Deadman Peak
July 18, 2016
Mountain height: 2562 m
Elevation gain: 1170 m
Roundtrip time: 7:05
Solo scramble.
Another fantastic Dave McMurray route! Deadman Peak sits
above Deadman Pass and is the southern-most peak of the Alison Peak/Mount Ward
massif. The straightforward south ridge ascent is preceded by a pleasant bike
approach to the base of the ridge. The highlights of the ascent were a short
but fun section of slab scrambling before the false summit, an excellent
ridgewalk to the main summit block, more enjoyable scrambling up the ridge and
the views of the surrounding area.
From the summit of Deadman, I was hoping that a route to
the slightly higher peak to the north would reveal itself, however, everything
looked suicidal at best and so I abandoned that idea.
Instead, after enjoying a terrific summit panorama, I
headed down the ridge west of the ascent route. This was perhaps the most
interesting part of the day, with tons of options to pick easy routes down the
mountain or far more challenging ones. I chose a fun combination of the two. Only
the last part of the descent back to the Deadman Pass Trail was a little
tedious.
A great day out. Thanks Dave!
The Alison Peak/Mount Ward massif, with Deadman Peak
From the parking area, the route is fairly obvious, following the ridge from left to right
Typical terrain on the first part of the south ridge
The slabs here were fun to ascend
At the false summit, looking at the remainder of the route. The summit is hidden in the clouds
A much better photo of the same scene by Dave McMurray
The Seven Sisters were hidden by clouds through most the day
Approaching the main final ascent slopes, but still a good distance form the summit
There are some good scramble up through the rock at the right. Otherwise they are easily circumvented on the left side
The summit finally appears
Last section of the summit ridge
A cloud blocks the view of Mount Tecumseh
The summit view looking north to the higher, unnamed summit
Even if you could make it down to the col between the two peaks, getting to the summit does not look easy in the least
Looking down the alternate descent route
The northwest and north view
Part of the alternate descent route
This ridge to the west also looked tempting
Looking back to Deadman Peak, just right of centre
Looking down more of the alternate descent. The ascent ridge is at the left
Crowsnest Mountain is in close proximity throughout
The Seven Sisters are finally cloud-free
Classic Crowsnest Mountain
The peak at the right has been named "Alexander Creek Mountain", by Dave McMurray
The summit of Deadman at the right and part of the interesting descent route at the right. Some sections were surprisingly exposed
Orange lichen always makes a pleasant contrast with the gray limestone of the Crowsnest area
The Seven Sisters and Crowsnest Mountain, as seen on the drive out
Same as above, but with more ominous looking skies
