about the author...


Hello outdoor enthusiasts, Josée here,

I would like to start by thanking all of you for visiting my scrambling website; without you, my commitment to documenting these outings would be pointless. Goldenscrambles has been in existence for 11 years already. I remember when Fabrice created it in 2006; back then, websites where few and scrambling was gaining popularity.

One of the main motivation for the website was to share our adventures west of the Continental Divide, we hoped to build up enough beta for hikers and scramblers visiting this region.

Back in the early 90's I purchased my first scrambling book "Scrambling in the Canadian Rockies" by Alan Kane. I was working in the ski industry and had a backcountry skiing background with no climbing experience, scrambling was and remains an exhilarating activity. Since then, several scrambling books have been published covering other regions like Andrew Nugara's "More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies" that features objectives in the Southern Rockies. Recently, another book "A Peakbagger's Guide to the Canadian Rockies" came out describing scrambles around Jasper and beyond, thanks to Ben Nearingburg and Eric Coulthard.

However, even up to now, The Columbia Basin is still mostly undocumented. Matt Gunn and Aaron Cameron's "Hikes around Invermere" mentions some scrambles but it's hardly representative of what the valley has to offer. So over the past decade, it's been Goldenscrambles' mission to explore the Columbia region and surrounding areas like Rogers Pass to ascend and document lesser known peaks. In doing so, we've discovered some great areas and places that I would only recommend to the dedicated peakbaggers. Gems that come to mind are Golden's Gorman Lake,  Radium's Welsh Lakes and Rogers Pass. Gorman Lake offers numerous straightforward objectives while Welsh Lakes grants several climbs of varying difficulty, both are fantastic backpacking destinations. Rogers Pass hosts many mountaineering classics and it is a well-renowned year 'round playground. There's also some very enjoyable scrambles on good rock accessible via great trails, note that access may be restricted.

This website has a compilation of popular summits, obscure and remote summits and also a few peaks down south in Colorado. Objectives range in length and difficulty. I haven't included an official scale rating difficulty on the scrambles I've documented, I figure it's too subjective and I'm hoping most of you can judge the nature of the ascents by my renditions and pictures.

Much time has been invested in the making of Goldenscrambles, both on the field and in front of the computer. It is a labour of love that represents my undeniable passion for the mountains and my wish to share it with the scrambling communities far and near.

Again, I would like to thank all the people that have used and supported my website through the years. I would also like to thank Fabrice for designing Goldenscrambles and spending countless hours revising content. And finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to friends and peeps that have accompanied me on these memorable outings.

If you're like me, hope this site inspires.

Happy trails Y'all

Josée

Send me an e-mail (mail@goldenscrambles.ca) to get in touch... (or tell me about any mistakes)

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