Canadian Rockies Mountaineering
Mt. Edith (m)
Climbing route description and topo
By Darren DeRidder
Mt. Edith, South Ridge
YDS 5.4
Map ...
An easy alpine rock climb, popular due to it's proximity to Banff and moderate grade. Poor rock in sections.
References: Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies, Sean DoughertyMt. Edith (not to be confused with Mt. Edith-Cavell, a much higher peak) is located near the town of Banff and lies just south of Mt. Louis, another popular rock-climbing mountain. Access is by hiking trail from the Fireside picnic area at the junction of highway 1A with the Trans-Canada west of Banff. The south ridge is the easiest of the rock-climbing options on the mountain. The normal scrambling route serves as a descent route. The climb can be done comfortably in a day from the town of Banff. Although the climbing is moderate, the rock is loose in sections. Placing pro can be challenging. From the Fireside area, about 6 hours are required to reach the summit, and about three more to descend.
Driving west along the Trans-Canada from Banff, heading towards Lake Louise, the junction with Highway 1A is quickly reached. Turning right onto 1A, after a very short distance there is a turnoff to the right into the Fireside picnic area. The area is well sign-posted. From the parking area, a wooden bridge crosses the stream and the trail continues east-ward, running parallel to the highway. The trail forks near the mouth of a valley, with the left hand trail leading sharply uphill towards Cory Pass and the right hand trail leading to Edith Pass. Continuing towards Edith pass, a small two-log bridge across a little stream is reached after several uphill kilometers. This is about a kilometer before Edith Pass itself.
The picture in Dougherty's Guidebook does little to help with routefinding. The best reference point is the two-log bridge. From here, continue up the trail for about 500 meters (counting off 600 steps worked for us). Directly below the south ridge of Edith, a faint trail breaks off to the left up an open scree slope. By carefully following this faint track, with luck the start of the climb is reached.
The faint trail continues up into a scree gulley. At a point where this gulley seems to bend to the left, the rock-climbing route starts up the rocks to the right. A tree with a piece of tape on it provides a marker (as long as the tape is still there).
Basically, the rock-climb follows the south ridge. Going too far to the right means getting onto sheer vertical faces. Going too far to the left is probably a similar story. The idea is to climb the crest of the ridge right to the top. Having said that, there do seem to be variations to the route. We slotted ourselves in a long, narrow groove that ran up just to the right of the ridge itself, which wasn't difficult to climb but was full of loose rock and not good for placing protection.
There is a shoulder just below the top summit block. It is wide and flat, and a nice spot for a breather. The summit is not as far away as it looks from this point, and although the harder pitches are still ahead at this point, the rock becomes much nicer to climb on and the route soon joins the scambling trail, from which point you can walk to the summit.
From the shoulder, two pitches of more vertical climbing lead to easier ground and the aforementioned junction with the scrambling trail. From the summit there are views of the Bow River Valley, Sulphur Mountain and the Sundance Range, Mt. Cory and Mt. Louis and Norquay.
The descent is via the scrambling route which backtracks about 50m and then takes a right-hand turn and moves onto the west face of Mt. Edith. Cairns mark the way but can be hard to spot. The faint track follows scree covered ledges, heading gradually downwards in a northerly direction. The trail goes down between two large rocks which lean together to form a tunnel or "hole" into which you descend, exiting a few meters lower at the top of a wide scree slope.
From this point, continue down the scree slope but be aware that there is a cliff band lower down. The trail tends towards the north side of the scree slope at first but then moves south across the scree and onto firmer ground. The trail becomes much clearer and heads southwards, parallel to the vally on the right. Unfortunately it does not drop down to the bottom of the valley where there is a stream. It coninues south without losing much altitude, sticking close to the top of the forested ridgeline. After several kilometers, a long steep downhill trek gets you to the junction with the trail to Fireside. To the left is the ascent trail to Edith Pass, which you should be familiar with, and to the right (west) of course is Fireside.
There is no filtered water source at Fireside picnic area, nor is there any water on Mt. Edith. It is very dry, so it's wise to take plenty of water along in your pack.
Full Report:
Mt. Edith Climbing ReportWhen to go:
This is not a high mountain by Rockies standards and should be free of snow most of the summer.What to take:
Water. This mountain is dry as a bone. One rope, a rack of nuts and friends, and some slings is adequate. Don't count on getting too many good placements though! Also pack along a healthy respect for Rocky Mountain limestone.Where to stay:
The YWCA in Banff always has room in the dorm rooms. There are mens and womens dorm rooms, good showers, a cafeteria, and a TV lounge. It's an inexpensive place to stay. There is also a nice Youth Hostel on Tunnel Mountain but it is almost always booked full, so reservations are required. A campground is nearby.Guidebook:
Sean Dougherty's Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies