April 30, 2022
~ submitted by Matthew Lettington, photos by Jes Garceau
What a day in the mountains! The Prince of Wales range never ceases to offer top-notch hikes and scrambles!
This was my third trip to the summit. I hosted it because members tell us that they are interested in learning mountaineering skills. This peak offers some great opportunities to practice various skills while providing relative safety.
Was the weather perfect? No, but it’s the best I’ve had on this mountain. Were the views great? No, but again they were the best I’ve had on this mountain.
We donned crampons and pulled out our mountaineering axes for a narrow band of thin but icy snow. Travel down low was quick on the snow-free and well-groomed trail. We slowed slightly when the snow started above 750. And at Keta Rock, we slowed considerably.
We traded our crampons for snowshoes and pushed our way through –nearly– fresh snow. Undeterred, we continued up through the trees and followed the high route along the snowy ridge.
The snow on the final 60 metres of elevation was perfect for boot packing. The cornices looked impressive and added to the sense of adventure for the day. I took off my snowshoes and summited but quickly retreated because of the wind.
While some ate their lunch on the windy summit, I took cover at a lower elevation and watched as the skies started clearing.
As we descended, the conditions improved. By the time we reached the car, they were darned pleasant! We covered 1450 metres of elevation gain, 11 km and completed the trip in under 9 hours.
The only tarnish on the day was that more people didn’t take me up to learn helpful mountaineering skills.
Do you need to join the club to find out about these trips? Always keen for some lite mountaineering.
Hi Kelsey,
You can follow the club page on Facebook but you’ll only see dates and event titles. To read the details you need to join the club Meetup, and to do that you need to be a member. We no longer allow guests on club trips.
Thanks Matt!