Rabbit Ear(s)
Storethusa Ridge II
August 12, 2025
Mountain heights: 2870 m, 2835 m
Total elevation gain: approximately
1100 m
Ascent time: 2:25
Time to
Storethusa: 2:05
Descent time: 2:45
Solo scramble.
Why the
parentheses in the title? Because I only ascended one of the ears of Rabbit
Ears - a duo of distinctive peaks between Storm Mountain (Kananaskis) and Storethusa Ridge. Thankfully it
was the higher Ear with the best view!
I had actually
done a reconnaissance trip for Rabbit Ears many years ago, noting that the
summits could probably be reached from the west valley between the Ears and
Storethusa. 
That trip had been completed with the aid of snowshoes, but I
wanted completely snow-free conditions for the actual ascent. It looked to be a
very tedious ascent up ankle-breaking rubble but also very avalanche prone if that rubble was covered in snow.
The trip
started with the awesome hike into Arethusa Cirque. This is a hike that ALWAYS
inspires, regardless of the number of times you have done it, and this day was
no exception. Once the highpoint of the trail is reached, the path turns north
heading towards Mount Arethusa. 
I hiked a short distance north before the
trail-less portion of the trip was at hand.
Leaving the
trail, I felt physically and mentally prepared for a hideous slog up all manner
of ankle-jarring rubble and other unpleasantries. To my utter surprise such was
not the case. Of course, the terrain underfoot was far from “dreamy”, however,
I was able to find decent footing through most of the ascent.
Views to the
west improved as I gained elevation, but I would have to wait until almost at
the summit before all was revealed. And what a revelation it was! Wow! The
view to the east was stunning, especially the super cool east outlier of Storm
Mountain. Once over that more than pleasant surprise I continued up to the
tallest Ear thinking the summit would be reached with ease.
That Ear,
however, had a little joke to play on all who ventured to its apex. Right
before the cairn, the ridge narrowed to a point where proceeding au cheval
seemed prudent. It couldn’t have been more than two metres of ridge but I made
the traverse look incredibly difficult and awkward even if it wasn’t. I snapped a ton
of photos admiring what was an infinitely better panorama than expected before
an even more awkward bum-shuffling traverse back across the ridge!
Mission accomplished but the day was young and I was inspired to explore...
Click HERE to skip the photos and continue to Storethusa Ridge
The always captivating scene upon exiting the forest. Left to right:
Little Arethusa, Mount Arethusa, and Storethusa. The big peak at the
right is the west outlier of Rabbit Ears.
Following a pleasant stream up the valley
The pleasant stream
Part of the intriguing northwest side of Storm Mountain
The stream again
Highwood Ridge at the left
The scenic Arethusa valley
Little Arethusa
Rick Collier went up the southwest side of the outlier to gain the Ears/Storm col
Approaching the outlier
Hiking around to the northwest side of the outlier
The start of the route up to the Ears, just visible under the Sun
The west outlier is a beautiful peak in itself
Looking back down the initial part of the route
Several gullies leading up to the ridge of Storethusa. I would eventually ascend the second one from the left.
A very intricate web
The rubbly route ahead, but surprisingly the footing is not half as bad as I was expecting
Same as above
Big peaks to the west are starting to appear: Pocaterra, Foch, and Sarrail
Joffre joins the view
Another look down the route, while I catch my breath
Looks like the connecting ridge between Rabbit Ears and Storethusa has some cool pinnacles
Confirmed
Unequivocally confirmed
Mount King George
Joffre
Not surprisingly, I instantly became obsessed with the pinnacles and the ridge between Ears and Storethusa
Little Arethusa in the foreground and Mount Sir Douglas behind
The lower Ear just right of centre
Passing the lower Ear
View to the northwest from the ridge. Banded Peak, at the left, is immediately recognizable
View to the north
The east outlier of Storm Mountain is incredibly photogenic
Looking down the near vertical east side of the mountain
Gilbraltar Mountain's distinctive north face at the left. The first ascent took 9 days!
Eastern outliers of Mount Burns
Bigger view
Easy terrain to the summit (or so I thought!)
The summit cairn. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of the short, but exposed traverse to get to the top.
The view towards Storm Mountain will be one of the highlights throughout the remainder of the trip
Complex Mount Rae to the north
View to the northwest
The lower Rabbit Ear in the centre
Mount Burns
A striking east outlier of Mount Rae
Mount Rae
Love the view to the southeast
A slither of Burns Lake is visible. Now I'm motivated to find a good view of it.
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