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Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, Ice Climbing, Backcountry Skiing

  • Avalanche
    • Avalanche Skills Training 1 – Canmore/Calgary
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    • Avalanche Skills Training 1 for Ice Climbers
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  • Mountaineering
    • Beginner Programs
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    • Fast and Light Series
      • Castle Mountain
      • Mt Louis Kain Route
      • Bugaboo Spire – North East Ridge
      • Mt Sir Donald – Northwest Ridge
      • Mt Aberdeen
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      • Mt Fay – West Ridge
      • Mt Temple – East Ridge
    • One-Day Crevasse Rescue for the Alpinist
    • Navigation 1 (Back to Basics with Map & Compass)
    • Navigation 2 (Digital Trip Planning & Electronic Navigation)
    • One Month Summer Mountaineering Program
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      • Climb Mount Athabasca
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    • Instructional Backcountry Skiing & Boarding
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      • Splitboarding Intro
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      • Rogers Pass Powder Skiing
      • Signature Series Splitboarding Camp with Justin Lamoureux
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    • Ski Mountaineering & Classic Traverses
      • Intro to Ski Mountaineering
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      • Rishiri Island Skiing in Japan
    • Navigation 1 (Back to Basics with Map & Compass)
    • Navigation 2 (Digital Trip Planning & Electronic Navigation)
    • One Month Backcountry Ski Program
    • Private Ski Guiding & Splitboarding
  • Rock Climbing
    • Rock Climbing Level 1 – Outdoor Rock Intro
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      • Foundational Rock Rescue
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    • Beginner Experiential Rock Climbing
    • Multipitch & Instructional Rock Climbing
  • Ice Climbing
    • Ice Climbing Level 1 – Basic Ice
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    • Ice Climbing Level 1 & 2 – Ice Evolution
    • Ice Climbing Level 3 – Ice Leader
    • Ice Climbing Level 4 – Multi-Pitch Ice Leader
    • Steep Ice and Mixed Climbing Clinic
    • Drytooling Clinic
    • Rampart Creek Ice Camp
    • Ghost Ice Climbing Camp
    • ‘Hot’ Ice Climbing
    • Signature Series Ice Climbing with Sean Isaac
      • Early Season Ice Camp with Sean Isaac
      • Ice Leader Camp with Sean Isaac
      • Mixed Master Camp
      • Steep Ice Clinic with Sean Isaac
      • Mixed Climbing Clinic with Sean Isaac
      • Ice Lead Clinic with Sean Isaac
      • Multi-pitch Systems Clinic with Sean Isaac
    • Southern Ontario Ice Climbing
      • Southern Ontario – One-day Ice Climbing Essentials
      • Southern Ontario Ice Leader
    • Avalanche Skills for Ice Climbers
    • Beginner Experiential Ice Climbing
    • Private Multipitch & Instructional Ice Climbing
  • Mountain Semesters
    • 3-Month Mountain Skills Semester
    • 1-Month Summer Mountaineering Semester
    • 1-Month Ski & Splitboard Semester

September 1, 2011 By Sylvia Watson Leave a Comment

Lake Louise Classics Part 1

We set off from Lake O’Hara and headed to the Abbott Pass Hut on Day 1 of the 2011 Lake Louise Classics program. Our group consisted of Grant, Jason, and Josh, our guides, Adam, Yamnuska’s photographer/videographer, and five guests, Gary, Jen, Mike, Tracy, and me. Despite overcast skies and occasional sprinkles, we enjoyed gorgeous views the whole way to Lake Oesa. Above Oesa, we were on snow most of the way to the pass, which was far more pleasant than the notorious scree that hikers sometimes encounter there.

At the pass, we were greeted by an icy wind, the kind that almost instantly chills sweaty hikers to the bone. Fortunately, a fire was going in the stove when we reached the hut and Grant, Jason, and Josh had hot tea and appetizers on the table almost as soon as we got our wind gear and gaiters off. Tea was followed by soup, and we were feeling warm and comfortable by the time dinner was served (the food was excellent and plentiful—kudos to the Yamnuska kitchen staff!). Views from the pass were spectacular, but the cold wind kept most of us indoors throughout the evening.

Mt. Victoria was our objective for Day 2. We were up at 4:00 for breakfast and headed out with headlamps lit at 5:00. We found challenging climbing almost immediately after leaving the hut. Victoria’s lower slopes, which often offer easy rock climbing, were covered with steep snow and lots of icy rock. After a couple hours of tough climbing, we reached the Southeast Ridge and found an incredible amount of snow for late July. Grant said that the ridge involved easy walking on rock when he last climbed Victoria. But this year we found a 4-meter high knife edge of snow.

We inched along the ridge, with the guests mostly front-pointing on steep snow on one side of the ridge while our guides clung to even steeper snow on the other side. It was spectacular Alaska-like ridge climbing. But closer to the summit, the ridge became heavily corniced, and one by one our three rope teams eventually turned back. Although we didn’t make it to Victoria’s summit, I think everyone in our group would agree that we had an unforgettable mountaineering adventure on Mt. Victoria.

That evening, over a delicious dinner, we swapped stories about adventures and misadventures in the mountains. Although lots of good tales were told, none was quite as amazing or entertaining as Gary’s account of being bitten by a bear while camping!

On Day 3, we started up Mt. LeFroy at 5:00. After our adventure on Victoria, LeFroy’s 40-45 degree West slope felt like a pleasant hike. Josh and Jason traded step-kicking duty, and those of us in the rear got to climb an easy staircase in the snow. We reached the summit by 7:00 and were treated to sensational views of Mts. Victoria and Temple as well as the Ten Peaks, the Goodsir Towers, and even the Bugaboos. We were back at the hut by 9:00, where we assembled a second breakfast from the abundant food that the Yamnuska kitchen packed for us. Then we headed down to catch the 2:30 bus at Lake O’Hara.

Overall, it was a great trip. The guides were wonderful, the climbing was awesome, and the scenery was amazing. I would recommend the Lake Louise Classics program for any intermediate climber. But fair warning: get in shape for this one. They aren’t kidding when they say that this trip is strenuous!

Carl Granrud
2011 guest on the Louise Classics program

Filed Under: Trip Reports

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