Best Guidebook for Canada?

[dorianlee]

Hey yall

Im heading to canada, to the lake louise and jasper national park mountains for some climbing action. What guidebook(s) do you recommend for these areas?

[Off_White]

You should give a little more info on what sort of thing you're looking to climb.

[PaulB]

Check out Rocky Mountain Books.

[Pete_H]

The best guidebook for Canada is the one having the most fun.

[dorianlee]

Moderate trad climbs, snow and ice routes if they're not all melted out, and long scrambles on good rock are all on the to do list.

[Pete_H]

The Dougherty guide is the only comprehensive one I know of for alpine routes in the area.

[Buckaroo]

You want "selected alpine climbs in the Canadian Rockies"

[G-spotter]

It's the only one in print anyways.

 

As well, Alan Kane's "Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies" contains a "very difficult" category of scrambles that are moderately easy climbs for some

[Julian]

As mentioned, you want "Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies" by Sean Dougherty

 

Just keep in mind it's one of the most notoriously sandbagged guides around. Expect many of the climbs to be harder and the approaches longer that what is described in the guidebook.

[genepires]

bugaboo rock from elaho

bow valley rock for good rock routes.

 

not what you asked for but worth keeping in mind if you are in the area. especially the bugaboos for some moderate trad climbs.

 

Maybe a better question is how about some good moderate trad climbs and ice routes in your area instead of guidebooks?

 

my 2 cents for ice routes

fay north face is very good with hut bivy

athabasca n face or silverthrone

andromeda should be melted out and a serious rock fall hazard.

 

rock routes

the 5.4 on castle tower. I haven't done that route but another on the formation that had very good rock.

how do you define moderate trad climbing?

 

if you use the selected guide, expect serious sandbagging. It is the real deal. Should really be put to rest by elaho making a better guidebook.

[dorianlee]

 

Thanks for the Beta! Its good to know, especially the sandbagging part.

And yes, if there's any climbs you recommend, trad under 5.9 or good, solid scrambles, please do let me know. Seems like quality rock on the peaks is somewhat hard to find in the area, besides the bugs of course. We will also be hitting the whistler area..

 

Sounds like the Dougherty guide is the best one. Is it worth having the scramble guide if you get the "selected alpine climbs" book, is there some overlap there?

 

[G-spotter]

There is no overlap between the two, except, say, that the Selected Alpine describes a route on Mt Edith and the Scrambles Guide describes the climb's descent route on Mt Edith as an ascent route.

 

But there is an overlap in that some of the easy "climbs" in the Selected Alpine, like the East Ridge of Mt Edith Cavell or the North Ridge on Mt Assiniboine, are mostly scrambling even if typically/historically done roped, and the "very difficult" scrambles in the Scrambles guide are pretty much of the same technical difficulty but on peaks that are usually/historically done unroped.

 

The classic route on Mt Lorette is one that might be in both, I can't remember.

[Le Piston]

Having just come back from that area I will say that some of the ice/snow routes are not in condition. The Columbia glacier is badly broken up and new snow on top had even people on skis popping into holes. Skyladder has no ice on it and the snow was sloughing off it. My partner and I went in to do Whooley and Diadem, but he hurt his hand on the way in so we decided not to climb. I like the idea of someone being able to belay me with a functional hand. This climb has a short straightforward approach and still looked doable...with a little rock pro and two tools. In addition to "Selected Alpine Climbs" there is the 11,000ers of Canada book which has good information on the higher peaks. It sounds like Canada also had a subpar snowpack this year, so the rock routes are probably a better option. You might consider Mt. Temple or Mt. Louis. Good Luck!

[snoboy]

As mentioned, you want "Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies" by Sean Dougherty

 

AKA Sean's Book of Lies... apparently not just the grades are sandbagged, but the approach times too.

[G-spotter]

I dunno it seems accurate to me!