lethbridge, alberta
Canada
14 Posts |
Posted - 05/25/2012 : 11:36 PM
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Just wondering if anyone have any info, comments, or links about the supposedly nice 4th class scramble behind the ghost town of Lille in the Crowsnest Pass. I've heard the ridge line is really nice and that the climbing / scrambling on the arete is 4th to 5th class. The supposed route follows the right hand ridge on the main peak (unamed peak6700+ up Green creek just north of Frank on 82G9)  . Thoughts on aesthetics would be appreciated. I'll figure most other things out if/when I head up it. |
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lethbridge, alberta
Canada
14 Posts |
Posted - 05/30/2012 : 9:49 PM
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Here are the details I could gather from a local climber who has been up there before. It also combines a few recollections I have from talking to a Pass scrambler whose been up there a few times. -sorry for the technical voice. It's how I have it in my notes -
Overview
“Lille” peak is an minor unnamed summit jutting out from the southern portion of Livingstone Ridge. The arbitrary name given here by a number of locals is based upon the peak’s close proximity to the ghost town (and historic site) of Lille. The scrambling on the peak is excellent, the approach is minimal, and the overall experience pleasant. Reminiscent of Crandell’s South East Ridge, Lille may be one of the nicer scrambles in the Southern Alberta (Pass & south). Tending left of the arete can minimize many technical difficulties. Nevertheless, the is a fairly technical outing which stretches the fuzzy boundary between scrambling and easy alpine rock climbing. Unlike many scrambles, this route doesn’t slog up a talus slopes. Instead of scree ledges, you’ll tend to encounter small grassy tufts common to high alpine slopes.
Getting There
To get to the base of the mountain, drive to the town of Frank. Once there, drive up the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre road. About 2/3 of the way to the end, this road takes a sharp right turn while a gravel road continues straight ahead. Take the gravel road. You’ll soon pass a cattle guard. 1.6km from where the gravel road leaves the pavement you will need to turn left at t T-intersection. This takes you past a major cutline. Continue along this road, past the cutline until you reach the signed trailhead for the town of Lille. Park here. For reference, a tertiary road (quad track) leads up the hill to the right.
Approach
From the Lille trailhead (ghost town) it is an easy one and a half km off trail hike to the base of the ridge. This hike generally follows the Green Creek valley bottom. Deadfall is minimal. Head up and to the left to get to the obvious ridgeline. Expect less than an hour to get to the ridge’s base.
Ascent
To get the most fun from your day, stick to the true ridgeline. Tending left can usually, but, not always, minimize technical difficulties. However you should still expect significant amounts of difficult, mandatory, 4th class climbing with significant exposure and risk. The crux is a 20m section of 5.easy rock. Due to the sustained nature of the scrambling, and technical difficulty of the short crux section, many parties bring a rope, placing a few nuts here and there. Unfortunately protection is fairly scarce. Make sure both you and your partner are competent in the mountains. Luckily, the ridge affords lots of different escape options (provided you’re competent enough to use them).
The peak doesn’t have a classic summit cap. Instead it feels more like a minor ridge crest.
Descent
The common descent is via the open slopes on the south-west side of the mountain. While there are short sections of scrambling, technical difficulties are no-where near the ridgeline just ascended. You should be able to get by without any rappels.
Here's the google route
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=201446335201418898899.0004c10d9da7fefa5fc70&msa=0 |
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Info on scramble by Lille (crowsnest pass)
