They call it The King, at least Barry Blanchard does.
And why not, it is the highest, at 3954 meters, and also seems to have a mighty aura about it.
This summer 3 people had contacted me wanting to climb it, so I decided to make it the main focus of the summer.
What makes this mountain, that the original locals I am told call Yuhhaihaskun, special? Well, in this photo the summit rises 3150 meters above the trailhead. I have heard people compare it to Everest, but Everest rises 3550 meters above basecamp. Still, a big mountain.
The season started with a furtive look-see to the Robson Resplendent col via the Patterson Spur. Mathew Zaleski, a friend from Golden, wasn’t turned back by a bad forecast, and with an impending move to sea level in his near future we ventured into an intense snow storm in mid June.
After about three feet of snow overnight at the col we beat a hasty retreat, and Mathew became the first king of the season, in my eyes, as everyone feels like royalty when on the King, experiencing its majesty and power up close.
Lap 1
With an unusually rainy start to the season we put off trips to The King til the high pressure of the summer finally arrived in mid August. Nicole Harkin is an ultra runner , and is developing quite an ability at getting up big mountains. After she made an earlier attempt on Mount Logan, I was sure that we would have an easy time of it. Happily, at the last moment Matt Reynolds, uber-Jasper mountain guide and co-worker, decided to join.
We had perfect conditions. On the way in we passed a dozen people or more who had already jumped at the amazing weather window and were descending from their successful summit trips. It was unexpected to see so many people in a spot where usually you see nobody. At the Dome we were greeted by Matt’s co-workers with Jasper Parks Public Safety returning from the peak, making a fun afternoon of socializing before summit day. Parks safety seem to make an annual training climb of flying to The Dome, skipping the first 2200 meters of the route. This used to be the way the peak was commonly guided, but the local helicopter operator no longer flies climbers there. Does it even count if you fly two-thirds of the way up the mountain, a highly accomplished and respected friend on the safety crew asked rhetorically.
What a summit day it was! The Kain Face was snow-covered, which assured speedy upward progress, but had us starting at 1 am in order to avoid afternoon isothermal conditions.
Photo Nic Harkin
We were across the Roof and onto the upper mountain as the sun rose, a truly beautiful and awe inspiring display of royal grandeur.
Photo Nic Harkin.
Sunrise 2400 meters above the valley. Good way to start a morning.
It was a special pleasure to get to climb The King with Matt, one of the most chill and fun people I know, and whom I have the opportunity to work alongside regularly. His previous two attempts on The King had not reached the summit, but with conditions like these we had an easy climb together.
We made it to the summit on a breathlessly still mid summer day that had us smiling at our good fortune. Two more excited people joining the crowned Rockies family.
Matt regaled us with place names for the broad views we had before heading back down the exposed summit ridge with a scorching summer day ahead of us.
Back at Kinney Lake we revelled in our good luck and admired Golden local Christina Lustenberger’s 3000 meter ski run.
Lap 2
Next, at the start of September, I joined Jeremy Neilands for his third attempt on The King.
Three years earlier Jeremy got in touch. He said he and his 16 year old son had just tried to climb Robson. I thought, wow, you are from Toronto and you tried to climb the highest peak in the Rockies as your first summit, that is some strong ambition! Then again,I couldn't blame him as more or less the first thing I did in the Rockies was solo the Kain myself. Like likes like.
We were joined on this trip by Brent Nixon, who runs Vancouver Mountain Guides, on his first foray onto The King. Our strategy was to go easily to The Dome over two days, as Jeremy was straight from Ontario and we wanted to maximize our energy for the summit day.
Heading to The Dome from the Robson Resplendent col.
Unfortunately Brent has a socially more consequential role as a community pharmacist, and had to return down the mountain solo, leaving Jeremy and I to start out the next morning again at 1 am.
We had the mountain to ourselves. I didn’t take many photos, concentrating on our safety and upward progress. Jeremy really doesn’t know the word quit, and steadily kept it up through the higher altitude as breathing gets more difficult, and by 9 am was at the top of the Rockies.
"You get that feeling, it's like a butterfly in your chest. Then your face goes all tingly like you don't know if you’ll laugh or cry."
Coming from Ontario, Jeremy worked his way into fitness on a 150 meter hill, walking a few laps uphill with weight a couple of times a week and by using a stair master.
It took three efforts before Jeremy made it to the top, an impressive display of will power.
"Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm" - Winston Churchill. Jeremy came out with this gem of a quote on our walk out from a climb he has been thinking about for three years.
Lap 3
With the season winding down and snow in the forecast, Alain Moreau texted to express interest in climbing The King this season. Alain and I have been climbing together for a year as he develops his ability to transition from sport and ice climbing into bigger alpine climbs. We discussed our plan, as Alain was enthusiastic to try to go a bit faster than my tried-and -true four day itinerary.
Our friend Connor Arnarson joined, again making a jolly team of three. Connor had just successfully finished the process of becoming an apprentice alpine guide with the ACMG. Having tried The King with skis previously, again we had a guide who was hoping to summit the Rockies.
So, we started out from the trailhead at quite a pace, required if we were going to make it to The Dome in a day, and then go for the summit on day 2. Around 2100 meters, at a large ledge system where Jeremy, Brent and I camped, we decided that we would revert to a two day approach to the Kain Face. It is possible to make a two day ascent to the summit but to tilt the odds in our favour being rested for the summit day seemed like a better strategy.
It is debatable what is the best strategy for getting up The King. By taking two days to The Dome we again arrived below the Kain Face feeling rested and ready for a 800 meter day the next day. It was a bit of a gamble with a forecast for snow and a cold front moving in a day and a half later. We figured we could get up and down the upper mountain before conditions deteriorated.
By now in the season, almost a month later than our first trip up the mountain, the face had shed most of its snow leaving us with 5 pitches of exposed ice. It was slower going up the calf burning slope. The upper mountain was in ideal conditions with a mix of snow and ice, good solid steps and screws winding upward, There was concern as the winds had picked up throwing the rope in an upward curve.
By taking a deliberate approach and pace, Alain pushed past his expressed doubts about his endurance and stood at the top of the Rockies in what felt like the start of winter.
So, two new entrants to the regal family at the top of The King.
That night it felt like winter hit for real, very high winds batting our tents back and forth. We needed to rest after the summit day and take out time to assure a safe traverse back to the RR col and down the Patterson Spur. Conditions had changed drastically since Matt, Nic and I hid from the sun on the dry rock of the ridge traverse. Rime coated everything, our packs were full of frozen tents and equipment, and we climbed conservatively in crampons on the rock.
Compare this photo to the one in the same location of Jeremy easily traversing dry sunny rock and you will understand our smiles as we regained fall conditions at the bottom of the Patterson Spur a few hours later.
It was an incredible 30 days on The King, with 12 out of those days moving up and down the biggest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Starting with Mathew, then a trip with Matt and Nic, Jeremy making it to the top after three attempts, and culminating in a snow storm with Connor and Alain, all incredible times shared in a big mountain setting with great friends. Thanks to Mathew, Nic, Matt, Jeremy, Brent, Alain and Connor for sharing the good times.
Tried and true itinerary for The King of the Rockies, Yexyexescen (Shuswap), Mount Robson
Day 1: Morning start from trailhead, 850 meters. Hike either to 2100 meter large ledge at base o Patterson Spur, or through to the Robson Resplendent col at 2900 meters.
Day 2: Short day traversing a 4th class series of ridges and towers to join the upper Robson Glacier and traverse a mellow snow slope to camp at The Dome at 3150 meters.
Day 3: Summit day. Walk upward to the bergschrund and climb 5 long pitches to the top of the Kain Face. Traverse an exposed ridge 500 meters to The Roof, a flat area below the upper mountain. Climb snow and ice slopes to the summit ridge and traverse to the 3954 meter summit. Descend to camp at The Dome. Potentially descend to the RR col or down to 2100 meters below the Patterson Spur.
Day 4: Traverse the rock ridge and towers to the RR col, then down scramble the Patterson Spur, and hike out. Rejoin civilization at the Kinney Lake trail.l
This itinerary can be modified depending on fitness and conditions. Simon Richardson, the fanous Scottish climber with 1000 first ascents to his credit taught me, on a 5 day traverse through new ground on M<ount Waddington, that sometimes patience and enjoying the moment can be more rewarding than rushing through with a fast-and -light approach. Both are good:)
