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Southwest Slopes
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Southwest Slopes 

Page Type: Route

Location: Alberta, Canada, North America

Lat/Lon: 51.01390°N / 115.35°W

Route Type: Scramble

Time Required: Most of a day

Difficulty: Moderate

Route Quality: 
 - 1 Votes
 

 

Page By: Dow Williams

Created/Edited: May 31, 2005 / Jun 3, 2005

Object ID: 165276

Hits: 963 

Page Score: 86.51% - 2 Votes 

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Approach


This is a 4200'+/- ascent day. From the gravel pit, start southwest and stay to the left of a huge drainage/gully and ascend steeply to gain the ridge and keep it.

Route Description


Some of the ridge can be demanding slab terrain. Toward the summit, you will encounter some very interesting rock pinnacles, stay to the left. One such rock formation frames Sir Douglas providing for a perfectly framed view.
The main crux is a traverse over a 50 degree slope toward the summit. If covered in snow, an involuntarily glissade here could end the story, therefore, I recommend you make this a July trip on, unless experienced.
Another crux is an 11’ down climb prior to the final portion of the ridge. I advise descending the ridge as well, for it makes a more enjoyable day then the large scree, although, it takes longer. The views were tremendous of Assiniboine, Sir Douglas, Eon, Joffre and of course the hamlet of Canmore and the Bow Valley.
Tooltip for IE: Gamskofel

Essential Gear


Ice Ax (in case there is snow on the 50 degree slope), Helmet, Lunch, Camera, Underwear, Bear Spray, etc.

Crampons if Early.

Images




""You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know.""   --Rene Daumal   

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