Mount Woolley

Mount Woolley – August 20-21, 2005

Mountain height:       3,405 m (11,171 ft)
Elevation gain:           670 m from car to bivy; 1,140 m from bivy to summit
Ascent time:              6:25 (from bivy)
Descent time:            4:20 (to bivy)

Mountaineering with Mark and Jodi.

Mounts Woolley and Diadem had been on our wish list for some time, however, given the potentially terrific views, we were reluctant to make an attempt if there was any chance of cloudy skies. Sunday the 21^st looked like the day to go and so we left on a cloudy Saturday for a two-day excursion. We were joined by Jodi Soare.

Day 1: A long 5 hour approach to the bivy site, highlighted by me taking a full-body dip into the frigid waters of the Sunwapta River. Luckily, Jodi was right there and managed to pull me out of the water before I was swept downstream. At the bivy site, we met a group of four, from New England, U.S.A., who also planned on attempting the Normal Route up the two peaks. A very restless sleep followed, with a vicious wind howling around the tent all night, and we were up shortly after 5 am.

Day 2: We left the bivy site at 6:30 am, about 20 minutes behind the New England party, under clear skies. The first section of the glacier was easily ascended, but became more interesting higher up, as crevasses barred the route, forcing us into the middle of the glacier. Jodi’s first experience with crampons and an ice axe and she handled them like a pro. A snow slope followed and then it was off with the crampons and onto the rock, for some easy scrambling. Needless to say, the scenery was phenomenal – large crevasses, a beautiful icefall with numerous seracs, twisted forms of sculpted ice and snow, towering walls of colourful rock, a stunning blue sky and of course, of awe-inspiring peaks of the Columbia Icefield.

Back on the snow we, once again, affixed the crampons to our boots and traversed a steep snow slope, following in the steps of the friendly New Englanders. A gentle glaciated slope took us easily to the Woolley/Diadem col, where we had already decided that we would go for Woolley first and then tackle Diadem, if time permitted. The remainder of the ascent consisted of one breath-taking moment after another: the gorgeous ridge of Woolley, the rounded and shapely bump of Diadem behind us, innumerable striking peaks to the north, including Edith Cavell, our first look at the terrifying north face of Twins Tower and the third highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies - North Twin, other beautiful peaks, such as Clemenceau and King Edward, the summit of every 11,000er on the Columbia Icefield (except Mount Columbia and Snow Dome), a couple of unusually green lakes far below, and the sheer beauty of awesome Mount Alberta. Sitting somewhat in the shadow of the surrounding 11,000ers, but equally breath-taking was the craggy form of Mount Cromwell.

Just before the summit, a minor bump on the ridge provided a little excitement and we chose to belay each other up and over it. More great ridgewalking, with more fantastic views followed, and soon we were on the windy summit. Clouds had started to form, at this point, but nevertheless, the summit panorama was easily one of the best we had ever seen. The Columbia Icefield, from this height and vantage point, was truly remarkable, as was the view in every direction.

Descending the ridge was as enjoyable as the ascent (and easier too!), however, by the time we reached the Woolley/Diadem col, we had ruled out an attempt of Diadem. Although it probably would have only added an hour or so onto the total trip time, we were all quite tired, Mark had to be back at work the next day, and attempting the peak would have ensured that we would be doing the river crossing in the dark (river crossings in daylight are bad enough!). We made decent time for the remainder of the descent, but it was a real downer to arrive back at the bivy site and realize we now had to quickly pack up the tent and get back to the car before dark. With the sunlight rapidly fading, we made great time for the return trip and managed to get across the river just before dark set in (and I managed to keep my entire upper body out of the water!). Jodi thoroughly enjoyed the entire trip and performed exceedingly well – as a matter of fact, she was the least tired of the three of us. A more than remarkable trip for all of us.