Mt. Temple (3543m) South-West Ridge, Canadian Rockies

Toyohashi Alpine Club
Mountaineering in the Canadian Rockies

Mt. Temple (3543 m) South-West Ridge

Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
August 1997
Report by Darren DeRidder
Party: Iain Williams, Darren DeRidder

Mt. Temple (3543 m) is located near Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. From Lake Louise townsite, the mountain dominates the view to the south and is a very impressive looking mountain. It is perpetually snow covered and capped by a glacier which seems to hang precariously over the enormous north face. The north face itself is sheer and imposing, 2000 meter cliffs of rock and ice. Mt. Temple is referred to as the Eiger of the Canadian Rockies. It was first climbed in 1894 by Walter Wilcox and party.

Despite the impenetrable appearance of the mountain from Lake Louise townsite, Mt. Temple is one of the most frequently climbed of the higher peaks due to a non-technical scrambling route on the south-west ridge. This route gives access to the summit of one of the most impressive mountains along the Bow Valley corridor with relative ease, and does not require technical climbing. Nevertheless there have been a number of accidents even on this route. Within two weeks of climbing Mt. Temple, I learned there had been a fatality as an experienced climber descended this ridge and fell from a snow gully which is perhaps the only challenging part of the route.

Mt. Temple is nearer to Moraine Lake than Lake Louise and is listed in the "Valley of the Ten Peaks" section of Sean Dougherty's guide book, "Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies". This book was very useful for my climbing partner and I as it was our first real season in the Canadian Rockies. Many of the other climbers we met also carried this guide. The general consensus seemed to be that the climbs were sometimes harder than the guidebook leads you to believe. Our policy was to stay well within our limits, to the point of avoiding grades which back home on the local crag we would have easily scampered up. This is probably a good idea for anyone making an initial climbing trip to the Rockies. The conditions vary a lot, the rock can be quite a surprise to the uninitiated, and the height and remoteness of some of the routes makes them a lot more serious than the technical grading scale might indicate.

After arriving from Calgary by car, Iain and I stayed one night in the Alpine Club of Canada's Canmore Clubhouse. This was the first week of August, generally a good time for summer mountaineering in the Rockies. We were to have two weeks of nearly perfect weather, and four successful climbs. On the evening we arrived, after leaving our gear at the Clubhouse, we drove to Moraine Lake for a quick look. This is truly one of the gems of the Canadian Rockies, and Iain, a native of the U.K., was very impressed.

Having seen Moraine Lake many times before I knew what to expect but was nevertheless truly amazed at the incredible beauty of the place. In the parking area we met a fellow who had just done the normal route on Temple, and this was a factor in our deciding to climb Temple the next morning. The original objective had been Mt. Assiniboine, but due to unfavourable conditions which had turned back all previous attempts so far that year, we opted for an easy first climb.

As one of the Park Rangers who we met on the way up said to us, the south west ridge is "A pretty un-scary way to climb a pretty scary mountain." And although the route is not technically difficult, it is steep and exposed enough in places to give inexperienced scramblers a fright. One poor fellow who we met on our way down and took back with us said, "I don't know what I was thinking this morning when I started off to climb this. I must have still been drunk."

Access to the south west ridge route is via Moraine Lake. From the parking area, a trail winds around the side of the lake, past the boat house where tourists rent canoes, and on up towards Larch Valley. The trail was quite steep, but we were eager to climb so we pushed our pace and moved past a few groups of hikers. We didn't carry any technical climbing gear with us other than our ice axes, which we'd been told would be useful. With light packs we made pretty good time. As we followed the switchbacks up f rom Moraine Lake we caught glimpses of the amazing emerald-coloured water and the impressive snow-fringed peaks encompassing the lake. As we approached Larch Valley our pace slowed and we were breathing a little heavier. There are two small lakes in Larch Valley which are feed by the runoff from the snowfields on Mt. Temple and Pinnacle Mountain, another impressive peak on the other side of Larch Valley. At the end of the valley there is a low saddle between Temple and Pinnacle Mountain. This is Sentinel P ass. There's a well defined trail to the top of this pass. Many people make the top of the pass their final objective. The views over into the valley on the other side are really quite impressive.

It was quite a slog up to the top of the pass but it didn't take too long. At the top of the pass we enjoyed the views, noting in particular the Grand Sentinel, a thin finger of rock which is perhaps 150 M high from base to top. On this needle of rock, there are several technical climbing routes. A couple we met on the path told us they were off to climb a new 5.10 sport route on the Grand Sentinel. Rather a long approach, but an unbeatable setting.

From Sentinel Pass a faint trail leads up the scree slopes and up the south west ridge of Mt Temple. The route is mainly on scree, and passes through three cliff bands, so it is necessary to use your route-finding skills to some degree. If you keep your eyes open the way is not hard to follow and there are a few cairns in places along the way. The main difficulty comes from climbing on the loose scree, which often slides away under your feet and really hampers your upward progress.

The first rock band involved a snow patch which extended up into a chimney through the cliffs above. The ice axes came in handy as we proceeded up into the notch on good snow. Right at the top, a stemming move on the rock got us up over the cliff band and back onto... scree! Although it's quite easy, a fall from this place would probably be fatal and in fact about a week after returning from this trip I received word that an experienced climber had taken a fatal fall at "an innocent looking snow gully" while descending Mt. Temple. Undoubtedly, this very spot! On our way down the mountain we were to have a bit of a scare here ourselves but I'll save that for the end.

The next cliff band we had to traverse under to the right to an obvious groove, which was quite straightforward. There was a bit more easy scrambling over rock but for the most part it was just more scree, which got smaller and steeper as we got higher. Going up became very laborious. The slope was wide and the views amazing but all we could do was plod along with our heads down. It was real grunt work, slogging up this last long talus slope, and for every three steps we gained, we seemed to lose one slid ing backwards. We met a few people coming down, including a couple of Park Rangers who we chatted with about conditions on nearby peaks.

Eventually we reached snow on the summit ridge, the angle lessened, and we moved along more easily up the last section to the summit itself. From the summit ridge the views were simply fantastic. The ridge was corniced and care has to be taken. Of course this means staying well clear of the fracture line of the cornices, which is often much further from the edge of the cornice than people realize. I've talked to several climbers and experienced myself looking down at the snow at my feet and seeing a hole which dropped straight through to the valley floor a thousand meters below. That gets the old digestive tract moving.

The views more than made up for the long slog up the scree slope. Iain was up ahead and suddenly he started hollering at me about the view. So I went up and had a look over the ridge, which was now on our right. There was a huge cornice hanging over the edge further back down the ridge and under that we could see Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. It was really awesome, especially with the emerald colour of the lake and the snowy peaks all around it. "Tell me this isn't a little piece of Heaven," I said to Iain. "I wouldn't argue with that," he said.

Out came the cameras and then some food for a short lunch on a somewhat sheltered rocky slope just below the highest point. The summit itself was covered in deep snow. The wind was quite cool at this altitude although the weather was sunny and warm. We chatted with a couple from Calgary while having our lunch and left shortly after them, following the same way back.

Going down the talus slopes was a lot easier than going up. It was quite fun to go scree-skiing down past the climbers who were toiling their way up with agonized looks on their faces. It was easier to pick out the easiest path down from when looking down the slope from above. There were several cairns which led us to an even easier route through the cliff bands than we had found on the way up. When we arrived at the snow gulley, we found the trail through the snow was well worn into the shape of a trough, so in fine mountaineering style, we slid down it on our bums, using our ice axes as brakes. At the bottom of the snow field we met a group of young scramblers, one of whom was the fellow we ended up taking back down with us. He was a bit nervous at the height, didn't want to go any higher, certainly didn't want to go up the snow gully, and asked if he could follow us down.

From the snow field we took to the long open scree slope which led right down into Larch Valley itself rather than follow the ridge back to Sentinel Pass and then down into Larch Valley. We were below the cliff bands and although we had to take some care in the top sections of this big scree slope, the angle eased off as we got lower and pretty soon I was shuffling down through the scree, sort of scree-skiing.

We were maybe halfway down from the snow field to Larch Valley when someone yelled "Rock!". Iain, who was below me, turned and stared past me, and I knew I better look out. Turning around I saw some small boulders coming down - they went on by without doing any damage - and then I saw what appeared to be a body tumbling from the snow gulley. It was rolling down the snow field out of control, and I could see arms swinging to the sides, as if trying to grab for something, anything, but unable to stop the rolling, tumbling fall. It disappeared for a moment behind the top of a cliff band, and then a backpack shot out into space over the edge of the cliff, free-fell down to the scree slope and continued tumbling down towards us. I thought at first the climber had been able to get his pack off and grab onto something, but then I heard some laughing from above and realized that the "body" had been the backpack. The "arms" were the padded waist belt, flailing out to the sides. Someone had foolishly tried to slide t heir backpack down the snow trough and it had gained momentum and carried on down the snowfield and over the cliffs.

Although we were very relieved that no one had actually fallen, I had a few moments where my heart seemed to stop beating and I felt the kind of emotions you might feel in really witnessing a serious fall. It's a sort of helpless feeling, a tightness in the chest, and all you can think is, "Oh, %@#*!"

A few pictures in Larch Valley and then a long hike back down to Moraine Lake and we were done. This is a very good climb, a fantastic mountain with incredible views. It's ideal for climbers who want a very easy day out or for scramblers or hikers who want something a bit more challenging than the usual hikes around Lake Louise and Banff. You should be prepared for the weather to come in and expect the temperatures at the top to be cool even if the weather in the Valley is hot. Like I said, and ice axe is v ery useful, and of course, very sturdy boots are mandatory. The climb took us just over four hours from Moraine Lake to the summit. Six hours is a more average time. It took about two and a half hours going down.

There is a short description of this climb in Sean Dougherty's book "Selected Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies" and there is another description in the book "Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies". The information provided is less detailed than I have presented here but there are many other great routes in both books. A map of the area might be of some use although the trails are well posted and you'd have to try pretty hard to get lost here.

When to go: The route should be most accessible during July and August. We climbed it at the beginning of August and conditions were excellent. To be safe, plan on six hours up and perhaps four down, although we made it in four hours up, two and a half down. Party size, physical conditioning, and route conditions will make a difference.

What to take: Gaiters are handy due to the talus slopes and the short section of snow. An ice axe will be a great help in the snow patch below the first rock band. A rope isn't needed, and we didn't need crampons either. Although there is snow on the mountain and the odd trickle of water, you'll want to bring water along.

Where to stay: The Alpine Centre, located near Lake Louise townsite, is a joint operation of the Alpine Club of Canada and Canadian Youth Hostelling. It is one of the best hostels anywhere. Membership in either the Alpine Club of Canada or Hostelling International is required. Accommodation is often booked up so reservations are advised. Don't count on staying there without one, but it is sometimes possible to get a bed after the check-in deadline, if folks with reservations haven't shown up. Downstairs is a laundry room and a sauna! There is an excellent restaurant, the Bill Peyto Cafe, inside the Alpine Centre. This is the place to hang out and get well fed. The facility is nice enough that it attracts even the tourist-variety, although you're bound to meet some of the more adventurous type as well. Evening slide shows and a small Alpine Club of Canada library in the Guides Room are a bonus.