Lyell, Forbes Summit Week
A guided mountaineering week which will climb some of the highest peaks in the Canadian Rockies including Mount Forbes, the highest peak in Banff National Park.
This is an intensive week of peak bagging which aims to climb 8 peaks in 6 days. 6 of the peaks are over 11,000 feet. This mountaineering trip starts in Icefall Brook, traverses the enormous Lyell Glacier, and finishes by hiking out through the spectacular Icefall Canyon.
Dates: July- September
Price: For 1 person $2150. For 2 people $1300/person, plus HST
Meeting Place: Icefall Lodge
- Guiding
- Dinner and breakfast
- Lodge and Hut accommodation
- Group camping equipment; tent, stove
- Group climbing equipment; rope, ice screws
- Transportation to Golden
- Guide for the hike up to the lodge
- Personal climbing equipment; harness, crampons, ice axe
- Personal camping equipment; sleeping bag, sleeping pad
- Cancellation or rescue insurance.
- Lunches and snacks
Requirements: Good fitness and basic mountaineering skills. Although the peaks are not technically difficult, they do require good fitness, and previous experience wearing crampons. If you do not have previous experience, a training course before can be arranged. On days where you are moving camp, you will be carrying a pack that weighs as much as 20 kg (45 pounds). Also see Snow and Ice Weekend or Complete Mountaineering Course.
Course Agenda:
Day 1: Meet at Icefall Lodge at 5 pm, go over gear and trip plan. Dinner and accommodation in the Lodge included. For information on how to reach Icefall Lodge see getting to Icefall Lodge. If you prefer a guide to go up to the lodge, or need transportation, this can be arranged for an additional charge. Enquire for details.
Day 2: Start on a hiking trail to reach the toe of La Clytte Glacier, traverse this glacier and climb to Crampon Col. From here you get a panorama of the vast Lyell Icefield. After a short descent over the bergschrund on the west side of Crampon Col, it is a gradual climb up to the Lyell Hut. This is a new hut built in September 2009 and will offer a comfortable base. At 2870m (9400’) it is completely surrounded by glacier, it will be base for the next 2 nights.
Day 3: This big day will traverse all 5 summits of Mount Lyell. These are Christian Peak(3398m, 11150ft), Walter Peak(3401m, 11160ft), Ernest Peak(3511m, 11520ft), Edward Peak(3514m, 11528ft), and Rudolf Peak(3507m, 11505ft) . The day finishes back at the Hut.
Day 4: This is a shorter day, moving to camp at the toe of the Mons Glacier and climbing Division Peak(3030m, 9941ft). Traverse the long ridge down from th Lyells and up to the summit of Division Peak. This traverse travels on the crest of the Continental Divide, the border between Alberta and British Columbia. From the summit, descend to the camp at the toe of Mons glacier(2350m, 7700ft).
Day 5: Mount Forbes 3612m (11851ft.), the highest peak in Banff National Park. The route traverses the Mons glacier to the base of the West Ridge, this is followed to the summit. The descent retraces the route back to the Mons camp.
Day 6: Climb Mons Peak(3083m, 10115ft), descend to camp, pack up, and hike out to Icefall Brook. The hike out traverses above the spectacular Icefall Canyon, which features many glacier fed waterfalls tumbling over the cliffs, up to 450m(1500ft) high.
