Spenser Creek

I've been planning on hiking Lougheed since the easy route became common knowledge in 2012. But since the access isn't threatened I never made it a high priority. On this weekend with fresh snow stopping more ambitious plans, Becky and I decided to try it.

In a classic case of over optimism about conditions, we set off knowing there was new snow and hoping it wouldn't be that bad. We ended up walking a fine line between brave and stupid. Ascending the peak in 1-3 feet of fresh snow. Which rapidly degraded into a state more like water, as the day went on. I was very careful to try to follow the easy route, and stay off slabs. Trying to keep only rubble/scree below us. But we still ran risks of slipping accidents and even possible avalanche hazard from the above slabs. So I cannot recommend ascending this peak in these conditions.

I am still happy that we ascended this peak of course. A peak of ever increasing popularity, in the somewhat crowded core Canmore/Kananaskis area. I'm happy we got it at all, and that we were the only people on the summit. We couldn't hang around long due to worries about the sun affect on the snow, but we did have the summit to ourselves while we were up there.