[MCR] Rockies, Takakkaw Falls

I guided an attempt on Takakkaw Falls Jan 28, 29. We strapped our heavy packs to sleds and this worked well along the Yoho Valley Road on the wide track set by those with big skis touring up Mt Field. Once the wide skis left the road, just above the switch backs, we were left with a more classic skinny ski track and narrow track set and the sleds were plowing so we left them and strapped the big packs to our backs for the rest of the way into the Takakkaw Falls cook shelter. We spent the night in the cook shelter.

We were at the base of Takakkaw at dawn on the 29th. The climb is challenging this year due to problematic ice formations. We found lots of egg crust snow/ice curtains that crumpled on contact to reveal chambers of ice dreadlocks that I'd topple inwards to eventually find some good ice. The good ice was inevitably at the back, or on the sides, and I can't recall having done so many left hand, and back hand, screw placements in a long time. The crux bottleneck (our 3rd pitch) is serious grade 5, if not grade 5+, serious due to 5 metres of vertical chandelier ice above 10 metres of poor screws.

At 3 pm we were just over half way up and the ice had finally got good and it was time to rap down (I suspect the last pitch, which is steep, would also be a challenge). We got to the car at 10:30 pm.

If I had it to do again today I'd plan on three days instead of two.

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

Topping out the switchbacks on the 14 km ski in: