In spite of the rather trying weather conditions, we had a great day on Mount Niblock. Mount Niblock is a really excellent scramble, with lots of great scrambling and some interesting route finding. Seven of us met at the Lake Louise parking lot at 9:00 am. Even though there was light rain off and on, there was no snow on Mount Niblock, so we decided to give it a go. There is a well trodden trail from Lake Agnes up the scree cone to the first set of cliff bands (this trail is further to the right than you would think). It was warm, so these lower cliff bands were wet, but not icy. Once through the lower cliff bands a distinct trail continues through the upper scree slopes, followed by some route finding for the last section of the climb to the Niblock/Whyte col. From here there are several options to the summit, all of which provide interesting scrambling and route finding. Unfortunately it began to snow just as we reached the summit, so we didn't linger. As we descended, the snow quickly turned to rain, which made for better footing. There was general agreement that, contrary to what usually is the case, descending through the lower cliff bands was easier than ascending them. We arrived back at the Lake Louise parking lot at 5:00 pm. This very strong and experienced group of scramblers took the somewhat challenging conditions in stride, and it was a pleasure to spend a day in the mountains with Susan, Ulrike, Katrin, Simon, Toshiko, and Sebastiaan. Special thanks to Simon, Ulrike, and Sebastiaan for the great photos. Jack (C/S)
Total time: 8 hours
Total elevation gain: 1232 m
Total distance: 14.7 km
Mount Niblock from Lake Louise
Approaching the lower cliff bands
At the first cliff band
The lower cliff band
At the Niblock/Whyte col, Victoria North Peak in the background
Looking back at Lake Agnes and Lake Louise from near the Niblock/Whyte col
Scrambling on Mount Niblock on our descent
On the summit of Mount Niblock
On the summit of Mount Niblock