mt alberta

MT ALBERTA – NE RIDGE – V 5.10

july 26 2013

Max Fisher and I sat on the floor of a friend’s apartment in Banff, papers and guidebooks sprawled all around us.... what to climb?? Temperatures had been warm, alpine rock was probably dry. We wanted something big. After a few hours we decided on the north east ridge of Mt Alberta, A rarely climbed and reportedly spicy line on Alberta’s most difficult peak.

Select Alpine Climbs of the Canadian Rockies – a section of the route description:

“These three pitches offer largely unprotected climbing up to 5.10 on delicate, loose ground. Furthermore, belays are poor to non-existent, all-in-all making this section a true test of nerve and ability. It is the key to success on the route”

“Spooky, unprotected and exposed climbing that provides substantial cerebral exercise”

We packed up, forged the frigid waist deep waters of the Sunwapta, and hike into the hut. I was stoked, and already awake as the 3am alarm went off.

We contoured around to the North East Ridge, crampons crunching on firm snow, and soon stood at the base of the ridge. Max and I racked up as the sun slowly illuminated the eastern sky.  The lower pitches were chossy, even by Rockies standards, the rock being layer after layer of shale. Rocks tumbled down in a constant flow as I led up the 4^th and low 5^th class terrain. Max took over the lead at a couple snow patches. We kicked up icy snow, not bothering to stop and put crampons on, and then simuled through the choss, quickly reaching a flatter section of ridge at about mid height.  We ate some bars, and I prepared for what was sure to be mentally challenging climbing on the upper headwall.

I led up the first pitch; it wasn’t too bad, I found at least 5 pieces of solid gear, in 50 meters of 5.9 limestone climbing, Mt. Alberta’s north face fell impossibly far to the valley below on my right. The next pitch provided a bit more “cerebral exercise”; I found only a couple pieces of gear during the long pitch of stacked limestone climbing, but eventually established a solid 5 piece anchor on the left side of the ridge crest. We found the third pitch to be both the technical and mental crux; I worked slowly upwards on delicate 5.10 face, high above questionable protection, eventually reaching a short chimney with gear. My pack continuously snagged, bringing upward progress to a painful crawl, but I broke free, and made another solid anchor at the base of a short gully. Max took over the lead, quickly climbing up easy terrain, I dogged rocks, the way ahead seemed unclear; a stuck cam in a roof indicated the route, but it was incredibly loose. Being a good friend, and not too interested in killing me with rock-fall, Max brought me up.  I climbed through the steep awkward section, clipped the not-so-stuck cam, and climbed a spectacular 3 inch crack on immaculate limestone, we then simul-climbed through a waterfall to the base of an ice slope.  At one point the block I was standing on cut loose; probably giving Max a bit of a scare as he was belaying me from only one questionable cam.

Surprise - A spectacular narrow corniced ridge.

 I weaved cornices, often walking the narrow crest of snow. Our only belay was the hope that the other climber would have the guts to jump off the opposite side.  We stood on Mt. Alberta’s summit, 9 hours after leaving the comforts of the hut, a long and complex descent waited for us.

The view was amazing; The Twins, Mt. Columbia, Mt. Athabasca, and the Columbia Icefields to our south, Mt. Clemenceau and its icefield to the west, and Mt. Fryatt to the north.

Max and I walked the narrow rock ridge crest, eventually making it to the first of many horrible rappels down the Japanese route. The rappels were a time consuming nightmare of tangled ropes, continuous rockfall, and freezing cold waterfalls. We maliciously avoided getting a rope stuck, but only by the closest of margins. The 4^th class choss of the lower Japanese route wasn’t all that much fun either. The terrain thankfully flattened out, we slogged across the rock-strewn glacier, and back up snow slopes to the hut.  We were greeted by fellow eastern climbers, 17 hours after our early morning departure. It had been one hell on a climb!

 

 

(photos are a selection of mine and Max Fishers)