Mount Lougheed

Mount Lougheed – August 17, 2006

Mountain height:           3107 m
Total elevation gain:      approx.1675 m
Ascent time:                  9:25
Descent time:                3:40

Scrambling with Kevin.

I’m sure I’m not the only person to look left when passing Dead Man’s Flat to see the striking profiles of The Windtower and the four peaks of Mount Lougheed and wonder what it would be like to ascend either or both. I was fortunate enough to receive a route description for the first three peaks of Lougheed from a friend and so Kevin and I set off to try to ascend them.

The first peak probably had the best scrambling of the three. We took a slight variation from the described route and found some steep scrambling on good rock. I was surprised to find an old school piton with ring at the top of one section. The best part of the first peak was scrambling east on the ridge to the summit – good scrambling with a very mild dose of exposure and terrific views.

The second peak and true summit looked quite daunting from the first and admittedly, I would have been very weary to even try it, had I not been privy to some inside information. Fortunately, as we approached the summit, the route became less and less daunting, until only one short section right before the summit remained “scary-looking”. The crux rockband was short, but almost vertical and after picking out a couple of potential weaknesses, we decided to look further down the mountain for something else. We found a pretty easy looking gully and started up. It was easier, but it was also much longer, quite steep and a little exposed at the top and worst of all, dangerously loose. This factor was even more pronounced by the fact the gully was narrow and walled on both sides – a natural shooting gallery.

I ascended the gully but near the top, accidentally unleashed a volley of rocks on unsuspecting Kevin below. Luckily, he was behind a rock wall and sheltered from the onslaught. I reached the top and Kevin followed. At one point, I watched in horror as a huge rock that Kevin was holding onto suddenly crumbled in front of him and went sailing down the mountain along with half of the mountain around him. I thought for sure that Kevin was going to be pulled down with the rockslide, but he managed to stay put. Shortly after, he arrived at the top of the gully and we both breathed a sigh of relief. The summit was only a minute from there.

The summit panorama was spectacular, especially looking towards the other three peaks of Lougheed and the awesome north face Mount Sparrowhawk. The traverse from the second to the third peak was a simple scree slog and although the third peak is a little lower and not far from the second, the summit view was again fantastic.

For the return trip, we descended to the col between peaks three and four and then down scree and rubble slopes to the valley below and Spencer Creek. This part of the trip was quite possibly the most rewarding part of the day. The valley was spectacular, especially given the lateness of the day and the setting sun shining on the vertical walls of the fourth peak of Lougheed. We made it back to the car just as darkness was setting in. An excellent mountain and a great route to experience it.