Mount Robson The undisputed king of the Canadian Rockies, Mount Robson towers above the surrounding peaks. It catches the clouds and creates its own weather system and micro climate. The scale of the glaciers and the dense rainforest seem out of character with the rest of the Rockies. It’s northerly latitude and sprawling glaciers make it seem much larger than it’s 12,969 feet. This mountain cannot be climbed as a day trip and requires an expedition style approach. Mountaineering here is more reminiscent of Alaska or the higher ranges in the world. When first viewed from the highway, the mountain presents it’s massive south face with almost 10,000 feet of vertical relief. The mountain is set in a Provincial Park with thundering waterfalls, iceberg choked lakes and a largely remote wilderness. The route that we climb was pioneered by Conrad Kain in 1916 and was considered the crowning achievement of his prolific career. It involves circling three quarters of the way around the mountain and up the backside of the mountain from Robson Pass. We will ease our load and improve our summit chances by taking a helicopter to Rearguard Meadows.
This trip requires that we carry our tent, stove, food and sleeping bags as well as our technical climbing equipment. We will be camping primarily on the glacier and will have to melt snow for water, as we would on extended expeditions.
Dates:
July and August
Includes:
Does not include:
Requirements: This trip requires excellent physical condition and stamina. It is an expedition and we will have expedition size packs. Previous experience mountaineering and ice climbing is required. Having boots that are comfortable and broken in is important. It is a good idea to get out and train with the boots that you will be wearing. If you feel that you have the physical condition but not the experience required for this trip, you can arrange for a course the days before.
Day 1: Meet in Jasper, review equipment and pack for the trip. Day 2: Drive from Jasper, meet the helicopter and fly into Reargaurd Meadows. From our drop of point we will travel a short distance up glacier and set up camp. This will put us in good position for travelling through the Icefall early the next day. Day 3: This day involves the most hazard of the trip as we travel up through the Icefall with it’s towering seracs. We will reach the Dome at 10,000 feet and set up our highest camp. This will be a relatively short day and will leave us well rested for our summit day. Day 4 and 5: From our high camp we will be able to travel with light packs for our summit bid. This will be a long day, with a predawn start and hopefully returning to camp by early afternoon. This is a truly spectacular day of classic mountaineering. The day starts with 4-5 pitches of 40-50 degree ice on the Kain face, usually done in the dark. Sunrise should warm us as we wind along the narrow ridge. Next is the Roof which alternates snow and ice slopes with shorter steeper (up to 60 degree) pitches as we wind between the ice blocks and crevasses. Next we reach the spacious summit plateau. From the true summit we can see the gargoyled ridges of the Emperor Ridge and the Wishbone Arete converging on the summit. Aside from the narrow ribbon of the highway far below there is no sign of civilisation in the vast panorama. The summit day requires good weather and we allow two days for it. It is also possible to allow more time for the summit by arranging for a helicopter to take us out. Day 6: We will reverse our passage through the Icefall and continue down past the toe of the Robson Glacier to camp at Robson Pass. Day 7: From Robson Pass we will hike on good trails past the thundering waterfalls and in the shadow of the North Face and Emperor Face to the trail head. This is a beautiful if long walk. |
Although
Mount Robson boasts some of the hardest alpine climbs on the
continent, the technical difficulties on our route are relatively
modest. Due to the large glaciers pouring off most faces, almost all
of the climb is on snow or ice. There are large sections of glacier
travel, going around or stepping over crevasses. The technical
climbing involves a 4-5 pitch ice face up to 50 degrees. There will
also be shorter steep sections of ice climbing getting around seracs.
The summit day is long and requires good weather.
