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 […]
Fairview Mountain (2744 m, 9003ft) is situated along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Louise. It was named in 1894 by Walter Wilcox, and the name reflects the view from the top. From Lake Louise the cliffs look intimidating, but the mountain is easily ascended via a trail around the backside on the southern slopes of the mountain. The trail starts in the left corner of the main Lake Louise viewpoint and goes around the mountain to the col between Fairview […]
Wasootch Peak is one of not too many hikes which are doable all year round. Small trailhead parking is on the left side of HW40 if you are coming from Calgary, about 200m before Mt. Allan Drive intersection. We always come early, so if you too come first, park your car on the road side perpendicularly. We tried it as a winter hike but too much snow and wind made it very difficult and we turned back a few hundred […]
Alltrails people keep saying that it’s good for all seasons, so we decided to try it in April, which in Alberta is pretty much still winter. Trail preview here. Small trailhead parking is just on the left side of HW40 if you are coming from Calgary, about 200m before Mt. Allan Drive intersection. We always come early, so if you too come first, park your car on the road side perpendicularly. Trail indeed was well packed, at first with steady […]
Emerald Lake is a natural glacier lake in the Rockies but less touristy than Lake Louise or Moraine Lake. You cannot see turquoise water during winter, but the views of surrounding mountains are still spectacular, and the trail around the lake is usually well packed. From Field, it takes around 15 minutes to arrive at the parking lot. The lake is visible from the parking lot and a wooden bridge crosses a portion of it leading to the Emerald Lake […]
It was my first approach to cross-country skiing after approximately 40 years pause. We tried classic style, skis with “fish skin”, and didn’t like it. But we managed to complete the entire 19km. First you incline, more or less steadily, till the very view point of the Consolation Valley, and then simply ski downhill using the track. You need to control your speed for that, and that definitely was a problem for both of us (forgotten skills). Moraine Lake groomed […]