| Mt Arrowsmith - the Saddle/Bumps/Nose Route |
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| Mt Arrowsmith - the Saddle/Bumps/Nose   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Vancouver Island/BC, Canada, North America Lat/Lon: 32.84000°N / 113.91°W Route Type: Mountaineering, Scrambling Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter Time Required: Most of a day Rock Difficulty: Class 4 Difficulty: Class 4/Low 5 Number of Pitches: 2
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| Page By: vancouver islander Created/Edited: Apr 20, 2006 / May 19, 2007 Object ID: 189480 Hits: 1335 Loading... Page Score: 86.62% - 5 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Getting thereRefer to the parent Mt Arrowsmith page.Route description
The Nose |
 Climbers gearing up for the Nose  The Hourglass gully access to the Nose  The Nose with its short-lived snow arête  Downclimbing the Nose on snow.
You are parked at spur P37 of Pass Main. This very rough steep road can be driven for a further 500m towards the mountain but do not attempt this with anything less than a 4WD with high clearance. For the sake of 500m, I recommend you leave your car on the main line. Walk east up the spur to the beginning of the flagged route up to the saddle between Cokely and Arrowsmith. There are two sets of flagging leading up. The rightmost one covers more open bluffy ground with views. That to the left is less steep but is mostly in the forest. The routes converge in a flat section before the last pull up to the saddle. From July on watch for the spectacular wildflower display in the open meadows just below the saddle. At the saddle turn left (SW) and up towards the massif proper. Traverse the “Bumps” with some Class 3 to arrive in about one hour (from the saddle) in a small col below the summit block – the “Nose”. Note that the “Bumps” are almost as high as the true summit.
An alternate route to the Nose, very popular in winter and spring, is to drop off the Cokely/Arrowsmith Saddle to the SE and traverse under the Bumps to any of the gullies that allow access to ridge above. The easiest and, consequently most popular of these, is the "Hourglass".
Once at the foot of the Nose climb the summit block in 2 pitches each of about 30m. The first is 4th Class and slabby with little if anything in the way of protection. Many folk solo this. The second is (very) low 5th and, again, is often soloed. There are bolted belay/rap stations in place. From the top of the Nose walk left up to the true summit with its microwave phallus and wooden (helicopter landing?) platform.
Descend by reversing the above on rappel or by downclimbing. Or descend the Judges Route to Pass Main, walk 4.5km back to your car from there or coordinate two vehicles in advance.
Depending on wind and snow conditions a snow arête often sets up on the Nose that may be climbed during a brief window in April/May - or until it melts out to the point when it becomes untenable.
Essential GearIce axe and crampons in early season. 50-60m Rope for anyone uncomfortable with exposure and/or for the descent. Small rack. A few nuts to be sure, but mainly large pieces (hexes and/or camming devices).
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