Over the 4th of July holiday, Dad, Adam, and I headed up to to B.C. for a quick trip into the Bugaboos, an area that neither of them had been to before. Dad, a connoisseur of beautiful mountains, had wanted to go for a long time (Snowpatch Spire is the over of Beckey’s 100 favorite climbs book!) and this seemed like a great opportunity. Our main goal was to climb the ultra-classic West Ridge of Pigeon Spire, but we made a bit of a sightseeing trip out of it, flying into Calgary and driving to the Bugs, then flying back to the Seattle from Kelowna so that we could head through both the Rockies and the Columbia Mountains, stopping briefly along the way in Banff and Rogers Pass. On our first day we left Calgary in the mid afternoon and did some sightseeing along the Bow Valley.
Crossing the Continental Divide at Vermillion Pass, where water flows on one side into the Pacific, and on the other into the Atlantic… or is it the Arctic?
Numa Falls on the Vermillion River is a stunning roadside stop, and a great place to drop your lens cap to ensure you’ll never see it again
After a brief night in Radium, we organized our gear and pointed the rental car up the long dirt road up Bugaboo Creek. We set off up the trail towards the Kain Hut, and reached Applebee camp with lots of the afternoon remaining, so we decided to go scamper up the Northwest Ridge of Eastpost Spire to enjoy the evening light. I hadn’t climbed it before, and it was fun to get a new set of views!
Descending some snow on the way down Eastpost.
The next morning, I got up early to snap some photos of the sunrise before we headed off for Pigeon Spire. Our first challenge was climbing up to the Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col, up about 1,000 vertical feet of steep snow. Dad was a bit intimidated but crushed it no problem. At the top of the col we got our first views of the Howser Towers and the massive Vowell Glacier, then we headed onto the glacier to walk to the base of the West Ridge.
Sunrise above the Crescent Glacier, with light on Snowpatch Spire (left) and Bugaboo Spire (right). Howser Peak, the Hounds Tooth, and Marmolata Spire at left.
Cool melty snow patterns below Eastpost Spire
Dad and Adam heading up towards the Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col, below the striking East Face of Snowpatch Spire.
Heading across the Vowell Glacier, with the Vowell Group in the distance.
Some clouds were building as we set off up the West Ridge, which is really a superb climb. We cruised up the myriad ledges, cracks, au cheval sections, having fun and enjoying the clean rock and incredible views. After soloing the first two false summits, we roped up for the last pitch up to the summit proper.
Adam au cheval on the West Ridge, with the Howsers in the distance.
Adam leading the last pitch up to the summit of Pigeon
It was pretty chilly on the summit, and shortly after we arrived a squall rolled through, dumping hail for a few minutes, which added an alpine flair to the two short rappels we did before downclimbing. Once back at our packs, we chatted with some friends we happened to run into, then did some exploring and some lounging for the rest of the afternoon before enjoying a stunning sunset.
Adam rappeling in a hailstorm
Dad and Adam on the first false summit on the descent
Dad snapping photos of the beautiful evening light. South Howser Tower behind him.
Howser Peak, Flattop Peak, and the Bugaboo Glacier in the evening sun.
The next morning we needed to begin our return to civilization, but we didn’t want to leave such a beautiful spot, so we ran partway back up the West Ridge again to take in the views.
Snafflehound and Spear Spires in the Vowell Group
Adam and Dad on the West Ridge, with Bugaboo Spire shaded behind them.
Texture on the surface of the Bugaboo Glacier from high on Pigeon Spire
We finally set off towards the car, descending the Bugaboo Glacier directly towards the Kain Hut to make a loop and enjoy the views of Snowpatch Spire from all sides. Adam and Dad put their excellent boot skiing skills to use, and before long we were walking below the icefall between Pigeon and Snowpatch Spires, then traversing back over towards the Kain Hut and down the trail to the car.
One last group photo before leaving Pigeon Spire
Adam boot skiing down the Bugaboo Glacier, with Snowpatch at the right.
Descending the trail below the Kain Hut through some recently avalanche debris.
We had one more bit of fun planned, though: on way to Kelowna, headed through Rogers Pass for a quick short overnight before flying home the next day. Having been to Rogers a number of times in the winter, but never in the summit, it was really fun to get to see the area with wildflowers instead of meters of snow, and to look at some ski lines. The glacier lilies were in peak shape as we popped out above treeline on the Avalanche Crest trail.
Glacier lilies in the sunny foreground with Mounts Jupiter, Swanzy, and Bonney on the skyline across Asulkan Brook
Mount Sir Donald in the evening light
Dusk above Cheops, Ursus, and Grizzly Peak
Morning light on Cheops once again. Ursus Minor at right.
More Glacier Lilies in the morning
Group photo before heading home.