Mount Athabasca

In July/August of 1991, four of us went to the Canadian Rockies in Banff and Jasper National Parks. We also hit the Purcell Range in B.C. We climbed 5 peaks and an amazing 20,000 feet in 10 days. Mt Athabasca was our first real glacier climb. Although it is technically very easy, it is a baby step towards harder peaks.

Temple Peak near Lake Louise.

Mt Athabasca in the background. We got off to a 5am start, which was difficult after setting up camp 5 hours earlier.

Next to the mountain, the giant Athabasca Glacier comes down from one of the largest ice fields on earth - the Columbia Ice Field.

Putting on the spikey crampons on our boots for the ice ahead. Left to right is Greg Crowell, Bill Snodgrass - his 30th birthday, and Bill Harmon.

Mr. H. on the steeper hard ice low on the glacier.

Trugging up the glacier towards the peak.

All 4 of us on a rope - the only protection from falling into a Crevasse.

Under the bergschrund and steep snow.

You can see the annual lines in the snow/ice. Every summer leaves a line from melting and dust settling on the snow.

Getting closer to the top. The massive Athabasca Glacier is at the bottom of the mountain. It is the blue one in the back.

Harmon on the final summit ridge.

Me on the summit. Hurray!

Snodgrass posing for a shot.

His hat and shades call for a closer look. Cool.

Saskachewan Peak and glacier to the south.

A really wild looking glacier. You can see how the ice breaks as it travels on each step down this slope.

Heading down. The huge expanse of snow in the distance is the Columbia icefield. Hundreds of square miles of ice(?) In the upper right, note where the ice falls off the cliff. The ice there is over 100 feet thick. And as the ice moves, it occasionally falls off the cliffs, sometimes tons at a time.

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