Here you will hopefully find pictures and trip reports for the few scrambles I find the time to do each season. Click on the name of the mountain for pictures and a route description, along with whatever other details I can remember from the trip. Sorry for the ones that are missing!
You need to be able to think critically about the best route through the terrain ahead of you. A wrong choice could be at best inconvenient or at worst fatal!
Scrambling usually entails taking a more direct route up a mountain than the "tourist" paths with all the switchbacks, handrails, and "you are here" signs. Often there is no sign of anyone ever having been there before you (though unless you're on a peak that's hard to reach, or just horribly off-route this is actually quite unlikely these days!).
I started scrambling in 2004 when a good friend, Mark, talked me into it.
Thankfully, he started me off slow. We did only two scrambles that year (at
least I did, I suspect he did many more than that!) -- Ha-Ling and Grotto.
I confess that Grotto almost killed me. I was completely out of shape, and
the 1400+ meter ascent was almost my undoing. At that time, I vowed to do
something about my woeful physical condition. And umpteen years later, I'm now
fit, but still fat. Funny how that works.
The numbers above may differ from the grid below -- it is the total elevation
of the scrambles I've gotten around to entering data for (which I'm proving
to be quite bad at doing, as you can see from the void between the ## trips and the actual number in the grid below!)
Statistics
The Scrambles
174 | August 2, 2020 | Hike | Troll Falls + Karst Spring |
173 | July 3, 2020 | Scramble | Mount Yamnuska |
172 | July 21, 2019 | Scramble | The Fist |
171 | September 4, 2017 | Scramble | Mount Lorette |
170 | June 29, 2017 | Scramble | Opal Ridge (North) |
169 | September 16, 2016 | Scramble | Storm Mountain (Highwood) |
168 | September 10, 2016 | Hike | Ptarmigan Cirque |
167 | September 5, 2016 | Scramble | Opal Ridge South Loop |
166 | Aug 30, 2016 | Scramble | Mount Arethusa |
165 | Aug 15, 2016 | Scramble | Yak Peak |
164 | Aug 1, 2016 | Scramble | Mounts Whyte and Niblock |
163 | July 24, 2016 | Scramble | Eiffel Peak |
162 | July 1, 2016 | Scramble | Mount Edith |
161 | May 6, 2016 | Scramble | Wasootch Peak |
160 | October 18, 2015 | Scramble | Mount Romulus |
159 | October 7, 2015 | Scramble | Mount Remus |
158 | September 23, 2015 | Scramble | Yukness Mountain and Lake O'Hara Area |
157 | September 20, 2015 | Scramble | Commonwealth Peak |
156 | September 12, 2015 | Scramble | Mount Burstall |
155 | August 9, 2015 | Scramble | Mount Shark |
154 | August 3, 2015 | Scramble | Mount Nestor |
153 | August 2, 2015 | Hike | Burstall Pass |
152 | July 30, 2015 | Scramble | The Tower |
151 | July 24, 2015 | Scramble | The Tower (incomplete) |
150 | July 19, 2015 | Hike | Frozen Lake |
149 | July 1, 2015 | Scramble | Gap Peak to Mount Fable Traverse |
148 | June 22, 2015 | Scramble | Mounts Cegnfs and Murray |
147 | June 9, 2015 | Scramble | Mount Charles Stewart (South) |
146 | May 21, 2015 | Hike | Eaton Lake (Skagit Valley, BC) |
145 | May 18, 2015 | Hike | Mount Lincoln ("Linky") (Yale, BC) |
144 | May 10, 2015 | Scramble | EEOR |
143 | April 9, 2015 | Hike | Calico Tanks (Red Rock Canyon, NV) |
142 | April 8, 2015 | Hike | Icebox Canyon (Red Rock Canyon, NV) |
141 | August 4, 2014 | Scramble | Mount Buller |
140 | July 1, 2014 | Scramble | Mount Yamnuska |
139 | March 2, 2014 | Hike | Sulphur Mountain (Cosmic Ray Road) |
138 | September 14, 2013 | Hike | Mist Mountain (hiking route) |
137 | September 11, 2013 | Scramble | Mount Inglismaldie |
136 | August 4, 2013 | Scramble | Mount Rundle |
135 | July 7, 2013 | Scramble | Mount Yamnuska |
134 | September 30, 2012 | Scramble | Ship's Prow (the actual prow!) |
133 | September 23, 2012 | Scramble | Mount Kidd |
132 | September 15, 2012 | Scramble | Tent Ridge |
131 | September 8, 2012 | Scramble | Protection Mountain |
130 | September 2, 2012 | Scramble | Mount McGillivray |
129 | August 5, 2012 | Scramble | Helena/Stuart Knob/TV Peak Trifecta |
128 | July 15, 2012 | Scramble | Meadow and Peak Below The Wedge |
127 | May 12, 2012 | Scramble | Back Way Up Moose Mountain |
126 | September 5, 2011 | Scramble | The Wedge |
125 | July 31, 2011 | Scramble | Castle Mountain |
124 | July 24, 2011 | Scramble | Mount Baldy Trifecta |
123 | July 3, 2011 | Hike | Wind Ridge (attempt) |
122 | May 21, 2011 | Scramble | Ha Ling Peak |
121 | November 7, 2010 | Scramble | Squaw's Tit (attempt) |
120 | October 30, 2010 | Hike | Pigeon Mountain |
119 | October 10, 2010 | Scramble | Cascade Mountain |
118 | October 3, 2010 | Scramble | Gap Peak |
117 | September 25, 2010 | Scramble | Gap Peak (attempt) |
116 | September 18, 2010 | Hike | Sentinel Pass and Giant Steps |
115 | September 11, 2010 | Hike | Mount Allan (from Ribbon Creek) |
114 | August 21, 2010 | Scramble | Mount Temple |
113 | August 8, 2010 | Scramble | Mount Sparrowhawk |
112 | July 17, 2010 | Scramble | Heart Mountain + Unnamed Peak (finally!) |
111 | July 16, 2010 | Hike | Exshaw Pass |
110 | July 11, 2010 | Scramble | Mount Yamnuska |
109 | July 3, 2010 | Hike | Exshaw Mountain Loop (Again) |
108 | May 22, 2010 | Hike | Exshaw Mountain Loop |
107 | March 20, 2010 | Scramble | Heart Mountain Horseshoe |
106 | February 27, 2010 | Ski Touring | Boulder Pass |
105 | February 15, 2010 | Ski Touring | Further Toward Robertson Glacier |
104 | February 14, 2010 | Snowshoe | Toward Robertson Glacier |
103 | November 8, 2009 | Scramble | Mount Fairview |
102 | October 25, 2009 | Scramble | The Fortress |
101 | October 18, 2009 | Hike | Rummel Lake |
100 | October 10, 2009 | Hike | Top Of The World |
99 | September 26, 2009 | Scramble | Goat Traverse |
98 | September 20, 2009 | Scramble | Lawrence Grassi |
97 | September 9, 2009 | Hike | Natural Bridges and Monument Valley |
96 | September 8, 2009 | Hike | Delicate Arch |
95 | September 8, 2009 | Hike | Goblin Valley |
94 | September 7, 2009 | Hike | Frying Pan |
93 | September 6, 2009 | Hike | Navajo Knobs |
92 | September 5, 2009 | Hike | Upper Muley Twist |
91 | August 30, 2009 | Hike | Centennial Trail |
90 | July 25, 2009 | Alpine | Mount Fafnir (incomplete) |
89 | July 24, 2009 | Scramble | Typee Mountain |
88 | July 23, 2009 | Alpine | Proteus Mountain |
87 | July 21, 2009 | Alpine | Mount Moby Dick |
86 | July 20, 2009 | Alpine | Mount Billy Budd |
85 | July 6, 2009 | Alpine | Mount Athabasca |
84 | July 3, 2009 | Scramble | Grotto Mountain Traverse (North to South) |
83 | May 30, 2009 | Scramble | Heart Mountain to Unnamed Peak (incomplete) |
82 | May 23, 2009 | Scramble | East End Of Rundle |
81 | May 16, 2009 | Scramble | Midnight Peak |
80 | May 9, 2009 | Scramble | Mount Yamnuska |
79 | May 3, 2009 | Scramble | Heart Mountain Horseshoe |
78 | April 11, 2009 | Ski Touring | Rummel Lake |
77 | March 14, 2009 | Ice Climbing | Valley Of The Birds (Incomplete) |
76 | January 3, 2009 | Ice Climbing | King Creek |
75 | November 14, 2008 | Scramble | Mount Sparrowhawk (Incomplete) |
74 | November 11, 2008 | Scramble | Middle Sister |
73 | November 6, 2008 | Scramble | Lawrence Grassi (Incomplete) |
72 | October 3-6, 2008 | Backpacking | Pulsatilla Pass |
71 | September 28, 2008 | Scramble | Grizzly Peak |
70 | September 25, 2008 | Scramble | Mount Lawson |
69 | September 20, 2008 | Scramble | Mount Lady MacDonald |
68 | September 18, 2008 | Scramble | Mount Cory |
67 | September 13, 2008 | Scramble | Mount Kidd South Peak |
66 | August 24, 2008 | Scramble | Heart Mountain Horseshoe In Reverse |
65 | August 16, 2008 | Alpine | French-Haig-Robertson Traverse on Foot |
64 | August 10, 2008 | Scramble | Mount Rae |
63 | August 4, 2008 | Scramble | East End Of Rundle |
62 | July 31, 2008 | Scramble | East Wendell |
61 | July 27, 2008 | Scramble | Ha-Ling Peak |
60 | July 12, 2008 | Alpine | Mount Aberdeen |
59 | July 10, 2008 | Scramble | Wasootch Peak |
58 | July 1, 2008 | Scramble | Pigeon Mountain |
57 | June 26, 2008 | Scramble | Squaw's Tit |
56 | June 19, 2008 | Scramble | Doorjamb, Loder, and Goat Peaks |
55 | June 1, 2008 | Scramble | Mount Yamnuska |
54 | May 29, 2008 | Scramble | Heart Mountain Horseshoe |
53 | May 19, 2008 | Scramble | Mount Baldy |
52 | May 17, 2008 | Showshoe | Chester Lake |
51 | May 10, 2008 | Snowshoe | Elk Pass (no photos) |
50 | March 29, 2008 | Ice Climb | This House Of Sky |
49 | October 14, 2007 | Scramble | Mount Bourgeau |
48 | October 8, 2007 | Hike | Green Angel |
47 | September 3, 2007 | Scramble | Gusty Peak |
46 | September 3, 2007 | Scramble | The Fortress |
45 | September 2, 2007 | Scramble | Gap Mountain |
44 | August 25, 2007 | Scramble | Mount Chester |
43 | July 21, 2007 | Scramble | Rimwall Summit |
42 | July 18, 2007 | Scramble | East End Of Rundle |
41 | July 17, 2007 | Scramble | Mount Rae |
40 | July 2, 2007 | Scramble | The Wedge |
39 | July 1, 2007 | Scramble | Mount Yamnuska |
38 | May 12, 2007 | Scramble | Heart Mountain to Unnamed Peak |
37 | ?????????? | Hike | Cascade Amphitheatre |
36 | April 21, 2007 | Cave | Rat's Nest Cave |
35 | April 14, 2007 | Snowshoe | French Creek |
34 | October 14, 2006 | Hike | Buller, Guinn, and Galatea Passes |
33 | October 9, 2006 | Hike | Wind Valley |
32 | October 7, 2006 | Hike | The Wind Tower |
31 | September 30, 2006 | Hike | Cory Pass Loop |
30 | September 10, 2006 | Scramble | Big Sister |
29 | September 7, 2006 | Scramble | Gap Peak |
28 | September 4, 2006 | Hike | Wedge Pond Loop |
27 | September 3, 2006 | Scramble | Cascade Mountain |
26 | August 26, 2006 | Scramble | The Wedge |
25 | August 7, 2006 | Scramble | Mount Rae |
24 | August 6, 2006 | Hike | Grassi Lakes |
23 | August 2, 2006 | Scramble | Grotto Triangle |
22 | July 29, 2006 | Hike | Bottom of Aberdeen |
21 | July 26, 2006 | Scramble | Middle Sister |
20 | July 16, 2006 | Scramble | Mount Chester |
19 | July 12, 2006 | Scramble | Baldy Traverse |
18 | July 8, 2006 | Scramble | Indefatigable Traverse |
17 | July 3, 2006 | Hike | Tunnel Mountain |
16 | July 2, 2006 | Scramble | Heart Mountain Horseshoe |
15 | June 25, 2006 | Scramble | East End Of Rundle (EEOR) |
14 | June 24, 2006 | Scramble | Ha-Ling |
13 | October 8, 2005 | Scramble | Grizzly Peak |
12 | September 17, 2005 | Scramble | Mount Yamnuska |
11 | September 11, 2005 | Alpine | Boundary Peak (Snow and Ice Long Weekend) |
10 | September 5, 2005 | Scramble | Mount Rundle |
9 | August 1, 2005 | Hike | The Inkpots |
8 | July 2, 2005 | Scramble | Heart Mountain Horseshoe |
7 | July 1, 2005 | Scramble | Lawrence Grassi Variation 2 |
6 | May 28, 2005 | Scramble | Lawrence Grassi Variation 1 |
5 | October 11, 2004 | Hike | Mount Yamnuska First Notch |
4 | October 9, 2004 | Hike | Fortress-Chester Col |
3 | September 25, 2004 | Scramble | Grotto Mountain |
2 | September 6, 2004 | Scramble | Ha-Ling |
1 | August 2, 2004 | Hike | Elbow Falls |
Hits since January 24, 2007: