Nanny Goat, 5.7-5.10d

Overview

Nanny Goat offers steeper and better rock than its cousin, Kid Goat to the south and more features than Goat Slabs to the North. Thus its routes are typically more challenging and in fact my first route on Nanny Goat (Beautiful Century, 5.10a, 7 pitches) was just put in by Brian Spears during 2007. No doubt there is more development to come.

There are over 25 published routes (2007) on Nanny Goat ranging from single pitch sport to 255m of trad. Most of the Nanny Goat cliff is east facing and warms up early in the summer months but can lose the direct sun by noon making a potentially cold outing in the fall.

Route Description(s)

Routes are Listed Left to Right, South to North

Predator Area- 5.10a-510c/

Crapuleuse- 5.7, 5 Pitches/

Overnight Sensation Area- 5.9-510d/

Great White Hope Wall

Broken Boys- 5.10c, 6 Pitches/

Great White Hope- 5.10b, 5 Pitches/

One Night Stand- 5.10b, 6 Pitches/

Skywalk Buttress

Deception- 5.7, 5 Pitches/

Hesitation- 5.7, 8 Pitches/

Skywalk- 5.10a, 8 Pitches/

Third Degree- 5.9, 7 Pitches/

Wages of Thin- 5.10b/

Chocolate Frog- 5.7, 7 Pitches/

Blue Threads- 5.7, 6 Pitches/

Beautiful Century- 5.10a, 7 Pitches/

Beautiful Century follows the right side of the Nanny Goat Buttress just left of Coire Dubh which serves as a rock and ice route and splits Nanny Goat from the Goat Slabs to the north. As with most of Brian Spear’s routes, Beautiful Century was formed from the ground up and follows a natural line. You can walk off the route down the drainage between Kid Goat and Nanny Goat (southwest). You can rappel the route as well with one 60m rope (8 rappels). Brian did a super job with this route. I climbed it in August of 2007 just after he finished it.

Getting There

The trail head parking for Nanny Goat is the same as for Kid Goat and Goat Slabs. There is a significant parking area across (south side) from the local landfill site off of 1A several kms east of Canmore. It is about .7km east of where 1A takes a sharp bend. Walk across 1A and catch a trail just outside of the landfill’s fence, on the right side. Follow this trail as it contours around the landfill back west and catch a trail heading north, past Kid Goat on your left with Nanny Goat being the next feature you come to. Nanny Goat is between Kid Goat and Goat Slabs.

Red Tape

Be careful not to trespass through the landfill or follow the “Bow Valley Rock’s” first edition recommendation of walking down the landfill road. If you do, you will find yourself on the wrong side of the fence and in deed trespassing. You are meandering in and out of private and public lands, but you are actually climbing in an area set aside as the Yamnuska Natural Area which is part of the Alberta Provincial Park system. There are no permit requirements to climb. The approach is such, that there is no need (or desire=landfill) to camp in this area.

When to Climb

As with most rock climbing in the Canadian Rockies, the driest time is from June through September. Although Kid Goat and Nanny Goat get fantastic early morning sun, by noon in the fall you will lose such making these routes somewhat cold in the afternoon if the temperatures are not warm.

Camping

The closest camp site would be back in Canmore at the town campsite located at the information center off of the TransCanada. The Alpine Club of Canada’s national office is located in Canmore (just west from Grotto Canyon off of 1A) and also serves as a hostel, a recently renovated one at that. You cannot camp outside of the marked specific camping areas in Canmore or Kananaskis. Refer to the Kananaskis Provincial Park website for more information regarding backcountry camping. Of course there are tons of lodging options in Canmore from 5 star spas to cheap motels.

Mountain Conditions

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  Nanny Goat
• Kananaskis Provincial Park
  trail conditions or closures, wildlife notices, weather conditions, avalanche conditions, camping permits, whitewater conditions, etc.
  

Images

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