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explor8ion

Tag : RE2

Wardle, Mount (Fuhrer Route)

What a great little scramble! Mount Wardle felt much easier than I expected but not in a bad way. The views off the south ridge were incredible and don’t get mentioned (or seen) in trips up the bushier SW ridge. I highly recommend this mountain and this route if you are a capable Rockies scrambler. If you are looking to up your game from moderate to difficult terrain with some route finding, this would be a great objective to try. Exposed, but not too difficult and you should never feel like you’re in danger of dying with a tiny slip – you’re off route if that happens.

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Hike / Scramble / Trip Report / Vermillion Range 0

Screed Peak (GR796–032)

I highly recommend this peak for anyone who’s traveling the area and has a half day on their hands. I bet the views are grand enough to even justify it as a stand alone day trip – but I don’t know for sure.

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Scramble / Sunwapta Group / Trip Report 0

Jägermeister Peak (+ Shunga-la-she)

My round trip time of 7.5 hours surprised me on this trip as I never felt rushed or like I was pushing hard. A combination of great conditions and interesting scrambling and climbing kept me moving all day. The views from these front range peaks always take me by surprise – they’re better than you’d expect. I highly recommend my route considering the other options and what they seem to entail. I think I found a combination of routes for these two peaks that utilize their best features without getting too dangerous. Just bring your brain bucket and don’t forget ax and ‘pons if there’s any snow still laying about!

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Highwood Range / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Smutwood Peak

I loved this hike even more than I thought I would. Sure! It’s overused and over photographed and definitely overshared but that doesn’t change the fact that I had a wonderful time with my daughter enjoying some of the best views of my year from this lowly objective. And that’s what it all comes down to in the end isn’t it? Sharing nature and fresh air while exercising with loved ones and being amazed over and over with stunning views of wild landscapes in all directions. The fact that thousands of others have shared this experience shouldn’t lessen it but should encourage us to seek out new experiences rather than going back to the same ones over and over. I won’t be back to Smutwood in the fall any time soon but I sure am thankful for this particular trip.

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Hike / Scramble / Spray Mountains / Trip Report 5

Forgetmenot Mountain (Ridge, Lookout)

I was hoping to take advantage of one of the nicest, clearest days of August 2021 with a big trip on Sunday the 29th but alas, my body wouldn’t allow it. After almost 5 weeks absence from mountains and then a big day with Cornelius on Aldridge and Courcelette the day before, my body was letting me know that if I pushed it too hard I’d regret it for my favorite month of the year – September. I couldn’t simply sit at home either though, so I finally pulled the trigger on a front range peak sitting in my backyard only ~45 minutes from my house.

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Fisher Range / Hike / Trip Report 0

Idlewilde Mountain

I enjoyed Idlewilde much more than I thought I would and can easily recommend it as an easy, quiet hike when you only have time for something small and are in the area.

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Clearwater Ranges / Hike / Trip Report 1

Ram Mountain (Lookout)

I loved the Ram Mountain hike and will likely repeat it again some day with family or friends if I’m in the area. The views are far reaching and the hiking is easy and consistent grade all the way up to the upper mountain.

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Clearwater Ranges / Hike / Nordegg / Ram River / Trip Report 0

Bellevue Hill

I wasn’t in a hurry whatsoever as I started ascended scree / grass slopes on the east side of the SE ridge. Why should I be? I knew the hike would only take me ~3 hours and the weather was gorgeous as were my views. Waterton rarely disappoints in the views department, usually it’s the wind that puts a tiny damper in an otherwise sublime outdoor experience here.

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Clark Range / Rockies / Trip Report 0

Old Baldy | Marble | Corkscrew Mountain

Reflecting on the day, we enjoyed some great spring hiking and managed almost 2k vertical and ~27km of hiking – not bad for some front range bumps and hills! This sort of trip isn’t something we like to do all the time but it’s the perfect kind of spring day that gets done a couple of times each year as the ski season slowly transitions to the hiking / scrambling / climbing one.

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Clearwater Ranges / Hike / Trip Report 2

Limestone Mountain (Lookout)

Limestone Mountain is definitely worth doing but likely not as a sole objective if you’re driving the 2.5-3 hours from Calgary to the trailhead. We were happy to do it as the primary summit – one that actually has great views.

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Clearwater Ranges / Hike / Trip Report 0

Helena Ridge East

I highly recommend this tour for those days when you just want a low key, safe day in the hills with some good fitness training.

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Sawback Range / Ski / Trip Report 0

Ochre Spring Peak – Ski Tour

Despite skin troubles on the ascent I enjoyed skiing Ochre Spring Peak more than the hike and would highly recommend it for a winter ascent.

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Bow Range / Ski / Trip Report 0

Crowfoot, Little

It felt good to be out near the Wapta again with the wild scenery it always gives us.

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Ski / Trip Report / Waputik Range 2

Wolverine Ridge (+ Purple Mound)

Wolverine Ridge is a nice ski objective when the weather isn’t perfect or when you aren’t sure about snow conditions. There are enough sheltered and reasonably angled runs to be safe in all but the worst conditions and steeper options when conditions allow for it.

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Rockies / Ski / Slate Range / Trip Report 0

Burstall Pass (South)

It’s been a while since I skied to Burstall Pass. It used to be my go to spot for early season or shorter day trips but over the years we found many other spots and BP sort of dropped down the list. On a cold Monday in late December 2020, Wietse and I decided it was finally worth a repeat trip in our new ski gear that we bought way back in early November already.

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Ski / Spray Mountains / Trip Report 0

Mist Ridge

I highly recommend this hike for fit hikers who don’t mind putting in some work for excellent views.

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Hike / Misty Range / Trip Report 2

Glasgow North & Garriochmill Peak

I had a lot more fun on this easy traverse than I expected. Highly recommended as a less popular option in this extremely busy area of the Rockies.

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Fisher Range / Scramble / Trip Report 4

Colisieum Mountain

I highly recommend Coliseum Mountain for any hiker that is in the Nordegg area. This easy mountain hike is comparable to Prairie Mountain or Cox Hill and can be done by anyone who is used to height gains around 700 meters and mountain environments.

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Hike / Nordegg / Ram River / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Swany’s | Îyarhe Îpan | Quirk Ridge

I highly recommend this quick and scenic trip for an after work or half day outing. It took me less than 4.5 hours to do all 3 peaks and includes a fast and fun bike ride at the end of it all.

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Fisher Range / Hike / Trip Report 0

Piitaistakis | The Dog | Livingstone South | Morin Peak

I highly recommend this four peak day for early season scramblers. The trick is finding the right balance between snow and dry. If it’s really dry you might wish you did a bigger objective but if it’s too snowy you might not navigate a safe route between Livingstone and Morin Peak.

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Hike / Livingstone Range / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Black Mountain

I enjoyed Black Mountain as a short, easy hike with very interesting landscapes and natural features. I highly recommend it as a half day hike when you are short of time and need to refresh your soul with some good Alberta montane country.

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Hike / Trip Report 3

Iron Ridge

I highly recommend Iron Ridge for anyone short on time but wanting great views of the Crowsnest Pass area.

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Hike / Livingstone Range / Trip Report 0

Saskatoon Mountain

I used to scoff at the idea of hiking Saskatoon Mountain. The fact that it was our “twofer” peak on Saturday, April 25 2020 goes to show that you should never scoff too loudly at minor objectives. You never know when they get added to your list thanks to a global pandemic and very late spring melt.

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Hike / Livingstone Range / Trip Report 0

Sulphur Mountain

On Saturday, June 1 2019 I was at home getting texts from a bored Wietse who was sitting on the summit of Sulphur waiting for the rest of his hiking group. He indicated that the rumored true summit on the fourth peak clearly looked lower and after seeing his photos I agreed.

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Bow Range / Scramble / Trip Report 0

Black Brett

I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood for another peak as the August long weekend came to a close. I’d spent the weekend relaxing with family and was still feeling the effects of some pretty long days in the hills the weeks previous. Thanks to wildfires in BC and especially in the Verdant Creek and Ball Pass areas, the air was also very smoky in much of the Rockies. But I had the Monday off and family stuff was done, so how could I realistically just sit there and not take advantage of another beautiful day in my beloved Rockies? Precisely.

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Massive Range / Scramble / Trip Report 0