A closer look at Rimwall and Little Sister . Starting up another slabby little streambed. Most folks don’t seem to do Lougheed I as a stand-alone trip which is too bad because it deserves more attention from the general scrambling community IMHO. So Nakagawa’s gps track seems to be the one uploaded on ViewRanger’s landscape map, but rather than follow it up blindly, I also considered the route that Jamie Junker used. I thought it was more difficult than Mt Carnarvon, Arethusa, Storelk, Lougheed Traverse, etc. Cornelius was happy with his boots, so it really does depend on one’s preferences. With cliffs blocking upward progress, we traversed right (east) around them before contouring sharply up and left on smatterings of sheep and human trails. It was at this moment that we heard distant thunder. Now we had a decision to make. Hiking Scrambling Cross Country Skiing and Downhill Skiing trip reports from Kananaskis Country, Lake Louise, Banff and Yoho National Parks Disclaimer Statement Disclaimer Last updated: August 05, 2019 The information contained on www.willski.ca website (the "Service") is for general information purposes only. Retrace our uptrack or do some exploring? ... After perhaps a kilometre, the ridge split into two. Southeast towards the Three Sisters and Mt. A causality of winter (squirrel, chipmunk, or rabbit?) (L to R), Sir Douglas, King George, Birdwood, Smuts, Tent Ridge, Shark, Turner, Nestor, Eon, Aye, Old Goat and Assiniboine. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from April until November. Care was certainly required for about 100 horizontal meters of ridge crest. The cool cave, located left of the crux wall and obviously not very easy to get to. Looking back up at Lougheed I (L) and II (R) from the top of the drainage. He climbed directly to the top via the visible steep terrain / gully. Peaks in the distance include Fable, Morrowmount and Townsend. On the summit you will be met with fantastic 360 degree views of the prairies and Rockies around you. Looking down the drainage towards Spray Lake. After crossing the High Rockies trail, we continued on the left side of the drainage until it split. Sparrowhawk, so don’t be fooled by the foreshortened view. You are now in a scree bowl. 2008-02-23. Mount Aylmer pokes up at far right. The best scenery of the day at the Windtower/Lougheed col . Mount Indefatigable Traverse [CLOSED] is a 6.7 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Kananaskis Improvement, Alberta, Canada that features a lake and is rated as difficult. If you were to hike to peak 2, I think the trail is down there somewhere. For example, theAconcagua mountain page has the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits' asparents and is a parent itself to many routes, photos, and Trip Reports. I wasn’t worried because in looking at his web site you realize pretty quickly that Cornelius isn’t easily intimidated by the Rockies and is quite the explorer, having completed many long, difficult and rarely done ascents. Length 6.7 miElevation gain 3638 ftRoute type Loop. This was a bit confusing thanks to steep banks / cliffs along the various drainages but we managed to descend into the main one before following the right hand branch up through an interesting “landscape gate” of sorts with crumbly cliffs on one side and sheer rock on the other. Little Lougheed at left here. Looking back from the center of the gully after ascending the curved strata. The three sisters, Faith, Hope and Charity (L to R). Again, good holds were there where required, but some of them were a bit suspect. Mount Lougheed, Northwest Summit, Northwest Ridge (5.5) #1810 ... about 50m N of Spurling Creek) using the trail on the L bank of a dry creek (about 1hr). The first one was formally called West Wind Mountain. As we parted ways, I looked back to see him ascend the most difficult line directly to the summit as if he was out for a casual hike. OTHER ROUTES LOCATED IN PETER LOUGHEED PROVINCIAL PARK / KANANASKIS COUNTRY: BLACK PRINCE. I used to think that this peak was named after the Former Premier of Alberta, Peter Lougheed but was in fact re-named in 1928 after Sir James Lougheed a prominant Lawyer. Right away I noticed how much more fun “solid” rock was compared to the nightmare I was on a week previous on OXO Peak. The first peak of Mount Lougheed . We went up the center of it to upper left here. You should know that Mt. The trip reports I could find are all part of a traverse from peak I to II, either as a scramble or an alpine climb. Our retreat down was with little pause. We started as Nugara describes and ascended on climber’s left of the drainage. From the Mount Black Prince parking area, follow the ski tracks or what is normally the summer trail that bleeds off of the parking area due west. At this point we still had over 600 vertical meters to the summit and it had taken around 2 hours of steady hiking to reach this spot. We weren’t aware of any ‘scramble’ leading directly up from the scree to this location. We stuck to an obvious trail in the scree which lost some height before contouring around steep terrain just beneath the summit. When I heard that he’d just completed a “scramble” of both Mythic and Epic Towers the day before, I was wondering if I could keep up with his level of obviously advanced scrambling skills!Â. Mount Lougheed – Peak III. I know when I did 3 peak traverse, we came down there walking beside Mount Sparrowhark. Same as above . ... Windy Point Ridge to Hoodoo Creek Ridge traverse - Jun 20, 2020. We ascended some fun ledged terrain before arriving at the first crux, sitting next to an interesting cave feature that required a delicate traverse to check out, so we didn’t bother. Little Lougheed is just West of Mount Lougheed peak 2, the true summit. Looking down the south face towards the lower bowl that Rick Thiesen climbed directly. On ascent we were scared of the creekbed, so we ascended steep banks on our left and abandoned it, following So and Jamie's tracks. I do this more often on difficult terrain as it helps calm my nerves for the inevitable return. Instead of buried in smoke, Mount Assiniboine is now buried in clouds. Briefly back in the main drainage before exiting on climber's right and heading to the road. There is a sketchy-looking scramble up that one too. Hiking Mount Lougheed. We ducked around any difficulties below the summit by descending to the right and sticking to easier terrain before ascending again. Find Rick at right, descending from the west ridge crux towards the summit block. Author Admin Posted on July 24, 2020 August 2, 2020 Categories Wind Ridge Tags Kona , Mt. I followed him down, finding plenty of hand and footholds where they were needed. Around the corner now and looking up at the upper mountain of Lougheed I. Cornelius starts the right hand traverse to get around the cliffs which are out of sight at left here. More of the traverse . Giant steps up the moderate ledged terrain beneath the lower crux which is on the wall looming above us here. I snapped a couple of pictures and we instantly left the top. Hiking Scrambling Cross Country Skiing and Downhill Skiing trip reports from Kananaskis Country, Lake Louise, Banff and Yoho National Parks Disclaimer Statement Disclaimer Last updated: August 05, 2019 The information contained on www.willski.ca website (the "Service") is for general information purposes only. 0 Total Climbs. The traverse over to Lougheed II doesn't look easy! There are a few trip reports available online for Lougheed I, but for obvious reasons there are many more for the much easier and official summit of Lougheed II (usually with a no-brainer traverse to III). There are a few trip reports available online for Lougheed I, but for obvious reasons there are many more for the much easier and official summit of Lougheed II (usually with a no-brainer traverse to III). We hurried on; … Gaining the second crux of the day - the west ridge. The big corner face-ridge you see to the east is … This is looking at Lougheed II. 2017-06-17. As we descended just under the summit we ran into Rick Thiesen. We decided to throw caution into the cool fall breezes and try the creekbed direct for our exit. Lower down the gully with Lougheed II looming in the distance. Lougheed I looms over us as we ascend to tree line in a very handy, slabby streambed. Mount Lougheed 2 and 3 is a 9.3 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Canmore, Alberta, Canada that features a lake and is rated as difficult. For once this summer, even the Mount Assiniboine area is clear of smoke (right of center). This involved some very exposed sections where a slip was not optional! We finally took a longer break just below the crux wall in warm sunshine and out of the stiff breeze. © 2006-2020 SummitPost.org. The start of the technical climb of Peak 1, Images Looking back at Rick on a high point just before the summit. Note the tarns at lower right? This will start you off on the 5.5 traverse. July 21, 2012 2554m Banff, AB My original plan was to join Wil Tabak for the Mt. Steep slopes of the traverse . The route takes in Lougheed II (the main summit) and III (a fifteen minute addition). By the time we met in Canmore the weather was much worse than forecasted so we had to figure something else out. At center is Windtower, Rimwall and Big Sister. We retraced our steps along the exposed ridge with some delicacy before descending the slabby bowl towards the lower crux. Once you have seen enough views, continue the latter half of the traverse by taking the trail that heads west into the scree. We were both surprised with the amount of scrambling after the first crux – this is not a small mountain. After ascending a short, steep gully above this wall we arrived at the bottom of an unexpectedly large slab / scree bowl leading steeply up to the summit ridge, still a few hundred vertical meters above. Here we took a quick break and marveled in our clear views. from steep and loose slopes of Lougheed Peak4 (Wind Mountain) on a long day traverse of the four peaks July 22, 1989. Jamie Junker notes: "There are a few routes one can take to complete the Lougheed Traverse, but to do it by 'fair means' most will have to follow the scrambling route detailed by Andrew Nugara in his book 'More … Note Mount Yates to the south, Old Goat Mountain to the west, and the many peaks of Mount Lougheed to the south-west. Richard and I were on board right away. Looking east to the prairies over Pigeon and Collembola with McGillivray, Skogan and Lorette in the distance. 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. We found the excellent bivy location at the II / III col (this is where the climber’s traverse spends the first night) and continued up faint trails to the summit of Lougheed III. After a week of thick smoke in the area, courtesy of wildfires burning everywhere, we couldn’t believe the clear, cool, fall air we were experiencing. We are aiming for the broken terrain at upper left. I’d heard from more than one source that the bushwhacking on Lougheed really really sucked, as did the loose rock. Mount Rundle is a mountain in Canada's Banff National Park overlooking the towns of Banff and Canmore, Alberta.The Cree name was Waskahigan Watchi or house mountain. We ascended on the right and crossed over to the center just above before going up the rest of the narrow gully above. Mount King George with Princess Mary at left. Linda, with Rimwall (left) and Little Sister behind . Thanks to all the folks that joined an ascent up this nice outlier of Mount Lougheed (even though some already had been up the route on previous occasions... third time for Mike Buenting)! Looking up the south face to the west ridge high above. In the right hand branch, going up through the "gate". Cornelius took the center of a drainage while I went further left and went up the south ridge crest. Hike up the slope to the summit ridge. Getting There Traverse on your right to a southeastern slope that connects Lougheed Main Summit (II) with Lougheed III. One of the neat staircase drainages we ascended. There were some choices through here and the odd confusing cairn (don’t go too far right) but we stuck generally in the center of the gully on slabs and scree. View Lougheed Traverse, III, 5.5 Image Gallery - 37 Images. We briefly considering trending to the right up this terrain but didn't bother. Due to the high water levels and strong currents, the group decided not to ford Smuts Creek. 6) 50 m traverse right along a break. In 1858 John Palliser renamed the mountain after Reverend Robert Rundle, a Methodist invited by the Hudson's Bay Company to do missionary work in western Canada in the 1840s. Originally Phil was going to join us for another (longer) objective, but plans changed so I asked Cornelius if he was interested in Lougheed. Gap Lake at lower right with Gap Peak rising above. The entire mountain is foreshortened once you start the scree cone. I believe that by combining all these sources we managed to suss out a pretty good return route for this peak that even does a bit of a loop for change of scenery. Lougheed is almost as high as Mt. (2), 100’s of Canmore and Banff National Park multi-pitch rock climbs, ice climbs, alpine climbs and scrambles, just scroll down to routes, OR: Best True Technical Clothing and Accessories in the Outdoor Industry, Cascade Designs (MSR; Thermarest; Platypus). Route Finder - Best Climbs for YOU! It was open and scenic with slabs, fall foliage and gorgeous views towards a sparkling Spray Lake in the distance. I was even given advice to ascend to West Wind Pass before traversing over towards the mountain – just to avoid the horrid ‘whacking. It certainly keeps me humble. Looking over Goat Mountain to a tiny Yamnuska. The top most summit is seen well from the summit of Rimwall just across Wind Pass to the north. The upper south face looks much harder than it turned out to be. Once again, however, I was glad to be wearing the Scarpa TX4’s on this mountain. We stayed on climber’s left of the first steep wall, scrambling easily up some interesting, curved strata and following the “path of least resistance” upwards. After uncomfortable bushwhacking/drainage walking, finally the first peak of Mount Lougheed peaks out. Sidenote: My report follows the peak numbering scheme from Google Maps, but I've since been told that other sources count from the opposite direction. Fall colors were out and the sun was shining brilliantly overhead. As we’d never done a trip together before, you might be surprised that we choose a difficult Nugara scramble for our first outing. This worked quite well. I took a bit more time with it, wanting to work out some of the downclimbing moves for our descent. rom just above the lower crux gully, looking back over Spray Lakes. I hope you enjoy the pics. Peak 1 is still rated difficult. The north face of Lougheed is a sheer vertical drop. After the exposed traverse we found ourselves with even more traversing to the summit itself. The amount of slabby terrain and lack of really nasty boulders or scree was perfect for such footwear (if you’re used to it). The terrain is loose, but solid enough where it needs to be. Looking for the quickest scree on descent. The creek is pretty open at the bottom and we were a bit tempted just to go straight up it, but there is debris part way along and the bank is easy so we stuck with it. We were worried about the bushwhack lower down, but honestly it wasn’t that bad. Mount Allan via Centennial Ridge links Ribbon Creek and Dead Man’s Flats. Simply hiking along the left hand (south) side avoided the worst bits and before long we were already at the fork in the creek. At the end of the cone, we looked carefully for cairns on climber’s right side. Although this trip was miserable (the bitter part), I couldn't help but to feel thankful we had been granted a straightforward ascent up Mount Lougheed … Access: Assiniboine Pass is the most popular route into the park. West Entrance Ridge. At right is the TCH corridor and at left is the Spray Lakes. Use the trailhead facilities in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta, from Mount Shark along the Karst Trail to Watridge Lake. Some terrific exposure down the north face off the west ridge. From the pass, traverse a cairned trail S on the flanks of the Windtower, then head directly towards the pass between the Windtower and NW Lougheed. View of Wind Ridge, Bow Valley and Grotto Mtn. He was moving very confidently and quickly and had ascended some 5th class slab directly up the gully we’d seen him below on our ascent. Just before the real scrambling starts, looking south down the ridge I just ascended and towards Lougheed II at left with Sparrowhawk in the distance beyond. The south ridge at right here. We topped out 3.5 hours after leaving the road to a cold wind and great views in all directions. Completing the Goat Mountain traverse from North to South is the way to go if you want to up-climb the most difficult sections. Note a cairn on the top of the cliff band. Peaks include Yamnuska at distant left with Collembola, Allan, Wind, Lougheed II, Sparrowhawk, Nestor and Old Goat from L to R along with many others. It involves frustrating bushwhacking in the first 3 km and difficult route finding on exposed terrain for over 4 km. But, BUT to get there we had to face with endless scree rubble… I know exactly what Mark was thinking. I think it's known as the Spirko Route these days. Despite wearing toques and gloves, we quickly got cold in the stiff wind (fall was in the air) and started our descent soon after reaching the top. He introduced syllabics there —a written … Great scenery as we make our way towards the summit on easier terrain. After enjoying a very pleasant approach and summit on Lougheed II we were ready to tackle the scree bash up Lougheed III. I skipped Yamnuska thinking it would be faster to ascend the South East slopes but in hind sight it probably is faster to go up and over Yam on the super beaten trail. When you see this, it's time to descend into the creek (right) and then take the right hand branch that runs right of the crumbly cliffs straight ahead here and up through a natural gate feature with. Nugara mentions by-passing difficulties on the ridge on the right, but as we topped out on the west ridge above the slabs and scree bowl, we didn’t see any obvious or easy bypasses and chose to stick right on the ridge crest instead. Speaking of where it needs to be solid, the ridge would be our second crux of the day. @anonymousmountains posted on Instagram: “Taking the final steps to Mount Lougheed Peak 2 summit. Hike up a scree slope above the cliff bands. Classic views of Spray Lake. This crux wall is short and not very exposed, making it feel quite simple. Cornelius traverses a short bench to the top of the lower crux gully which is just ahead and to the right of him. Learn how your comment data is processed. After exploring Wolverine Ridge on Saturday, Kyle, Skyler, Christine, and I were looking to tick another new line of our to do list and the Little Sifton Traverse seemed like a pretty damn perfect objective.. 2017 has been all about getting out and trying Rockies adventures that have been on my mind for years and never got around to for some or another reason. The route became pretty obvious at this point. The summit panorama was spectacular, especially looking towards the other three peaks of Lougheed and the awesome north face Mount Sparrowhawk. The drainage below looked very inviting. This doesn’t mean it’s “easy” though – it is definitely 5.0-5.2 type terrain (i.e. This is one of the most difficult scramble we have done so far. Traversing back into the center of the gully before going up moderate ledges. I think he had some firmer ground, but my route had great views (and a very cold wind). Cornelius takes the last few steps to the summit of Lougheed I. We were surprised to see another car parked on the Spray Lakes road, and hoped we wouldn’t have rock fall issues with another party. Descending the upper south face / bowl towards the lower ridge / crux. I determined that the holds were very solid compared to what I’ve been used to lately and completed the crux without any issues. For the warrior approach, see the warrior beta. Although the mountain is loose enough to require a small team, it was delightfully solid compared to recent objectives I’d been on such as Lyautey, King Edward and OXO. I can wholeheartedly recommend this trip for anyone comfortable on difficult scrambling terrain in the Rockies. Scared off by Nugara’s description of a “choked up creekbed”, we followed So’s track up steep, forested slopes on climber’s left (north) of the drainage. We still wanted to do a "difficult… The drainage and bushwhacking weren’t awful either. 05 Mount Lougheed | 2009-08-22. After a short distance you will cross Smith Dorrien Creek via a small bridge. Lougheed The Traverse. Traversing to the upper face from the top of the lower crux gully. Looking back as we traverse out of the drainage. (1), Comments We also noted a solo figure ascending the scree cone directly under this gully and wondered if they were lost. Instead, we drove past Engadine Lodge to the alternate trailhead. A fantastic high-level traverse across four colourful peaks of the Castle Trevor really wanted to indulge in some huckleberry picking during prime berry season this year, so he suggested scrambling Mount Haig in the Castle where, incidentally, the annual Huckleberry Festival was taking place this weekend. Alone with the Night Sky – Astrophotography, Digital Photography with an Eye to Prints, Junction Lookout | “Hill 651038” | Green Mountain | Hoffman Hill, Adventure Photography – Gear, Tips & Tricks. Cornelius figures out the lower moves on the lower crux. SC7) but short enough that a fall likely wouldn’t permanently damage you. Cornelius is 6’4″, so he made the crux look pretty darn easy. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from May until October. Despite appearances, there is no need to do any difficult scrambling after the first section of ridge. We improved it a little bit more, so it should be fairly noticeable. It … Cornelius starts up the west ridge which quickly becomes pretty exposed on the left. I’m happy to report that if you think the bushwhacking on Lougheed I is bad, you are either off route or haven’t really bushwhacked very much!  We didn’t find any horrible bush anywhere on our route – just regular Alberta bush. Summit Elevation (m): 3080Trip Date: Sunday, September 10, 2017Elevation Gain (m): 1500Round Trip Time (hr): 7Total Trip Distance (km): 10.5Quick ‘n Dirty Rating: Class 4 – you fall, you wish you were deadDifficulty Notes: Some routefinding, steep exposed slabs with debris and a 12 foot nearly vertical wall are topped with an exposed ridge traverse.Technical Rating: SC7; YDS (4th)Map: what3words, On Sunday, September 10th I joined Cornelius Rott for a jaunt up a Kananaskis peak that’s been on my to-do list for many years now – Mount Lougheed I. It’s been a while since I did a scramble in the Spray Lakes area, so it was nice to be back to these familiar views. All Rights Reserved. This terrain was loose enough that descending it with others below would be very uncool for either party. The slabs here reminded me of the Spencer Creek slabs from the Lougheed II / III trip. For a super long day and those with two cars you can do the entire traverse. The next 300 vertical meters went pretty quickly and soon we were staring at the terrain just below the first crux. еми продукта с отстъпка! Once again Cornelius made the wall look very easy. At treeline, next to a huge rock, we had our first real break. Looking northwest over Spray Lakes towards Goat View. PhotoDescr: Mount Lougheed is second from the right, followed by an unnamed peak then ending with Wind Mountain at the left. We only had one car and decided to start our journey at Centennial Ridge trailhead where we had a steady but easy incline up into the valley. Pretty sublime morning views over Little Lougheed towards the south end of Spray Lakes. summitpost.org has information on the Lougheed Traverse. The upper drainage reminded me of the lovely Spencer Creek, one valley over to the SE. ... Mount Lipsett. Lougheed I-III traverse but the weather had some other plans. 2008-08-30. Mount Lougheed A route called the Warrior climbs the central portion of the north face of Mount Lougheed’s northwest peak (the peak that is next to Windtower and prominently in the view from dead ... 50 m traverse left to a ramp and follow this up right to a single bolt belay. I never put away either my poles or my camera so this should tell you a bit about how long the crux is – not very. We avoided any thick bushwhacking and took advantage of some interesting side-drainages, including a very neat and distinctive staircase drainage the led all the way above treeline to a line of cliffs blocking direct access to the south ridge of the mountain. You won’t notice Windtower much on approach to the col between Windtower and Mount Lougheed. Looking east over Wind Creek towards Pigeon, Allan and Collembola (R to L). The traverse to Lougheed II (the true summit of Mount Lougheed) is supposed to be a notch or two more difficult. Of course, we also considered Andrew Nugara’s route beta as outlined in his excellent guidebook. We went left up the curved strata to mid photo before going back to the center to avoid the steep loose center-bottom of the gully. Looking NW towards the three sisters, Canmore and Grotto Mountain at right. Портокали Може и да си мислите, че бананите би трябвало да имат предимство в това отношение, но всъщност не — един банан съдържа около 3 г фибри, но един портокал — около 4. As we remarked afterwards, this scramble is solid everywhere it needs to be. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Grotto Mountain Traverse. We must have passed this person lower down on the approach without realizing it. Rick seemed to be a very competent and experienced climber. I’m often reminded of folks who make what I do seem like simple child’s play. Bow Valley corridor over Canmore with Rundle at left and Cascade in the distance. Great views back over our approach route down to the lovely Spray Lakes. Despite appearances it went pretty quick and easy and soon we were starting down the narrow gully to the top of the crux wall. Down below us to the east are these little circular lakes – collectively known as East Wind Pond. A mountaineering traverse to Grotto headed right, and along the left branch our route became a super-easy highway in the sky. We ascended the next few hundred vertical meters without issue, always sticking to reasonable terrain. 04 Mount Lougheed | 2009-08-22. I believe the traverse is typically done by starting at the northwest summit of Lougheed then traversing to Wind, and is detailed in the guidebook Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies (see books). Small lakes under the east face of Lougheed I. The scree on the ridge was the shaley type that isn’t too loose or annoying. 20 photos. Willski. Descending below the crux towards the south ridge. Once the trail peters out (approximately 1500’ in gain), take a sharp right turn and aim for Mount Lougheed’s northwest peak. With the crux, ridge and peak 1 behind it…” • See all of @anonymousmountains's photos and videos on their profile. Powderface Ridge. Please contact Mount Assiniboine Lodge for details. Willski. Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. He was (of course) continuing on to Lougheed II via the traverse. (37), Climber's Log Entries Here we left the drainage and followed our ascent track through open and easy forest. Lougheed I was an unexpectedly fun and pleasant scramble. The next section down to the south ridge and then from there to the bottom of the scree bowl went quickly and easily. These peaks are sandwiched between Lougheed I ( a difficult, exposed, and potentially lethal scramble), and Lougheed IV, better know as Wind Mountain. The weather helped, as usual, but even the scrambling was less intense and much more solid than I was expecting.