Rummel Ridge II
    

March 1, 2015
 
Mountain height: 2459 m
Elevation gain:    650 m
Round-trip time:  approximately 3.5 hours

Solo snowshoe.
 
My first ascent of Rummel Ridge in 2008, took a steep line from near Rummel Lake, and had some avalanche concerns. Since then, a new and far safer line from the northwest has gained popularity. Time to check it out.
 
In a nutshell, the route was awesome! At first, it seemed to be going in the wrong direction, basically staying on the lower southwest slopes of Mount Engadine. However, once a significant amount of elevation was gained, I found a faint track peeling to the right. After crossing two drainages, I was suddenly on the northwest ridge of Rummel and heading up through treed terrain towards the top.
 
Above treeline, a fantastic view was revealed; one that improved with each step. Of course, the summit view was not new to me, but I still found it to be very inspiring. The return via the same route went with remarkable ease.
 
Fantastic route to an outstanding viewpoint.

Near the start



There are occasional views near the beginning. Commonwealth Peak, Pig's Back, Pig's Tail, and Mount Birdwood are seen here.



The east side of Tent Ridge and Mount Smuts



Starting to move away from Engadine and towards Rummel



Sometime later on Rummel Ridge



Mount Engadine


Pristine snow slopes



Same as above



Mount Assiniboine



The west ridge of The Tower



At the summit. Little Galatea at the right.



Summit view to the west, southwest, and south



Mount Galatea



The west ridge of The Tower again. It is possible to ascend to the highpoint near the left, but reaching the true summit would require lots of rappelling and technical climbing.



Some of the British Military Group



Spray Lake and the surrounding mountains



The Fist blends into Mount Smuts



Looking down some of the route I used during my first ascent



Nice cornice



Mount Burstall, at the lower right, is dominated by Mount Robertson (left) and Mount Sir Douglas



Cone Mountain in the centre



Other peaks around Spray Lake, including Mount Fortune, Fortulent Peaks, and Mount Turbulent



Birdwood and company again



Tent Ridge in the foreground and Mount Shark behind



Magnificent Eon Mountain



Back down on the lower slopes of Engadine, looking east towards The Tower



The summit of The Tower



Cone Mountain



Close-up of Cone

The End

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