Mt Robson beta request (south face rte)

[Bigtree]

I'm looking for a reasonably detailed route description (book or internet) for a climb of Mt. Robson via the normal route i.e., south face/Ralf Forster hut. There seems to be some web based stuff on the Kain route, but I can't seem to find much on the route I would like to climb. Tips/advice welcomed.

[G-spotter]

Dougherty guidebook.

[Bigtree]

Selected Alpine Climbs - of course. Thanks.

[AlpineK]

I believe we got a drawing of the approach route to the hut at the visitor/ranger station at the base. When we were up there we found a few ropes left as hand-lines in a couple steep bits.

 

Basically take the trail just past Kinney Lake then go straight uphill.

 

Contact the rangers and see if they have a drawing they hand out.

 

From here all I can tell you is we figured out how to descend the route from the summit back to the hut with only some vague route descriptions.

 

Your first goal is the top of Little Robson. I don't think there's a set route. Take the path of least resistance. From Little Robson head up a bit to the Black Ledges. This is where you head to your left on ledges under an icefall.

 

 

Here's a picture from our descent.

 

From there it's straight up the glacier to the summit ridge.

 

Keep in mind all my info is from '86

 

Also Robson is a magnet for sucky weather. That's why you'll see a bunch of western red cedars hiking in.

Edited October 29, 2009 by Feck

[G-spotter]

 

Keep in mind all my info is from '86

 

Last couple of years I have heard the glacier has melted back above so there are a couple of steep ice pitches getting up onto the hanging glacier off the rock. Most guides are flying in to the Dome and taking their clients up the Kain from there.

[Le Piston]

In addition to the other good information above, you might look at Bill Corbett's book 11,000ers of the Canadian Rockies. Mt. Robson Route Card at Chesslerbooks.com and reports on BC Adventure.com and Peakbagger.com of the South Face route. Hope this helps. I'm hoping for another try (weather permitting) on the Kain Face myself. Cheers!

[Buckaroo]

bivouac.com is a Canada fee site, about $25 a year. Mine is expired or I'd check and see if there's anything on this route.

[Bigtree]

...From here all I can tell you is we figured out how to descend the route from the summit back to the hut with only some vague route descriptions.

 

Your first goal is the top of Little Robson. I don't think there's a set route. Take the path of least resistance. From Little Robson head up a bit to the Black Ledges. This is where you head to your left on ledges under an icefall...

 

Good stuff Feck. So, I gather you guys summited from the north and descended via south rte? Regardless, I had forgotten I had a copy of Dougherty buried in a pile of books and he offers up some good beta on the route. Sounds like the greatest objective hazard is the Schwartz ledges with some spicy exposure below. Do you recall how long it took you to pass through the section and were you roped and using pro, or did you just cruise by?

 

Buckaroo, thanks for the tip. I had a membership with them for a few years, but dropped it. They did have some good information here and there however I just couldn't accept the notion of subscribers paying their dough to contribute/build up content on someone's website; particularly when there are great sites like this around.

[Bigtree]

... Mt. Robson Route Card at Chesslerbooks.com...

 

So sad. $6 bucks for the route cards, but $14 US to ship. I'm far too cheap for that nonsense.

[AlpineK]

I gather you guys summited from the north and descended via south rte?

 

Nope. As a teenager I was obsessed with Robson. We tried the Kain Route, but heavy new snowfall stopped us. An attempt on the N face got shut down by hot weather and snow sluffing on the face. Then one try on the Wishbone was shut down when our hair started standing on ends with electricity.

 

Eventually we made it up the Wishbone and summitted as a new storm started slamming the summit.

 

 

 

Robson can teach you a thing or two about bad limestone climbing

 

Gargoyles

 

 

[Bigtree]

Le Piston, I ate my words and coughed up for the rte cards. Got a deal at $10 for shipping instead of the $14 I originally thought. Regardless, thanks for the tip, the info was worth it. I found the following quote particularly thought-provoking in speaking about the ledge section below the hanging glacier "This is the crux of this route with fatal consequences if there is a slip or major ice fall."

 

PM me with your e-mail if you like and I'd be happy to send you a scanned copy.

 

Cheers.

[MtnPaul]

Came down the S. Face once and IMO it is ridiculously dangerous for the tiny amount of real climbing involved. There were chunks of serac coming down every half hour or so over various sections of the route. The Kain is a much much better route with less hazard.

[Pete_H]

Nice Kurt. The Wishbone and the Emporer Ridge look awesome.

[Matt Kidd]

Think that weather is the crux as has been mentioned. Spoke with the Ranger who has worked there 20+ years and said that the vast majority of the successful summits come between the 6th and 20th of August. A really strong Canmore climber I was talking to said that the ledges scared the hell out of him, which is saying something. The mousetrap on the Robson Glacier side is apparently getting worse and worse. Looked like there might be a way the traverse it out but it looked convoluted.