| Ref: Drew
and Mark in the Canadian Rockies |
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View from the side
of the road. |
| Ski touring:
RT: 8.5; 4.75 up. My good friend Ev was visiting
from NZ and staying in Canmore. Fortunately,
the weather and snowpack stability were very good in that area. After
seeing a trip report on this outing, we decided it would be a great
choice. We met Ev in Canmore and located the obvious spot to
park on the side of the road. It was quite chilly, a brisk pace ensued
alongside Commonwealth Creek. We reached the headwall quickly. We had
the option to follow a faint up-track in the trees or continue on the
packed trail towards the avalanche slope; we chose the latter, thinking
it would veer in the trees further. The up-track continued up the open
slope. After considering past and present avalanche conditions,
overhead hazard, etc, we felt okay going this way. We gained Smuts Pass
in 2.5 hours. From there, we could see our objective. We had to
execute a traverse to reach the col between Mount Birdwood and
Smutwood Peak. Again, we felt fine crossing the open terrain, but we
still spaced ourselves out. We were finally in the sun and it felt
great, we took
a nice break before proceeding up the ascent ridge. Luckily for us, we
were following a group of four on snowshoes. We soon ditched our skis
near a small bluff, next to a pile of snowshoes. We simply followed the
steps to the false summit. By then, the foursome was coming down from
the summit; it was Steven Song and his friends. It was nice to meet the
young lad again. After thanking him for breaking trail, we climbed to
the top for another pleasant break. The sights are phenomenal in this
area; the winter scenery is certainly special. It was hard to peel
ourselves away from the sun pit... On the way down, we circumvented the
false summit. Returning was fast and offered some
decent skiing. I'm very glad to have had the opportunity to venture
onto a summit with Ev; it could be a long while before I see her
again... |
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Mount Birdwood in
the background. |
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Charging towards the
headwall. |
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Going up the bomber
avalanche slope. |
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Approaching Smuts
Pass with Mount Smuts in the sun. |
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Looking back. |
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At Smuts Pass, our
objective is revealed. |
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Traversing to the
col between Mount Birdwood and Smutwood Peak. |
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Taking a break at
the col. |
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A bit of silliness. |
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On skis for the
beginning of the ascent ridge. |
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Mount Birdwood
behind Ev. |
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Smutwood's false and
true summits. |
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Cornices are
creeping... |
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Climbing the false
summit, why not. |
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A foursome is coming
down from the true summit. |
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Down to the
saddle we go. |
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After chating a bit,
they resume their descent. |
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Our turn to ascend
the true summit. |
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Almost there. |
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Western view from
the top. |
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Ev and I. |
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Leaving the top. |
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Back to our gear. |
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Skiing the avalanche
slope, in the shade again. |
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Back at the truck
sooner than expected. |
| Back
to home page |
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