Summer - Canadian Rockies

2023-10-07

Wenkchemna Pass

Wenkchemna Pass, situated in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, offers hikers a challenging ascent leading to unparalleled vistas. From the pass’s pinnacle, one stands atop the Continental Divide. On the Alberta side, the iconic Ten Peaks rise majestically: Mounts Babel, Fay, Little, Bowlen, Tonsa, Perren, Allen, Tuzo, Deltaform Mountain, and Neptuak Mountain. Over on the British Columbia side, the towering summits of Mount Goodsir, Chancellor Peak, Mount Vaux, Mount Des Poilus, and Yoho Peak add to the grandeur. The […]

2023-10-01

Mount Yamnuska Traverse and West Col Descent (solo)

Yamnuska is a classic introduction to scrambling. Chimneys, chains, – all looks and sounds scary and it is indeed a little bit shaky. But the biggest surprise this Sunday was a foot deep snow which essentially turned everything above the tree line into a nice winter hike. I left crampons in the car but apparently my Helly Hansen boots have nice grip which works very well on fresh packed snow. With some extra care on icy rocks I made it […]

2023-09-26

Grizzly Peak (solo)

A nice short half-day hike with one easy staircase-style scramble section about 500 meters from the trailhead. The rest of the trail goes around the peak to the col connecting Grizzly and Evan-Thomas, and then straight to the summit. Once I got there, I was out of weather luck, and the view of nearby mountains Evan Thomas and Packenham was a bit cloudy, but still exceptional: It make sense to walk from the summit all the way to the Opal […]

2023-09-22

Old Baldy Peak via alternative route (solo)

This route to Old Baldy is mentioned by Andrew Nugara as a “shorter” approach (we did the “longer” one as a loop this spring, but were out of time and did not make it to the summit back then, only to the ridge, – still very nice, like on the photo above). Alternative route is indeed shorter than the official hike from Evan-Thomas Day Use Area, but it does not mean faster at all, – the route up to the […]

2023-09-17

Pigeon Mountain (solo)

After my off-trail Collembola solo I was exhausted, but sunny days with no wildfire smoke were literally a treasure this Summer, so next day I decided to ignore all knee pain and to take advantage of the weather and do something long enough for a nice day but easy and adrenalin-free. Pigeon Mountain totally fits this description: very moderate but steady incline, no scrambling, no loosing shit, no exposure, but very rewarding all the way to the summit once you […]

2023-09-16

Mount Collembola (South Route, solo, summited from 3rd attempt)

I tried to summit Mount Collembola two times before. My attempt via North route from Dead Man’s Flats failed because I could not find a safe way to climb up the summit block (23 m of elevation left but hiking solo this time, I was not comfortable with exposure and turned back with tail between legs). My second attempt via Marmot Basin and Fisera Ridge also failed because I could not find a safe way to climb down from the […]

2023-09-14

Peaks visible from Opal Ridge South

A few pictures taken during our Opal Ridge South Loop hike, with visible peaks later labeled by PeakVisor application.

2023-09-14

Opal Ridge (South Loop)

This is definitely an undervalued route. It’s steep from the very beginning, and that is good because you don’t have to warm yourself up for several kilometers through a boring forest just to get to the fun stuff. There are a few scrambling sites, and by scrambling I mean hanging the hiking poles on one arm and using teeth and both hands to pull up. Some sections have loose rocks, and one might say even “exposure”, but nothing too scary […]

2023-09-10

Mount Rundle (Waskahigan Watchi)

This is the second one of the three monsters promoted as scramble routes by Parks Canada for tourists. The 1st one (the easiest) is Cascade, the most difficult of them is Temple in Lake Louise. As much as we liked Cascade, and I did it twice so far – first with my wife, and then with my son-in-law, this one I would not do again. Fun it is, but long climb with loose rocks, steep, windy, – overall in my […]

2023-09-07

The Rimwall

On the picture above there is The Rimwall mountain, as it’s seen from the Wind Ridge, which we hiked a few weeks ago. Looks pretty intimidating from Dead Man’s Flats side, but from the South-West slopes it’s a surprisingly very pleasant hike, moderately challenging and highly rewarding. Allocate half day for it, but to really enjoy it you do need good weather. Don’t get scared away with foggy Spray Lakes in the morning, it happens more often that you might […]

Wenkchemna Pass

Mount Yamnuska Traverse and West Col Descent (solo)

Grizzly Peak (solo)

Old Baldy Peak via alternative route (solo)

Pigeon Mountain (solo)

Mount Collembola (South Route, solo, summited from 3rd attempt)

Peaks visible from Opal Ridge South

Opal Ridge (South Loop)

Mount Rundle (Waskahigan Watchi)

The Rimwall

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