Crowfoot Mountain II

August 26, 2016

Mountain height: 3055 m
Elevation gain: approximately 1450 m
Ascent time: 7:30
Descent time: 4:30

Solo scramble.

Mark, Ferenc and I ascended Crowfoot Mountain in 2008. I’ve always wanted to return to ascend to the mountain in the summer, but my motivation to do so increased considerably after seeing Marko and Amelie’s trip to the North Peak. The prospect of traversing the entire north ridge had great appeal. Only a steep rockwall guarding the North Summit (south of the North Peak) was cause for concern and Marko was kind enough to provide me with a photo and some route possibilities to overcome the band.

The ascent to the North Peak was easy and sported a fantastic view of Bow Lake’s delta, as well as panoramic views of Mount Jimmy Simpson, Mount Thompson and Portal Peak. Getting to the North Summit was not so easy!

The first suggested route appeared to have all kinds of potential as I approached a weakness in the rockwall. Unfortunately, the terrain was far steeper up close and the rock underfoot insanely precarious. I backed down pretty quickly. The second option suffered the same fate. The third option required losing about a 100 metres of elevation, but it was super easy – its only downside being the significant slog back up the gain the North Summit. Another fantastic summit view was enjoyed, followed by a 2 hour traverse to the true summit (less than 20 m higher than the North Summit).

The traverse was incredibly scenic, with stunning views of the Wapta Icefield, Bow Lake and, later on, a bird’s-eye view of the Crowfoot Glacier. I had hoped for better weather, but it was far from dismal, and during the dreary summer of 2016 “beggars certainly couldn’t be choosers!”

As expected view from the summit was outstanding, its only disappointment being the absence of Bow Lake. Mount Balfour was incredible!

An alternate descent route was definitely in order, my goal being to go past the glacier and then seek out a hidden tarn that I had spotted on a recent ascent of The Onion. The route went as planned and the tarn was perhaps the single best feature of the entire trip: a green oasis in the middle of a stark dessert of rock and ice. Only the increasingly gloomy skies detracted from this wonderful scene.

From the tarn, a few cairns (apparently I was not the first to discover this magical area) pointed me in the right direction to descend back down to the Bow Hut trail and out.

Another peaceful morning over Bow Lake