O Ochre Spring Peak O
May 24, 2015
Mountain
height: 2777 m
Elevation gain: 1350 m
Ascent time: 3:25
Descent time: 2:00
Solo
scramble.
SOISTHEMAN
named this delightful peak off Highway 93 south, and so after seeing his trip
report, as well as that of Josée and Fabrice, I set off to repeat the ascent,
hoping to snowshoe up and then glissade down most of the mountain. Unfortunately,
my timing seemed to be a little off and after the very cool approach via the
Paint Pots, I ended up at the bottom of a surprisingly snow-free ascent slope. Nevertheless,
there was plenty of snow higher up and so I kept my snowshoes on my backpack
and started up.
The
ascent was very easy at first, but with increasing grades higher up and
increasing amounts of hard snow, putting on the snowshoes became necessary.
They certainly helped in making the upper slopes easier and more enjoyable to
ascend. Throughout, views of the mountains around Highway 93S improved dramatically.
However, that was nothing compared to the 360 degree panorama that awaited at
the summit – that view was staggering!!! The Goodsirs, the backside of the Valley
of the Ten Peaks, all the Kane scrambles in the area, Foster Peak, The Rockwall
and even the distant Howser Towers – WOW!
After
a long and rewarding summit stay, I attempted to traverse some of the ridge to
the north. Unfortunately, the attempt was short-lived, as a drop-off ended
progress.
The
descent did not disappointed in the least. I was able to glissade 600 of the 1200
vertical metres from the summit to the trail.
An outstanding day on another one of those pesky unofficial peaks that is a better deal than some of the official peaks in the area!
