Skiing on Mount Whymper

Big Sykorsky Helicopter flying over

Stoked!

Beautiful colour in the tree stump

Another colourful dead tree

Looking up the Whymper Slide Path to the summit of Mount Whymper

Sylvain getting ready to dig a pit and do a snow profile

Looking across to another skiable slide path on Mount Whymper

Silly digging a pit to do a column test for our snow profile

This is the clean shear that occurred at a snow depth of 40cm.

Kimmer, all smiles :)

Looking across the valley to Mount Stanley and the Stanley Headwall

Looking up the Whymper Slide Path. We skiied skiers right of the main slide path

in the center of the photo from just below the major rock band in the gully



Silly looking up at what we skied!

Had a great day of skiing with Sylvain at Mount Whymper just into BC on Highway 93S. We left the house at 7AM with coffees in hand and had a chatty drive heading west. Got slowed up a little by the 1A turnoff just west of Banff for an overturned car that ended up on its drivers side, parked in the center of the Trans Canada Highway. Interesting?! The road conditions definitely deserved some respect that some drivers weren't willing to pay out. Another car was parked in the ditch as we passed the Sunshine turnoff!

As we pulled into the Stanley parking lot we saw two climbers walking back down the approach trail to the Stanley Headwall. They approached us at the truck, we were already sitting inside putting our boots on, and they began to tell us of the epic they had on the trail up to the Headwall. Somehow they got distracted from the main trail (which would be difficult to miss?) and they ended up in the creek that flows down from the Stanley Valley. After a half an hour of disoriented slogging, the fellas returned to the trailhead with disappointed hopes of climbing on the headwall. They quickly conjered up a plan 'B' and headed off north towards the Icefields Parkway with more optimistic hopes.

Silly and I shouldered our skis and headed across the highway, then strapped in and started skinning up. We came across an old skin track, presumably from the Banff Snow Safety Crew, and followed it up to the top of a nice chute. Both Silly and I agreed that it would be wise to ski this chute and get a feel for the snow pack since it was both of our first times in the area this year, plus the line was looking pretty damn sweet! Silly dropped in first and woo hooed his way down just about stumbling on his smile at the bottom! I dropped in second while Silly shot some video of my turns, and I too had the same issues with my smile at the bottom! Fist bumps were exchanged and we were quick to reskin our skis and head back up :)

This time we continued up through the trees above the chute, then crossed the avalanche path above a convex roll that we both agreed made us nervous, and we continued over to the main slide path that drains the upper slopes of Mount Whymper. Silly crossed the avalanche path first while I observed, then I followed once he was safely across to the other side. The slide path had recently slid so the slope was stable but there's always the chance of crossfire hanging up above so we instinctively eered on the side of caution.

We picked our way up through the trees with increasing difficulty from deceptively steep slopes and the lack of an established skin track, but we perserveared to a high point we had both agreed on. Silly pulled out the snow profile gear and dug a pit to exam the stability of the layers buried in the snowpack. He found a clean shear at 40cm possibly from a sun crust that had formed earlier in the season, the remaining snowpack was strong all the way through the last 105 cm to ground. With this knowledge of the snowpack, and the strength of the shear test, we now felt confident to ski the slopes that fell away below us. We also been assessing the conditions from the moment we strapped our skis on from the truck so we had quite a bit of confidence in the snow conditions. We both know the seriousness of the terrain we chose to put ourselves into so we always make sure we're feeling confident and educated about our decisions.

I dropped in first and encountered variable conditions with my first three turns being nice and soft, then the remaining turns on a thin layer of fresh snow on wind affected slab. Not quite the conditions we had expected from the point of our snow profile. Silly dropped in second and I shot video while he kept it together through the wind slab section. We continued down skiers right of the avalanche path into some lower angled terrain, but very soft and consistent throughout. We woo hooed past a group of skiers gearing up to descend behind us, and skiied down to a tree island to catch our breath and let the lactic acid drain out of our quads. Our smiles told it all, as we finished the final few hundred feet down to the highway. High fives were exchanged as we smiled at each other with grins that can only be generated from such a great day out with a good friend in the mountains! Thanks Silly :)     



Cascade Waterfall

Cascade Falls with a light snowfall

Cascade Falls with 2 parties climbing

Just approaching the upper pitches

Both parties (5 climbers) on the upper pitch

The upper pitch just before I started climbing (I climbed the R/H line to avoid any icefall)

Above the crux pitch looking down on the anchor station

 

Another short pitch a few hundred meters up the drainage

A very short pitch higher up in the drainage (I didn't climb this pitch)

Another self-portrait just before heading up and climbers left towards the descent

Upper Pitches of Rogan's Gully

Beautiful position on the upper pitches of Rogan's Gully

Parks Canada's new Safety Bulletin System outlining the dangers of the Cascade Falls Drainage

Overview of the area showing Cascade Falls, Rogan's Gully, and the 'Walk-Off ' descent route

Healthy Bucks

I'll lead the way fellas!

The posse holding up traffic and performing for eager onlookers!



  Decided to go for a quick romp up Cascade falls at 2pm, Thursday afternoon, after a busy day of closing up a few loose ends from my list of  'things-to-do'. I packed my gear consciously, anticipating a light and fast accent, hopped in the 'yota , hung the Park Pass on the mirror, and headed west towards Banff.

 

  Upon arriving at the trail head for the short approach up to the falls, I surveyed the objective hazard for the vertical hike I was about to embark on. It was snowing lightly, but it had just started to snow so there was no real concern above from any significant snow fall. Winds were nil but I still had to recognize the fact that there had been some significant wind events earlier in the season which had could have created some potentially dangerous wind slabs in the gully above the route. It was unlikely these slabs could be triggered naturally today due to a lack solar radiation thanks to overcast skies, but the potential for a human triggered slab avalanche did exist so the necessary precaution and awareness had to be heeded with the main concern being the parties above potentially triggering a slide down the route should they venture out onto unstable slopes.

  After surveying the chosen line from the climbers above, I rationally opted for an ice fall free line on the climbers right of the frozen falls. This turned out to be a wise, experienced decision due to the unavoidable firing of shrapnel by the lead climber above which every ice climber has experienced. Wisely I was tucked over on the right hand side of the climb avoiding any friendly fire, and just enjoying the freedom of moving unroped through this terrain, but remaining focused about the seriousness of the endeavor I had chosen to  

be on, and the  consequences of losing that focus.

 

  Climbing solo allows the climber the freedom of moving very quickly over large areas of terrain and this advantage of speed was an asset to me in timing my ascent to coincide with the leader of the other party. Just as he was pulling over the crest at the top of the pitch, I gave him time to place a screw a few meters up which served 2 purposes; to protect him if he fell, and to also protect me from being knocked from my stance should he fall above his last piece of protection which was placed just to the left of my current position.  The second party, who had already topped out were patiently waiting to commence their rappel, but graciously allowed me to pass without conflict. It was a great show of comraderie and respect displayed by those climbers towards my ropeless adventure, and I was quick to express my gratitude towards them. As we all stood safely at the top of the climb, some pictures were exchanged and we shared in the fulfilling excitement of being up high in such a beautiful place, on such a misunderstood medium of frozen water, that so many people would never get to experience!

  We parted smiles, I continued up, they continued down, I climbed the next short pitch of ice and navigated a short snow slope to reach the crest of the tree line that separated Rogan's Gully from the Cascade Falls drainage. Still grinning ear to ear from the bountiful experiences I had just encountered in the last hour, I started my descent, leaving the cold splendor of the alpine, entering the sheltered safety of tree line. Still feeling energized from the endorphins I'd created, my senses were heightened and I noticed many beautiful, large, old growth fir as I continued my descent downward. Upon reaching edge of the treed slope at its intersection with Rogan's Gully, another visual euphoric entered the pathways of my brain. Beautiful blue ice flowed down in to the chasm of this tight gully, stimulating my imagination of being committed to its depths and having to climbing out to the crest of the treeline that I had just navigated. Another day I told myself and I left this spot remembering a story that my friend Sylvain had told me about climbing this gully on a full moon night one year. His image now stuck in my brain as I continued down, catching glimpses of the gully as I weaved in and out from the edge, these thoughts eventually fading as I shifted my focus to navigating the steeping terrain that lay just below me.

  One short rappel and I was on my way again, negotiating short rock steps with help from small trees and shrubs. Eventually I joined the trail at the base of Cascade falls and plodded happily through the airport meadow back to the truck.

  As I approached the stand of trees separating me from the truck, through the thinned out branches I noticed some people standing still alongside my truck. I cautiously approached, now catching a glimpse of a small herd of bull elk crossing the road towards the airport. "Right...." I said to myself, "that's what I was hearing as I was descending from the route." The elk had been bugling, and that distinct call was unmistakable now. We all snapped a few pictures and then safely retreated to the security of our steel and glass cages and watched these majestic creatures carry  along on their way. Another harmonious experience in the mountains!

    

 Suspension bridge over Galatea Creek - Mount Kidd in the background

Starting the approach to the ice climb

Half way up the approach to the ice climb

Erica with Kidd falls up and left

Kidd Falls

Erica racking up with the gear to start the climb

Erica leading off on the first pitch

Belaying Erica up to the top of the first pitch

Mount Fisher and Mount Evan Thomas in the background

Highway 40 running south in the valley bottom

'The Wedge' in the backgound

Looking down the approach gully (we ascended the approach on the left side of the gully)

My serious pose alongside the upper pillar

Erica sporting a bloody nose after being struck by falling ice from the leader (me! oops)



Had a fun day out with Erica (room mate) on Kidd falls today. 8.30am start from the house, 9.30am from the trail head with a 1 hour approach to the base of the climb. The wind was sporadic, I was on the cusp of being too cold, Erica chose the opposite and layered up heavy (too heavily she later admitted). We arrived at the base of the route both a little sweaty from our packs so I changed into a dry shirt, Erica layered up with more jackets as she had not packed a dry base layer.

   

  We splayed out the ropes and tied in, Erica racked the gear and started leading the pitch. Soon though, she ran into some VERY cold fingers causing her a weak head for the lead role about three ice screws into the pitch. The line she started up was dripping wet on her left tool, with dry ice on her right. The left side of her body was unfortunately unable to avoid the vertical liquid so she ended up quite wet with a helmet that was collecting ice which soon resembled an ice cream cone! She wasn't keen to continue leading so she asked me to lower her off at which point a BAD case of the screaming barfies were starting to come on! (Screaming barfies are like an ice cream headache caused from cold hands, only worse!! Severe cases end up with vomiting!! ) Once she came back to planet earth after the barfies (which thankfully didn't occur this time), I set up a belay on the left side of the climb and we swapped leads.

 

  After Erica's cold, wet adventure starting out, we agreed that it would be better to stay further right on the pitch so our ropes could have a fighting chance at staying dry, and more importantly to avoid the not-so-magical feeling of water running off of your jacket sleeve onto your pant leg, eventually disappearing to the bottom of your boot!

  I started up with all of my jackets on, which seemed like a good idea at the time, however the tight layers quickly imposed an even quicker pump on my forearms than I was expecting at which point I had to ask Erica for a 'take' on one of my ice screws. At this point I peeled off my outer layer, and took my thumbs out of my hoody sleeves, shook out my arms, and surprising relieved enough pressure off of my flamed forearms so I could continue to the top of the pitch. As I continued up the pitch, I too was unable to drift away from the 'hero sticks' of the wet ice which my forearms were enjoying from only having to swing once for a good tool placement in the ice. At this point the plan for dryness had to be abandoned in the name of safety from the lack of confidence I had in my sausaged forearms.

 

  Even though Erica allowed me to rest on my screw, my arms didn't fully recover from the pump, but I was able to persevere with a little help from the years of climbing experience, to finish the pitch. Unfortunately, the epic was only half over!

  Upon topping out on the first pitch I plunged into a snowed covered pool of water up to my knees while trying to clip the anchor! Maybe I should have clued in earlier when I swung my tool into the ice just below the pool, piercing the ice completely with my ice axe causing the water to come spurting out like a water fountain! Anyway, the pool came as a surprise not to mention the soaking legs I now had. Now we had a small river gushing over the first pitch of the climb further widening the area of wet ice we were so desperately trying to avoid. Now with wet ropes and a wet lead climber, both Erica and I decided it would be best to bring her up to the belay atop the first pitch so she could clean the gear from the pitch. This turned out to be a wise decision!

  After Erica arrived at the belay, we chuckled at the comedy of it all despite minor disappointment from the realization that we logically could not finish the route for numerous reasons. Mainly though because both the climber and the belayer were soaked to the skin, our ropes were now handling like stiff cables, and neither of us had our 'A' game on enough to probably even get up the crux second pitch! So a rational decision was confirmed between us.

  The rappel down turned out to be the crux of the climb with two ropes now handling very much like the afore mentioned cables, and we had to take extra precaution to back up our rappels with prussik cord in case our icy gloves were unable to hold onto the icy rope. A little unnerving to say the least. Thankfully neither of us had to stop and clean any gear from the pitch which was our first option! 

  Erica rappeled first and held the ends of the ropes as I rappeled to give me added security, so we both safely rappeled to the packs, and hurriedly packed our gear to head for the car. Soon we were walking and sliding down the appoach, and about 40 minutes later we were high-fiving at the car and grinning from ear to ear, from another fun adventure in the mountains :)