Mount Smuts August 2, 2004

Mountain height:   2,983 m (9,639 feet)
Elevation gain:      1,260 m
Ascent time:          6:00
Descent time:        3:45

Scrambling/climbing with Mark.
 

WOOOOOOO!!!! …..that best describes what it feels like to summit the grand prize of Kane’s Scrambles book; and after four recent failures: twice on Pinnacle (grade II, 5.6+), Unnamed Peak (II, 5.4), and 11 days ago on the Smuts itself, conquering the great Mount Smuts could not have come at a more sweet time and could not have been a more sweet summit to achieve.    

I was a little skeptical about the ascent, as we started out under extremely cloudy conditions and were expecting thundershowers in the afternoon. Thankfully, the sun burned off the clouds quickly and all of a sudden we were under completely clear skies – they stayed that way for most of the day, giving us one of the most satisfying summit panoramas we’ve seen in a long while.

In addition to great weather, we were also armed with a detailed route description from Ian Hunt. We found this information to be invaluable, as there were sections on the mountain where a couple of different routes seemed viable. Once again, we roped up and took along all our climbing gear – in light of our first failure and the difficulty of the route, we intended to treat this as a belayed climb, not an unroped scramble.

Even though I knew what to expect and had the added security of the rope, I still found the ascent to be, at times, unnerving (I’m not sure I’d go as far as to call it “exhilarating”) and stretched our capabilities in their max. We followed Ian’s route exactly until we got to a 2 piton belay station about 3/4 of the way up. Here, there were two options: 1. right, up a steep crack; 2. left, up less steep, but more exposed terrain to a large protruding rock. After an unsuccessful attempt up the crack (where I had to stand on Mark shoulders to get down, after I lost my footing and almost went down the fast way), I tried the route to the left. It definitely was the crux of the trip for me. I worked my way along a small, slightly downsloping ledge and then hoisted myself up along the left side of the protruding rock, where I quickly place a sling. Although the handholds and footholds were solid, the rock was right on the edge and the significant exposure was hard to ignore.

We were both quite surprised at how much difficult scrambling there was. We expected a couple of tricky sections, but there were numerous difficult sections, keeping us on our toes much of the time. For the last part of the difficult scrambling, I’m quite sure we were off Kane’s route (we never did encounter the “smooth slab, with a giddy drop on the east side”) and the route from Ian Hunt. This deviation was short-lived, however, and you can imagine my relief (and joy!) to stumble up to a bolt and piton with a ring, marking the end of the “tough stuff”, shortly after. Mark joined me, we took a short break and several deep sighs of relief and then continued on towards the summit.
 

The final stretch of the trip, though very easy, relative to what came before, was surprisingly long and had several false summits. At the summit we had to let out a quick holler of triumph, before settling down to enjoy an absolutely magnificent panorama on a perfectly clear day. There are specific moments (achievements) in certain trips that really stand out as defining moments and this one certainly just made that list. I experienced that same feeling of absolute elation upon completing my first solo “moderate” scramble (Opal Ridge – North), our first “difficult” scramble (The Fist), our first technical climb (Wasootch Tower), and our winter epic up Narao Peak, after two previous failures on the mountain.
 

We stayed at the summit for quite awhile, enjoying what I think we both felt was our biggest achievement to date. Of course, it’s only an achievement if you make it down safely and so we started down the north ridge, to do Kane’s alternate, but hopefully easier descent route. Thankfully, the route was considerably easier. Mark led the route (he definitely has better downclimbing abilities than I), downclimbing relatively steep terrain before we came to a drop-off. Here, the route traversed to the left and then became much easier, leading down to gentle scree slopes. Eventually, we arrived at the very scenic lower Birdwood Lake , backdropped by Mount Birdwood , sporting a very impressive vertical profile. The remainder of the return was uneventful.

A more than fantastic day - one that I’m sure will stand out for a very long time.   

This was the scene at the start of the trip - lots of cloud!

 

Things really cleared up by the time we reached the meadow; Mount Smuts on the left, The Fist at the right

 

Flowers and The Fist

 

Starting up the "tough stuff" again

 

Almost at the top of the first difficult section

 

Ascending the second section

 

The wide (and almost flat!) scree bay is a great place to relax and take a few deep breaths before continuing on 

 

The next steep section; here, we went to the left, working our way up to a gendarme that can be seen as a small, dark spot on the left skyline; I think that Kane's route might go to the right at this point.

 

Ascending a very steep crack; I actually didn't make it up and chose a less steep, but more exposed route further to the left (notice the well-placed piton we are using for protection)

 

Mark, coming up the last difficult section

 

On much easier ground, heading towards the summit (not visible in this picture)

 

Beautiful scenery to the south; Commonwealth, Cegfns, Murray, Burstall, French, Pig's Tail, Birdwood, and Sir Douglas are visible

 

Looking down at The Fist; Engadine, The Tower, Galatea, Gusty Peak, The Fortress (the very tiny protrusion above Gusty), and some of Chester are in the background

 

Looking down the west side of the mountain; believe me, it's a long way straight down!

 

Mighty Assiniboine (right); Mount Eon at the left

 

All smiles, at the summit

 

Mark at the summit

 

The summit view to the north; Tent Ridge in the foreground, Spray Lake, Mount Nestor and Goat Mountain behind 

 

Heading along the north ridge towards the descent gully; Assiniboine at the left

 

A closer look at beautiful Mount Sir Douglas

 

On the west side of Mount Smuts, looking at the lower Birdwood Lake, and the very impressive side profile of Mount Birdwood, Sir Douglas, and Snow Peak

 

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