Mount Crandell VI 

 



    






November 3, 2024
 
Mountain height: 2378 m
Elevation gain:    1000 m
Ascent time:        3:50
Descent time:      1:55
 
Solo scramble.
 
November is almost always the month of “mountain uncertainty”. Conditions can vary wildly from year to year – could be full-on winter or no signs at all that snow is on the way. With a half and half situation in Waterton, and a very iffy weather forecast in hand, I decided to repeat a route Mark and I had completed up Mount Crandell in January of 2022. The route is similar to Alan Kane’s descent route but spends more time in the drainage. I had also seen another potential line that would take a more direct route to the summit. That would be a game time decision. While our January ascent was a snowshoe one, this November day would clearly not involve any snow or ice in the drainage.
 
I didn’t have to go too far up the drainage before abandoning the initial plan and heading up a totally different line, north of the Tick Ridge route. This was not the line I had seen on the January trip, but it looked interesting and doable for at the least the lower part.
 
Without going into too much detail, the route worked quite well. It was definitely more challenging than expected and the microspikes came out for the snowy upper section. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief when the ridge intercepted the Tick Ridge/Bear’s Hump route, a few hundred metres before the summit. Downclimbing the route I had ascended would have required much care and cautious travel.
 
I probably set a new record for shortest summit stay at under one minute. Having seen this view multiple times and with much better weather, there was no point in hanging around. I used Kane’s descent route to get down the mountain.
 
Happy to have completed a different route up Mount Crandell, but I probably wouldn’t repeat it – much better to do the Kane routes from near the Waterton townsite or the west ridge route from the Akamina Parkway.




Mount Crandell from near the beginning. The Tick Ridge route at the left. I went up the straight up the centre.



Vimy Peak above Middle Waterton Lake



In the drainage



Fun boulder-hopping on mostly stable, solid rock up the drainage



Nice tree



And much more



Nice rock



VERY cool tree near the right, with a vice grip around another tree



Some of the rock on Crandell is very solid and that's why the mountain is home to many technical climbing routes around Bear's Hump. Unfortunately, that's about it for roped climbing in Waterton.







Had to get at least one long exposure photo!



The view behind slowly opens up



The amount of water in the drainage increases, making travel trickier



Had to circumvent this section on the left side which led to the new route



The same terrain when snow covered in January of 2022



Great rock, but too steep to scramble up



Heading for a route in the centre



Part of the Kane descent route



Tried to get up this section on the left side but backed down when I realized how deceivingly steep it was



Onto easier terrain



The drainage in the centre is the route Mark and I took in 2022



Slabby uplifts



It's Tree-Time















Encountered the most colourful rock of the day here and it's not even red argillite!







Back to Tree-Time











Approaching another challenging section
 


Thought about going up here but again backed down
Went this way instead



The Middle Waterton Lake



Bluest sky of the day



Same as above



Looking back towards the route I chickened out of...



...and the easy route around the difficulties



Another section of easy terrain



Someone is watching me



That dude!



He's gone



I probably should have tried to stay on the ridge here, but I traversed left to get around some steep rock bands



First visual of the infamous Cockscomb. I have never traversed that exposed section and I'm not sure I ever would.



Again, the terrain is much steeper than it appears



Sweet view over the lakes



Back on the ridge and hoping to finish the ascent on easier terrain



Finally, some of the Upper Lake is visible



And finally some easy terrain that leads to the Tick Ridge/Bear's Hump ridge



Same as above




More of the Upper Lake



Sinister clouds to the southwest



 Microspikes helped here



Rime on trees



Same as above



Almost at the upper ridge



On it. Summit is just left of centre.



The best view I got of the Waterton Lakes on ascent



Cloudy views of mounts Lineham, Blakiston, and Ruby Ridge



Buchanan Northeast


The Middle Lake again



Minutes away from the top



The summit "whatever"



Lower Waterton Lake and the prairies



North view



Bertha Peak, Bertha Minor (my favourite trip in the park), Alderson, Buchanan Peak, Carthew, and Buchanan Ridge



Heading down



Interesting cloud



Looking back at the summit



The views of the lakes were better on descent



The Upper Lake stretching into America















Looking back at some of the easy part of the descent route



Kane's alternate descent route goes down there



Best view of the lakes all day



Impressive rock on the mountain's east face











Decent view of my ascent route, going left to right in the centre. Tick Ridge at the left. 







The descent route does require some route-finding, even having completed it several times



Back in the drainage



Pleasant view of Waterton, with the famed Prince of Wales Hotel near the right



Parting look at Crandell

The End

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