Haddo Peak attempt
May 29, 2021
Roundtrip time: 12:25
Mountaineering with Mark.
This was really a Mount Aberdeen attempt,
however, conditions dictated we pull the plug on that objective.
Although Mark and I had always wanted to
attempt the famous north glacier route up Aberdeen, we were both uneasy about
snow/avalanche conditions at this time of the year and after much discussion we
decided to try the scramble route, via Paradise Valley, as excellently described by Matt Hobbs and Matt Clay. Snow was also of
concern on this route, but less so for avalanche concerns and more for its
supportiveness on approach. If the snow was not supportive, completing the 10
odd km approach to the base of Aberdeen would be a challenge, if not next to
impossible.
And in fact that was the case. Though
initially optimistic, as we hiked snow-less Moraine Lake road 2.5 km to the
trailhead, and then snowshoed about 6 km up Paradise Valley, the snow
conditions became increasingly challenging upon leaving the main trail.
Progress eventually slowed to a crawl and the old, decommissioned trail was
difficult to locate. We did pass by a potential route up the south side of
Haddo and agreed to give it a go if we couldn’t pick up the pace and find a
decent route through the brush and deep, unconsolidated snow.
Not more than 5 minutes later, that decision
was made. We returned to the snow-filled gully and started up. If possible, we
planned to gain elevation, above treeline and then traverse into the Aberdeen
ascent gully. If not, then we would just see what happened going straight up.
The gully we picked was fantastic. Here the
snow was firm, providing perfect snowshoeing conditions. Mark led the
way at a good pace and soon we were halfway up the south side of Haddo. Perfect
snowshoeing conditions eventually led to perfect mountaineering conditions and
the crampons and ice axes came out. At this point, we had long given up any
hope of Aberdeen and set of sights on Haddo.
The next section of the ascent was fun,
challenging, and gratifying, as we weaved our way around a several rock bands,
steadily gaining elevation. Breath-taking scenery all around kept us entertained
and engrossed.
Less than 100 vertical metres from the summit of
Haddo we reached the last obstacle. Unfortunately, this would be the end of the
line. Looking at the terrain we would have to negotiate to circumvent the rock
band in front, we both immediately agreed it was a no-go – serious avalanche
terrain with a serious runout. Mildly disappointed we turned around.
Most of the descent was a blast. We managed
to glissade a big chunk of the ascent drainage. Of course, the snowshoe and
hike out was long and laborious, especially the final few kilometres along the
road.
Not quite the results we hoped for, but still
an amazing day out in spectacular surroundings.
The first crossing of Paradise Creek features a great view of Mount Temple's north face
The view of Sheol is pretty good too
A very brief section of easy travel on the way to the ascent gully. The
gully in the middle is the one we would end up ascending.
Having turned around, Mark leads the way up the gully on the south face of Haddo.
Though dwarfed by it's neighbour, Mount Temple, Pinnacle Mountain is a striking peak.
A short snowless section revealed beautiful quartzite rock
Looking down the gully and across the valley
A few other gems join Pinnacle in the view: Eiffel, a small section of Deltaform, Neptuak, and Wasatch
Exhausted already!
Snowshoes off, crampons on
The grade steepens
Lots of great places to rest and take in the view
Traversing out of the steep snow gully and closer to rocky terrain
Massive Mount Hungabee (centre) makes an appearance
Approaching the first major obstacle on Haddo's south face. Aberdeen was a distant memory at this point.
Amazing views to the south are going to be unavoidable throughout the remainder of the ascent (and most of the descent)
Yes they are!
Mark searches for a route around the left side of the obstacle
Some super cool rock at the right
And more. Looks like it was sliced out with a knife
The search continues. This gully looked promising.
But eventually we backed down, fearing it would be very difficult to downclimb if required
So we went back to check out the right side
No way in heck we were going anywhere near that!
Back to the left
And more fascinating, clean-cut rock
In late May, the wonderful scenes of winter are still prominent in this part of the Rockies
Not clean-cut, but very cool
The left side worked well but was quite steep
The next obstacle
The somewhat cloudy conditions absorbed a little of the disappointment
of not being able to try Aberdeen, but even with cloud we couldn't stop
looking south
Mark at the base of the next rockband
Going left again
Mark leads this section....
.....around the stunning rock
Working our way back to the ridge
Haddo reminds me that Waterton, The Castle, and Glacier, Montana don't have a monopoly on beautiful, colourful rock
There a cornice, so we must be back on the ridge
The still far off summit of Aberdeen
Mark and Temple. Check our David Jones' amazing guidebook Rockies Central, to see all the high level climbing routes established on Temple's terrifying north face.
Closing in on the summit and the last obstacle
The last obstacle and the end of the line. Going around the right was
impossible, going around the left, a potential death trap.
View to the south from our highest point,
Mark finds a nice perch to take a rest on
Leaving. The snow slope at the left is the one we dare not go on.
Steep enough to descend facing in
Looking back at our tracks
Still facing in and Temple is still looking ferocious!
Still facing in, but a long glissade down is coming up!
The End
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