a beautiful setting. At one point we scared a couple of white tail deer, and I just about stepped on a mother grouse attempting to scare us off. There was some bear scat on the trail but we didn't see any other signs.

The description calls for a faint trail turning off from the main Hind Hut trail to head towards Lunette and we started looking pretty early. In the end it is a beaten path and well marked with a cairn. By the time we reached it we were 3 hours in, including a healthy lunch break, and 460 metres up.

Not far ahead was Lunette lake, a beautiful spot with a good view of the biv site above, along with Lunette and Assiniboine right above.

Now the real work started, after crossing the outflow the trail follows the shore for a short stint and then turns 90 degrees and climbs steadily before heading towards Mt Sturdy. From here the three of us climbed steadily through the forest, fortunately marked with surveyors tape along the way. 

At about the 2100 metre mark, we went straight across the first two scree slopes and climbed the third. The biv site was one scree slope directly above a small waterfall which we reached in 6 hours, it was an 1100 metre day. 

The biv site was spectacular, nice soft vegetation for sleeping on and complete with a small stream for water. We enjoyed the evening and the sky even cleared up.

Next day, given the not terribly positive weather forecast and perhaps the chance to climb Assiniboine as well, we were up at 5 and out at 6. In spite of a cafe mocha, I was a little sluggish starting out however the start of the climb is through pretty lush surroundings, followed by the inevitable scree slog.

The coilour mentioned in the directions is the pretty obvious one in the middle and is likely the longest snow coilour I've climbed. We arrived at the bottom in an hour and it was great snow for cramponing and fairly steep in places. 

There was a modestly tricky rock step to pass before more snow and we gained elevation quickly.

The day started with the peak a little clagged in and it came and went through the early going though never really added to the route finding challenges.

Once out of the coilour, we went hard right and climbed a ridge of fairly interesting blocky terrain (mixed with a healthy dose of scree).

Along this area the surveyors tape reappeared and in places was a bit over the top. We passed search and rescue tape at a clearing near the road in the day before and we wondered if it was related. Interestingly enough, within a couple of the taped cairns were gloves and in several of them tent pegs were inserted. Definitely a bit of a mystery.

I believe the clockwise that Corbett mentions is right and we made our way up loose scree and some snow angling up and then went hard left before cliffs. The terrain in this area is pretty scrappy however we started to aim for a snow slope that goes up to the Assiniboine/Lunette col.

We choose the right most snow slope that ended in a small col and took it right to the top. Mid way there was a 4 metre ice section and right about then the weather closed in. We had some wind and a fair amount of grapple. Things did start to feel a little more serious.

At this juncture we were 5 1/2 hours into it and had gained the majority of the elevation of the day. The summit block was quite a route finding challenge, compounded by the lack of visibility and the snow that started to fall.

We attempted to go to the far end however other than a fantastic view down the north side of Lunette there wasn't a real reason to be there. What we found is that the true summit is first major block as you traverse in. The best route we could find was just past it and then up and traversed back left crossing the typical down sloping scree ledges. 

We then made our way to climbers left of the true summit and climbed easy, airy ground around the backside and up.

At one point, I was traversing on a ledge and knocked a 1/2 a microwave sized block out with my belly (time for a diet maybe?) that was enough to knock me over. Fortunately it was in an area of little consequence however managing rockfall in this area was a priority.

We hit the summit at just after 12:30 pm, 6 1/2 hours and a 1,000 metres up. Given we were in a lull in the weather and it was looking like it would get worse we spent all of 10 minutes on the summit.

I spotted a good rap station just below the summit and we made use of it. Having only a 30 metre rope wasn't an issue as it put us on a ledge past the worst of it and we scrambled down from there. On the way down we found a better line, as is often the case.

We took a different line down the side of the final snow slope to avoid the ice and it went pretty well. There was a brief discussion about attempting Assiniboine while we were up high however the final word was from the blushing bride, suggesting a rating change to AA (avec avocat).

The way down was slow, given a complete lack of visibility in places and our general sense of confusion. Funny, I nearly kissed the surveyors tape that I had derided only hours before.

After getting back to the ridge the skies opened up and it did start to rain in earnest. Fortunately, it wasn't cold and it beat snow. We were also entertained by some of the most deafening thunder I had heard in a long time, fortunately when we were in a sheltered spot. Luckily, it didn't develop into much.

After down climbing the endless coilour, we made our way down the scree. Coming over a mossy hump we could see the camp and two marmots sensed us watching and ran off.

In the end, they hadn't been able to get into the rock encased food cache but had spread out the pots we left out under a rock and hauled Andrew's large pack out from under the tent and had a good chew. Fortunately, the pack was wearable but it did add a little excitement to the end of the day.

A 12 hour day in the end, fortunately the rain eased to showers and we quickly had the silt tarp erected and enjoyed some supper.

The night was a little odd weather wise, at one point the sky cleared and then at 5:30 am hard rain hit. I would have liked to see film footage of my inch worming my biv sac under the tarp without having to get out.

We had a leisurely breakfast and pack up and were out at 10. 4 1/2 hours down included a couple of lunch stops, the last one by Assiniboine Creek in the sun.

In lucky fashion we hit the car just as the sky's opened up again and we escorted from the area to claps of thunder.

Not sure whether I am in a hurry to do it again but happy for the experience!

Cathedral Mountain 2013

Sunday June 30th - Cathedral Mountain 3189m

Synopsis: 4 out of 5 stars.  This is a classic grade II alpine climb that has a lot going for it; variety, exercise (yes a 1600m gain) and aesthetics. Definitely recommended.

This was an unusual climb in that Brian did all of the heavy lifting and planned the climb, got the beta together and some of us (yes, me) just showed up bleary eyed and asked which mountain we were climbing.

The 5 of us were staying at Tak falls and dragged ourselves up at 5:30 for a planned 6:30 am departure. Breakfast was a little more leisurely than planned however we still departed the Lake O'Hara parking lot just after 7 am.

It took us roughly an hour to cover the 4 km of road to the cataract creek crossing and although we didn't find any cairns there was a bit of a trail just before the 4 km post on the road. After a little futzing we decided this was the best place to cross as it looked good and there was a marking stick on the far bank.

Somehow I got sucked into going first (lack of patience perhaps) and got a bit surprised by the depth - mid thigh, and cold. At least the water wasn't running that fast and even those vertically challenged managed across with mere tickling of the nether regions.

We finally carried on just after 9 am and headed north briefly before Brenda found the trail directly away from the water. It was only about 15 minutes on that we crossed the cataract creek hiking trail. Just north of the intersection is a large rock, a cairn and a trail running west which we took.

A great trail then gains elevation quite quickly and we made our way through open forest. Quite a nice way to start the day. After an hours work the trees started to thin a bit and the climb eased.

At one point you skirt left of some low cliffs and pick up the trail, easy to do on the way up but an important place to check out for the descent.

Eventually we worked our way above treeline and into an interesting bowl feature. We paused here to grab second breakfast and scout out the route.

We skirted to the left of the bowl and being early season took advantage of some easy travel on the snow.  

As you can see, it was a great clear day with fantastic views.

It was 2 pm and 2700 metres before we gained the glacier, in spite of the sun the snow was pretty much perfect, not much penetration and no need for crampons until the final summit ridge.

It's actually a loooonnnngggg way back to the final summit ridge, bypassing a couple of small sub peaks along the way.

We stopped for snacks just at the base of the ridge itself and donned crampons. Travel remained pretty straightforward although the views opened up nicely.

Some of the less experienced in our party needed a little coaxing along the summit ridge however once underway we made good progress and the snow was confidence inspiring.

How many sunny, windless summits do you get in a lifetime? Great to share such a neat place with great friends. It had taken us 9 hours to gain the 1614 metres (according to my watch) to this point and it was just after 4 pm.

Definitely not a high stress day and we made the most of the summit. Down was definitely easier and almost exactly half the time.

Thanks to Brian, Andrew, Brenda and Deanna for a great day out in the mountains!

East Ridge of Mt Temple 2013

Saturday July 13 - East Ridge of Mt Temple IV 5.7 3543m

Synopsis: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.  A hell of a route, a hell of a day.

Brian and I agreed to meet in the Moraine Lake parking lot at 3:40 am and arrived within a couple of minutes of each other - Brian coming from Canmore and me from Nordegg. After getting organised and making our way in one car to the trail head (a few km's back towards Lake Louise), we were off at 4 am.

Funny enough, just as we were getting ready to leave the pull off another vehicle drove up so we thought we'd say hi as the odds are we would meet up on the route. It was a couple from Calgary, Dave and Michaela, and sure enough we went were in contact a good part of the route. 

Thankfully, Brian had scoped the initial part of the ascent the day before so we put our heads down and quickly gained elevation through scree and scrub aiming for a pinnacle in the foreground.

After an hour, it was light enough that we could turn off the headlamps and we made our way left of the pinnacle. The climbing got more interesting with moves over blocky quartzite. By this time Dave and Michaela caught up to us and we moved from there to the big step largely together, helping each other with route finding which wasn't terribly taxing (yet).

We had Dow's beta from summit climb and it was helpful to keep from getting sucked into a rubbly gully in the yellow band. It was great to gain elevation and get some exposure, funny enough I was down to one layer and sweating profusely in the early going in spite of us pacing ourselves and fairly cool temps.

All four of us arrived at the "little step" where we found a shiny bolt just about where you would want it. It was a short step so to save time Michaela lead it and the rest of us tied in mid rope and took turns the top.

A little further up we came to a rock face that we initially mistook for the big step. Something didn't feel right so I skirted to the left on a big ledge and saw the real big step around the corner, however the ledge petered out and got sketchy (complete with a nice layer of verglas). We tried to the right, found a cairn and easy ground to the base of the big step, which we arrived at 7:30 am after an elevation gain of nearly 700 metres.

We let Michaela and Dave have first crack at the technical climbing as they were a bit faster. Brian and I didn't wait for long and I lead the first pitch after a short snack break and gearing up, yes complete with rock shoes. The first pitch is short, likely about 25 metres, with a pin and a few pieces of good medium sized pro. I gave Brian a fright when my foot skated off a hold just as I committed to a move and mantle. I managed to make the move and had a piece close by so it wasn't terribly dramatic. 

The climbing was blocky and I found it a little awkward, likely more so given the pack. The pitch ended at a bolted belay, which made for a quick transition. I had a smile in the late stages of the pitch and actually placed a hex - old school!

Brian took pitch 2, a longer one at 50 metres and a little more tricky. By then I was settling down and really enjoyed the climbing. It carries on left and up, we had 8 extendable draws with us and Brian used them all and ended the pitch at bolts. We could hear the third party we saw leave the parking lot below, however it sounded like they were pitching out terrain below the big step. We didn't hear from them again and I assume they bailed.

I got pitch 3 which was a shorter one and ended with a grunt of a mantle up on to a rubbly ledge, one of many. There was a piece of tat tied into a stuck nut and I made a belay there after searching the area. The route then went left for roughly 10 metres on a ledge and then up on easy ground so we took in coils and moved together with the occasional pro. 

Broken ground with a few 5th class moves lead to the chimney. We didn't have to use much in the way of route finding skills as I could see the other team half way up the chimney when scoping it earlier.

Brian lead the chimney which was definitely old school 5.7. Full value with some real grunting on my part. Brian built an anchor on top and we stayed roped up until I made it up a little further left around a block and onto easier terrain. We then had a break, changed back into our boots and ditched the rope. It was 11 am and roughly 3000 metres, the clouds that we had been watching on the horizon were starting to move in however weren't threatening and were keeping the temperatures cool.

By this time we were past the quartzite and the rock definitely got scrappier. It took a little scrambling to gain the classic spot where we could see the black towers. By this time I was fading a bit, largely due to not eating enough which in turn was largely due to making a crappy lunch that I didn't feel like eating.

It was very cool to be standing in such a classic spot. We checked the photos and directions, futzed about a bit and then got after it. In the back of our heads was the realisation that bailing from here would be long and painful.

We thought we knew the correct exit through the black towers, however I wondered about our ability to recognise it up close. The part that surprised me the most was the lack of beta on getting to the bottom of the black towers. This was likely made worse by the abundant snow.

We chose to climb up to the lower snow band and scree ledge and then traverse left. The other party headed up a gully feature early in the rock but it just didn't look right. Brian took off further and waved, he found a cairn and easier ground further along.

We climbed up towards the entrance to the towers on rock covered ledges and, preferably, snow. The snow was perfect, firm but we didn't need crampons. I was still dogging it a bit and Brian was good enough to carry the rope and did a lot of the route finding through this section.

Once we climbed up to the upper snow band we ran into Dave and Michaela's footprints and could see them ahead. We followed their footprints in the snow and, just as advertised, squeezed behind a big flake and up a small hill only to run right into a set of bolts. I get the non bolting ethic, however must admit I nearly kissed them! It was 1:40 pm and had taken us 2 1/2 hours from the top of the big step. The photo below is Brian following behind the flake and taken from the bolts.

Fortunately, the food I was forcing down started to have an effect about here and I was able to contribute a little more. Brian and I semi pitched, semi short roped the first two pitches. The first pitch I would have soloed in boots and the second in rock shoes. That would have saved time, however more importantly avoided a significant amount of rock fall that got rained on the second from the rope.

As we were getting organised at the top of pitch two in the towers, the parks helicopter actually came around the corner and had a look. We gave them the all's well sign however I was wondering what they knew that we didn't! We ended up with our photo in the mcr report see if you can spot us on the ledge, just at the bottom of the snow on the right hand side:

At that ledge I went left and climbed about 40 metres on good snow. A third of the way I passed a two pin anchor on the left but it was out of the way. I assume there are bolts somewhere in this area but were covered with snow.

After exiting the snow I found an old piton on the right, clipped it and carried on to build an anchor higher. I could see an anchor up and to the left but couldn't make it and didn't want to simulclimb as it would rain rocks on Brian. He followed and then lead the short pitch to the chains. 

This whole black towers is somewhat complex terrain and the route isn't obvious. The chains obviously help, as does a smattering of tat. All in all the correct route is up and slightly left after the second anchor. I realise that everyone has different levels of comfort without the rope however later in the season without as much snow I believe I would be best with no rope and rock shoes.

From this last set of chains, Brian lead up and left. After 20 metres he found a shiny bolt and belayed me over where we ditched the rope and scrambled to the top. One of the things I like best about this climb is the way the mountain reveals itself a little at a time. We popped out on a ledge with the entire snow cap spread out before us, spectacular! By now it was 4 pm and we were at 3300 metres. The odds of us making this into a 16 hours day had slipped away but we both felt some relief given our position and weather.

By now the high cloud had moved it in earnest and there was very little sun. It was cool and the temperature was probably pretty close to 0. This obviously made for great cramponing and well supported snow bridges over the crevasses.

We quickly donned crampons, took in some coils and headed out. We could see the tracks of the other team and could see them ahead, there were also a set of tracks from an earlier ascent done during warmer times. I was happy to be in my element on the snow but had some issues with my crampons. They were a season old and set up for use with my Nepal Tops, I forgot to move them over to flexible use and they came loose a couple of times. It likely cost us 1/2 an hour of futzing and I may have soiled the trousers, Brian was amazingly patient.

I gingerly lead the way across the side hilling and then struck into a 40 metre section of fairly steep ice. With crampons giving me the gears this would have been heart stopping if it wasn't for the two screws and draws we had on hand. As it was I made my way across faced in until 3/4 of the way through and then climbed up, giving the obvious cornice a bit of a berth.

After this point things got fun again, the ground was flat enough the crampons weren't an issue and the view was fantastic! I can see the benefit of doing the route early season as the snow was very firm and the snow bridges intact. The movement from one side of the ridge to the other added a definite element.

Coming over the top onto the summit was fantastic! It was 6:15 pm so it had taken us a couple of hours to cross the snow field. My crampon issues had obviously added some time.

The summit was snow covered, cold and windy. We took a couple of photos, jettisoned the crampons, harness and rope, grabbed a snack and started the descent.

There was some snow to dodge on the descent but it was pretty painless. Very painless in fact, it took about 3 1/2 hours down including a break at the lake below Paradise col to refill water bottles and grab a snack. We arrived back at the cars, after a significant amount of yoo bear, at 10:22 pm and just made it in without headlamps. All in it was just over 18 hours and 1650 metres of elevation gain.

A great, great day on an interesting route!