Outdoor Video Magazine

Length: 30.8km
Time: 8 hours (including an hour on the summit and a VERY slow descent)
Elevation Gain: 1600m
Difficulty: Normal ascent, easy scramble no exposure. Alternative descent, moderate scrambling. Some worrying sections!!
Rating: 8.5/10
Overview: A long boring approach (12km) to a very fine, easy scramble with stunning views of surrounding peaks and the Jasper valleys. At least the approach keeps away the crowds who would otherwise flood a gorgeous peak like this.

With just a single free day on my weekends recently due to work, I couldn’t resist the pull of the mountains any longer. A day trip it was to be. And since I was psyched about our recent decision to form a team for the 2009 Full Moon in June Adventure Race, and we were thinking about starting our training for it, it was decided our trip should be big. Pyramid Mountain has long been a peak I’ve wanted to bag….it has such great presence on your drive into Jasper on Highway 16…and such a gorgeous profile (you can really see how it got it’s name).

Normaly the approach to this scramble is done on mountain bike, it being a 12km fire road, and I would totally recommend this. However, I am currently suffering from a broken hand, so riding is out of the question. So we decided to run.

It took just over an hour and a half to reach the end of the fire road. And it was less painful than i thought, for the 800m elevation gain. The view of the summit ahead of us was inspiring though…but it only comes into view for the last few minutes!! The rest is fairly mindless trees. Next is a steep, steep slope of broken rock and vegetation as you pick a route up to the obvious ridge. Once you crest this ridge, you realise why you’re hear. Stunning views await. From here the ascent is slow going over large quartzite boulders. A broken hand definitely slowed me on this part. There is no exposure or difficult climbing though, just slow picking a route through a jumbled mess. It definitely doesn’t feel tedious though, the anticipation of the summit and the views on both sides are more than enough to compensate the tired legs. The summit actually came quicker than we expected (for once!).

It doesn’t disappoint. Especially since the microwave repeater tower was removed off the top (there is just a concrete base left now). Mt Robson is visible in stunning profile, towering above everything. Beautiful blue lakes dot the Athabasca valley, and Roche Miette can be seen guarding the gateway to the praries.

I’m never one to back track, and Ian suggested an alternative descent briefly mentioned in Kane’s book. Something about taking the south east ridge, and things will eventually work out ok. Great! So we tried it (bearing in mind we lacked a map. awesome preperation with scoping out the route). The ridge down was fine, and took us to saddle with a steep scree leading off south, in the direction of a small tarn we had seen on the way up. The way we want to go. So off we went. At first some sweet scree running, the slope quickly became steeper than anticipated, and the scree shallowed to thin loose stuff over rock. Nasty. The descent became tedious as we went one at a time due to the huge rock hazard we were all kicking up. finding safety before the next person started down the terrain trap. The descent then turned into traversing, as we followed the top of a cliff band round to the next ridge.
Larger rocks, with a tendency to slide, made the way interesting. Especially with running shoes on. There was also a slightly sketchy section where I lost my cool, steep loose scree 5m above a funnel over a cliff. Height unknown, but definitely far and fatal. The others crossed fine, and it took me a while to pluck up courage and follow suit. Although uncertain if a fall here would have had momentum to take you over the edge, I got it in my head that it would. Anyway, difficulty over come, we now had a view down to our lake and eventually back to the fire road. What a lake though, gorgeous. The going remained slow as head-sized boulders formed loose, annoying talus all the whole way down. Then a final cliff band (easily descended if you find the right spots), and we were at the lake. Easy going from now on!! Nice meadow type scenery took us down and back to the fire road, where all that remained was a hideous 12km downhill run on hard, hard ground. I was in such pain on return, but an immediate did in Pyramid Lake did wonders to rejuvenate me. Quite the day.

On return to Edmonton, Ian’s quick look at a map verified we had actually taken the south-west ridge…and gone a way totally not mentioned in the book. I think we were a little lucky that we were actually able to descend that way. It was interesting and scenic, but definitely very slow and a little dangerous with the rock fall hazard.