Hector South Ridge




    
 
June 4, 2025
 
Mountain height: 2660 m
Elevation gain:    1030 m
Ascent time:        5:30
Descent time:      3:25
 
Solo hike.
 
Hector South Ridge could very well become a yearly late May/early June ritual – the trip was that good!
 
Not surprisingly, it was primarily some amazing cornice scenery that rendered the day such a hit.  
 
I basically followed Bob Spirko’s GPS track to the summit, with a minor detour en route. That detour yielded some of that super cool snow scenery. Overcast conditions to the south put a bit of a damper on the views, hence a return visit next year is already in the making.
 
Back on track, the summit was easily reached, though it was little further than I thought. More amazing scenery and terrific views to the east along the way were more than enough to keep me highly motivated. With improving weather to the north and east I was in no hurry and took an extended and very satisfying summit break.
 
And that improving weather also prompted me to retrace my steps back across the stunning ridge on return. I also intended to take a slightly different route back, via the col between the Hector South Ridge and Hector South Peak. That route worked perfectly, featured very interesting terrain, a scenic creek to follow, and generally very easy travel. 
 
As stated, I’ll be back!



Typical terrain on the lower slopes - treed, but not heavily



Almost at treeline



First view over to the Lake Louise and Lake O'Hara areas



First glimpse of Hector Lake



Close-up of the lake



Cathedral Mountain



The route ahead looks straightforward



Hector South



Mount Hector (left) and Hector South



Random boulder



The summit of the objective



View to the south. The highpoint in the centre has been unofficially named "Hector Point"



The Pulpit Peak massif in front, with Mount Balfour behind



Close-up of Balfour



Close-up of Hector



The first indication that big cornices are still present



The valley between Hector South Ridge and Hector Point



The view to the north was captivating throughout



Approaching the ridge. The summit appears close but is farther than it looks.



On the ridge



Same as above, but I'm going the wrong way



Mount Hector and a taste of the cornice scenery that will have me going every which way











Traveling away from the summit



Better look at Mount Hector



View down the northeast side of the ridge



Molar Mountain and Molar Tower



Cataract Peak



Mount Douglas and Mount St. Bride


It's crazy cornice scenery for a while now, so no captions














































Finally heading in the direction of the summit






Lots of solid quartzite on this ridge



Over to Hector Lake again



Mount Temple



















Pika Peak and Mount Richardson

Summit panos










The large cornice at the summit prevented me from looking over the east edge











The Willingdons



Returning along the ridge to take it all in again with slightly better weather



























































A little exploration down the northeast side



Minor cornice failure







Wrapping around the northeast side over the col



Approaching the col



The view to the northeast again



Continuing north towards Hector South was tempting but I chickened out



Ready for an easy but very scenic return via the col



Looking back up the first part of the route



A boulder field running down the valley



Same as above



End of the boulders, but there's a nice stream to follow down







Happy to get a few long exposure shots of the stream



















Last one. Easy, forested terrain to finish a very gratifying day.

The End

LOG