[MCR] Mt Sir Douglas West Ridge, British Military Group, Kananaskis.

Guided a guest up the West Ridge on Tues.  The glaciers on the NW side are in great condition, completely snow covered with excellent travel, boot top foot pen and well bridged crevasses and shrund.

 

The ridge is dry and easy traveling until the last 300m of elevation gain from the summit. Then the conditions are mixed with 2 - 3 cm of new snow from Mondays rain as well as short sections of water ice and veraglass. The mixed conditions made the grade 5.5 climbing very slow and tricky to manage on the down sloping rock and the decent even slower. 

 

There is a lot of loose rock in the 4th class terrain but it is not to bad on the 5th class climbing sections.  This route is similar to the ridge routes on Mt Assinaboine and  

Mt Forbs but much shorter and with half the elevation gain on snow and ice. 

A big peak with a remote mountain feel and a fairly burly approach.

 

Cheers

Mark Stewart

I.F.M.G.A.

 

        

 

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