Haffner Senior (Unnamed at GR658655) - May 10, 2008
 
Mountain height: 2714 m
Elevation gain:    1300 m
Ascent time:        6:00
Descent time:      2:30
 
Snowshoeing with Mark and Ferenc.
 
I really didn’t have my head on right when I chose this objective (good grammar, hey!). We knew the weather wouldn’t be great and therefore should have picked something in familiar surroundings, where the view or scenery would not have been so important; or at least something in the Front Ranges where the cloud ceiling may have been higher. I also mistakenly thought that the area would still be blanketed in deep snow and so a snowshoe ascent would have been appropriate. 
 
“Haffner Senior” is an unnamed peak, immediately southeast and connected to Mount Haffner. Since it is higher than Haffner, it earns the title of “Senior” (unofficially, of course). After seeing ascents of Mount Haffner by Bob, Dinah, Sonny and Raff, earlier in the year, I decided an attempt of the higher summit might be interesting. Therefore, our objective was to gain the ridge between Haffner and Haffner Senior and then choose to attempt one or both summits from there.
 
The lower slopes of the mountain were a little frustrating to ascend, as several times we had to put snowshoes on only to take them off several minutes later. The aforementioned individuals picked the right time of the year to complete the trip, when snowshoes or skis could be worn from bottom to top. It took us 3 hours to finally clear the tree-line and another 30 minutes to gain the ridge.
 
At this point, we were 500 horizontal metres from the summit of Mount Haffner and 2 kilometres from Haffner Senior. We opted to go for Haffner Senior and traverse back to Haffner if time permitted. Travel on the ridge was very enjoyable, but would have also been extremely scenic had the skies been clear. Unfortunately, the weather conditions continued to deteriorate throughout the ridgewalk.
 
Except for a short section of steeper terrain just before the summit, the ascent of Haffner Senior was straightforward. Mark and I traded snowshoes for crampons for this steep section. Ferenc didn’t have crampons, but managed to negotiate the steep slabs nonetheless. Needless to say, the summit view was practically non-existent.
 
While Ferenc had plenty of energy to complete the traverse back along the ridge and up to the summit of Mount Haffner, Mark and I did not. We chose to head down at this point, taking a direct route to the road. This was a pretty good route and granted us a decent glissade above treeline and relatively easy travel down snow slopes. Overall, a good day of exercise, but definitely a trip we’ll be inclined to repeat with better weather. 



Where's the snow??



Finally on the white stuff



The burnt trees from the 2003 fire in this area are always a source of interest



Ferenc on one of the steeper sections low down



Back to more gentle grades



Several hours in and we can finally see the ridge



Whiteout conditions ahead



Not much better behind



Almost there



On the ridge. Mount Haffner behind,though the summit is not quite visible.



One of a few sections of the ridge where rock was showing



Traversing the ridge wearing snowshoes was mostly straightforward



Easy here



Haffner Senior is still some distance away, in the centre



Approaching a minor highpoint



Interesting feature along the way



Watch your step here!



Same as above



Unfortunately, these were there best views we were going to get



Same as above



Approaching another highpoint where care was needed



Lots of probing required for this section



Same as above



Luckily there was not a cornice on the lee side



The summit is finally within striking distance



Ferenc has zoomed ahead



He gets to rest while Mark and I catch up



Mark, with Mount Haffner behind



Plodding on towards the summit



Not a slope you would want to be on if avalanches ratings were high



Ditched the snowshoes for crampons and an ice axe here



The last false summit of the day



The true summit is right in front but barely visible because of the whiteout conditions



Ferenc carries his snowshoes for the finale



The final push



Mark and the awful weather



The best view we got from the summit



The continuation of the ridge towards Mount Ball is just visible



A dreary summit break



Haffner with Vermilion Peak behind. Haffner Senior exceeds them both in height.



Descending



Same as above. Thankfully the descent took less than half the time of the ascent.

The End

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