| Ref: Chic Scott's Summits
and Icefields |
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Roping back up after
our descent from North Twin. |
Ski
mountaineering: RT 10.0 (including North Twin); 1.25 up from the
NorthTwin/Stutfield Saddle. It was still early and the weather was
fine, despite the wind. Following a good long break at the bottom of
North Twin, we felt ready to rope up again and head towards Stutfield
Peak. We were quite happy with our climb up North Twin, which
had been our main goal; ascending Stutfield Peak was icing on the cake!
Fab was not as enthusiastic about the side trip; he decided to wait for
us at the base of the mountain. He got his shovel out to dig himself a
shelter. It was very nice of him to allow Jay and I to continue
with our summit pursuit! I knew it wouldn't take that long before we
returned; I left an extra jacket and off we went. We skied towards the
open slope between the rockbands, aiming for the fringe of the
left band. We managed to avoid what seemed to be a bergschrund
by skirting the rockband. We kept our skis, as we were able to
maintain a slim edge in the heavily textured sastrugi. Once above the
rockbands, about halfway already, the grade gradually lessens. The
incredible view of North Twin and Twins Tower along the way is the
highlight. Upon reaching the top of the vast mound, Mount Alberta is
revealed and appears to be quite close. We took a bunch of pictures,
enjoyed the sights but we didn't linger; Fab was waiting below. We felt
comfortable unroping for the descent, again sticking close to our
up-track. The pronounced stiff sastrugi (nearly absent on North Twin)
made skiing difficult, we resorted to plowing and slide slipping. Fab
was sitting in the sun, watching our 300-meter survival ski; must have
looked funny! Back with Fab, we had another nice break before roping up
and returning to our camp.
What an excellent day!
After rehydrating, relaxing and watching the sunset over North Twin, we
stepped into the Windsock Hotel for our second and last night. I slept
well that night, no panic attacks!
The following morning was
fantastic. We slept until the sunshine hit the tent. The wind was light
as we slowly crawled out of the tent and started to boil water. We were
in no hurry to move today, returning would be fast. I
contemplated ascending Kitchener, perhaps we all did, but opted to
restrain my will. Once all packed, we began our return stretch. Our
packs were not as heavy. When we took the skins off, next to Snowdome,
we executed a long traverse towards the headwall without doing a
stride. Near the headwall, we unroped. The steep slope offered great
skiing and the ramp below the seracs granted much excitement as chunks
were falling while we skied across; felt like Russian Roulette... From
there, the final crux was climbing back up the snowcoach road. I put my
skis on my pack and my head down for this one! People waved from the
buses passing by... On our way down to the climber's parking lot,
numerous sheep greeted us; I love this place!
This trip is
among the best I've done. I'll cherish those lasting memories. I'm
grateful to Fab for indulging me and Jay for being such a great
travelling companion. Also, many thanks to God for the countless
blessings!
(Some pictures courtesy of Jay Lund) |
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Fab chooses to skip
Stutfield Peak's side trip. |
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Stutfield's ascent
slope; excuse the overexposed photos (cheap camera). |
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Nice and easy. |
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Mount Kitchener and
Snowdome. |
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On the vast summit. |
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Mount Alberta. |
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North Twin and Twins
Tower. |
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Looking back towards
the saddle. |
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The lower east
summit of Stutfield. |
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Mount Columbia,
South and North Twins behind me. |
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Heading back down. |
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Rejoining with Fab
and returning to our camp. |
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Contouring the
"marshmallow". |
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No more snow down
the valley. |
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Rest step. |
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Another style of
rest step. |
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Nearing our camp. |
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The sun is casting
shadows, it's very picturesque. |
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Mount Kitchener.
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Sunset over North
Twin. |
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Enjoying the scenery. |
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Last sunrays on
Mount Bryce. |
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| Out in the sun the following morning. |
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Heading out on the
third day. |
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Bye bye distant
mountains! |
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Last glimpse towards
South and North Twins. |
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Several tracks
contour Snowdome. |
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The skiing is good
here. |
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Small pieces of
seracs are falling as we quickly skirt by. |
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Almost back at the
snowcoach terminus. |
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Walking the
snowcoach road. |
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