Summit Elevation (m): 2785
Trip Date: Wednesday, September 1, 2004
Round Trip Time (hr): Unknown
Elevation Gain (m): 1075
Total Trip Distance (km): 10
Quick ‘n Dirty Rating: Class 3 – you fall, you break something
Difficulty Notes: The chain makes it easier but people have been injured on the steep, loose terrain above it.
Technical Rating: SC6; YDS (3rd)
GPS Track: Gaia
Map: Google Maps
Crowsnest Mountain has long been a goal of mine – it just sounded like a lot of fun! It didn’t disappoint but like all our scrambles in the first week of September 2004 (six in total) this one was rushed because of thick clouds and rain moving in from the west in the early afternoon hours. We didn’t start up the mountain till 15:30 so we knew we were going to be a bit rushed but since this was our first scramble of the week we knew we could push it a bit.
We went hard up to the gully with the chain at the top and had to wait for a guided group to come down the scree. They cautioned us that they had needed a climbing rope above the chain but when we got there we found the route to be quite easy without any further assistance. The chain was not strictly necessary but it’s probably saved some people from careening a bit faster then normal down that chute!!
As we got higher on the mountain it became quite obvious that we were in for a good wind-lashing and some thick cloud cover. We still managed a few minutes on the top but after a few snapshots we headed back down.
A great scramble that I recommend doing on a nice sunny day so that you have time to enjoy the views from the summit. After all that is part of the point of doing all these summits isn’t it?
