I often refer to mountains in southern Alberta area as peaks that just “keep on giving”, simply because they offer a variety of interesting routes to their summits, are superbly scenic, and are not excessively long, thus allowing multiple visits and lots of exploration – Pincher Ridge, Drywood Mountain, Loaf Mountain, Table Mountain, Whistler Mountain, and Prairie Bluff to name a few. Of course, exactly the same can be said of mountains in every quadrant of the Canadian Rockies. Closer to Calgary, Mount Baldy fits into that category quite nicely and as of January 26, 2020, Mark and I can safely add Mount Yamnuska to that list. Outstanding rock scenery, interesting scrambling, and terrific views make this a trip that never gets boring.

There are hundreds of climbing routes on the essentially vertical south face of the mountain but only two scramble routes – one up the east side and up the west, usually completed as a loop. Although Mark and I had completed two climbing routes on the mountain (

Of course the infamous chain section (the 2004 wire has long since been replaced by a much meatier chain) takes you away from the ridge, but is fun and super interesting.   

With near perfect weather, the summit views were expectedly awesome, many of the surrounding peaks taking on a very nostalgic aura – East Peak of Mount Wendell, Goat Mountain, Association Peak, to name a few.

For descent, again we tried to stay as near to the edge of the mountain as possible. This yields some fantastic views that are missed if one follows the usual descent trail. Down at the Goat/Yam col, the west side of the mountain did not disappoint in the least. It definitely has some of the most impressive and aesthetically pleasing rock scenery on the mountain, especially when backed by a deep, blue sky. The remainder of the descent was easy and enjoyable, though we didn’t find a good scree run down to the trail.

A pleasant sunrise, as we hike the well-trodden trail



The east side of Yamnuska makes its first auspicious appearance



Admiring the sunrise and views across the foothills









Wind Mountain (left) and the third peak of Mount Lougheed



Yamnuska is getting some morning Sun



Not much snow on the peak for late January



The hike to the east side is occasionally interrupted by terrific views of the objective



The CMC valley is also getting morning Sun



Wendell Mountain



The East Peak of Wendell Mountain



Morrowmount



Getting close



Love the morning light



Is there a scramble route up? Probably not - it's much steeper than it appears



Beautiful rock and better indication of its steepness



Little side trip up to a pinnacle


   
 





Back on route, on the northeast side of the mountain



Blue markers and paint mark the route very well



Some easy scrambling to get by the first obstacle. The super-polished rock attests to the popularity of the route.



My turn



The backside of Yamnuska



On the ridge, looking down the vertical face
 


It's possible to stay on the ridge up to the really steep section



Mark and the CMC valley



Fun ridgewalking










Easy does it here



And here






Great place for an awkward pose!



The classic spot on the ridge for vertiginous photos


  
The Chain traverse (so famous it gets capitalized!)



Mark sits on the Chain ledge, while another hiker enjoys the views



The ledge here is quite wide compared to what it becomes soon after



Looking back at the Chain traverse

The route forward



Had to leave the ridge for this section



Mark (little dot at the right) makes his way up to the summit



Almost there



  Snow scenery for the day



Last few steps for me



Success!


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Summit view to the west. Goat Mountain is prominent - an old and not so old friend!



"I don't do selfies often, but when I do they are always poorly framed."



Super happy to be back on The Yam






The east ridge and south face



The west ridge and south face



The three peaks of Mount Lougheed and Wind Mountain



Hassel Castle (right) and Mount Fable peaking over the ridge



Goat again



A few more summit shots before the slow, but wonderful descent









Heading down


There are several highpoints on the west ridge that are worth checking out



Looking back to the summit



The first highpoint



Mark peaks over the edge






The next highpoint featured this wickedly curved slab of rock






Almost down to the Goat/Yam col



There's a naturally formed rock shelter near the col



The west side of Yamnuska is hands-down my favourite part of the mountain
 






And it just gets better as the south face becomes visible
 





No substitute for a clear, blue sky here



Traversing the south face



Fantastic views of the south face as we traverse



Looking up the Windy Slabs. Easy Street, King's Chimney routes 



The west side is littered with another interesting routes



Almost ready for the scree descent



Very cool looking yellow rock face up high



Close-up



Many of the big climbing routes reside in this area of the face



Down Mark goes



Looking up Grillmair Chimney before I go down



Waterfall ice



Parting view of the iconic mountain



One more through the trees

The End

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