Mount Backus

January 13, 2019. A tedious climb to a low summit in the Castle Wilderness. Distance: 6.25 km round-trip Total ascent: 478 m Elevation of objective: 1800 m Hiking time: 3h 13m Steep, uphill bushwhacking. Barbed wire. Copious deadfall. Traveling through trees. Bare ground alternating with thigh-deep snow. These are the features that await on Mount […]

Saskatoon Mountain

January 5, 2019 / January 8, 2022. A straightforward winter hike to a low summit in the Crowsnest Pass. Region: Crowsnest Pass. Traditional Territory of the Ktunaxa, Blackfoot, and Tsuu T’ina First Nations Distance: 8.29 km round-trip Total Ascent: 495 m Elevation of objective: 1820 m Round-trip time: 3h 17m (2019, minimal snow), 3h 40m […]

Carbondale Hill

March 17, 2018. A rewarding snowshoe trip up to a fire lookout in the Castle Wilderness. (see November 2019 update below for a shoulder-season report, and the May 2020 update for a summer hike with kids report) Distance: 9 km round-trip (winter distance due to road closure) Total Ascent: 496 m Elevation of Objective: 1798 m Total […]

Island Ridge

March 11, 2018. A snowshoe trip up a low mountain in the Crowsnest Pass with moderate elevation gain, in challenging snow conditions. This is a trip I’ve been sizing up since the beginning of the winter. It’s described by Dave McMurray on his amazing Peaks and Streams blog, which drew the attention of Andrew Nugara, […]

Tunnel Mountain and Stoney Squaw Mountain

February 10 & 11, 2018. Two easy snowshoe trips to the tops of a pair of low mountains in Banff. I had a conference in Banff over the past weekend, so part of my preparation was making some plans to snowshoe. There was a winter storm which rolled through the province just before the start […]

Wedge Mountain Trail

January 26, 2018. A solo, easy snowshoe trip to the shoulder of a low mountain in the Crowsnest Pass, with a challenging extension up towards the summit. Wedge Mountain, the so-called “poor man’s Crowsnest Mountain”, was my objective on my latest outing in the Crowsnest Pass. It has a wide, easy trail that begins by […]

Grass Pass to “Sheep Summit”

January 5, 2018. A snowshoe trip to an unnamed high point in the Highwood region of Kananaskis Country. Safety and Disclaimer Southern Alberta is about one week out from its most recent major snow dump. I spent most of December 30, 2017 shovelling snow off various driveways. Actually, I can’t ever remember spending so much […]

Mount Albert Loop

December 27, 2017. A snowshoe trip to the highest peak in Beauvais Lake Provincial Park. Region: Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, Traditional Territory of the Tsuu T’ina, Ktunaxa, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 8.3 km Total Elevation Gain: 318 m Total time: 3h 43m Elevation of objective: 1690 m The remnants of Southern Alberta’s first snowfall of the winter season […]

Piney Point Loop

November 17, 2017. A snowshoe trip tagging a low summit in Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, Alberta. Region: Beauvais Lake Provincial Park, Traditional Territory of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina, and Ktunaxa First Nations. Distance: 5.8 km loop Total Ascent: 237 m Elevation of Objective: Piney Point 1560 m, “Piney Peak” 1596 m Total Time: 1h 40m February 17, 2021 update: I […]