President and Vice President Alpine Climb

Lat/Lon: 51.49°N, 116.55°W
This is the tale of two mountains really, President and V. President (named after
Canadian Pacific Railroad executives). If one makes the effort to summit one of these
peaks, you should consider the other as well. 2 for 1 special if you will.

First ascended in 1901 by James Outram, President and V. President are located
north of the popular Emerald Lake and south of the Little Yoho Valley in Yoho Park in
the heart of the Canadian Rockies. These high peaks of the President Range
dominate the view at the head of Emerald Basin. They are also the most prominent
peaks viewed from Little Yoho Valley (home of Takakkaw Falls, 2nd highest water fall
in Canada).

The ice-covered summit of the President is 136 meters higher than the V. President
which is covered by the extensive Emerald Glacier. The high col connecting the two is
known as President Pass. The common goal is to gain this pass via the President
Glacier, summit the President and if you have the gas, descend back to the col and
summit V. President.

Getting There
Yoho National Park is one of four Canadian National Parks adjoined in the heart of
the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Kootenay and Jasper). The Trans-Canada Highway
spits the park in half. Heading west on the Trans-Canada, as you approach the only
town in the park, Field, BC, you will see a sign for the Yoho Valley Road on your right.
Follow this road for 13 km to the Takakkaw Falls parking lot.

Red Tape
You will need your National Park pass which you will have already obtained when
your drove into the park from either direction. You will also need a back country permit
and camping reservations which can be obtained in Field, BC at the Yoho National
Park headquarters.

Camping
The Stanley Mitchell Hut is decked out with a propane system for cooking and lighting
and provides sleeping space for 26 in summer and 22 in winter. It is very well
equipped and has a wood stove for heating and plenty of space for hanging gear.
Thinking this was too much like home, we preferred the camping at Yoho's #6
campground.

Remember, this is bear territory, so bring bear spray and follow proper camping
etiquette.

When to Climb- You can climb President and V. President in the summer or winter.

Other Climbs in this Area
Don't stop here...there are many scrambles in the area. This is a wet section of the
Canadian Rockies, most of the British Columbia side is. Therefore, it is good to plan
a few nights so you can catch a good day for the alpine climb. We scrambled up
Mount Kerr (2863m) during our first rainy day. Other options include Kiwetinok,
Pollinger and McArthur

ROUTE: From the Takakkaw Falls parking lot. Follow the signed Yoho Valley Trail
(north) pass Laughing Falls and on to the Little Yoho Valley Trail (west). This trail
leads to the Stanley Mitchell Hut and .3 km more to campground #6. We camped two
nights at this campground and used it as our base for this alpine climb and another
scramble.

This is the accurate name of the routes (considered separately) as boring as it might
seem. From the campground, head back to the hut and catch a trail heading right at
the hut and past the wardens cabin. This trail immediately intersects the Little Yoho
River. After crossing the river, follow it to the right for either of two approaches. Either
continue on the trail as it follows the drainage and proceed up to the left hand
moraine's edge dumping you on the glacier lower left, or gain the left hand moraine
earlier by veering left off the trail as soon as you pass the sign marking the Kiwetinok
Pass at 4k. Start glacier left, ascend and then traverse glacier right as you aim for the
'schrund towards the col. Once at the col, you can unrope and enjoy lower 5th class
scrambling up either or both peaks. They both have summit registers. The crux is
crossing the bergschrund, depending on conditions.

Equipment
We did not place any ice or rock gear. Of course a rope, crampons, helmet, crevase
rescue equipment, etc., all make sense.

TRIP REPORT: On July 19th, Michael Thompson, myself, two female companions
and one dog took off from Takakkaw Falls trail head and hiked in the necessary 10k+
to the little Yoho campground passing by numerous falls. As soon as we had our
tents pitched, it rained on and off for the next 3 days. The next morning, we chose to
do the scramble of Mt Kerr awaiting better weather. On July 21st, we started out at
5:AM and summitted the President in under 3 hours. Michael took a break at the col
while I summitted Vice President and we were back at camp for espresso before
10:30. When we arrived at camp initially, I had questioned a well equipped group
stationed at the luxurious 5-star Alpine Club Hut, outfitted with plastic boots, ropes
and ice axes to spare, about the route. They had taken 11 hours on the 19th.
Because I had on hiking boots and asked what I presumed they thought were stupid
questions, they were hesitant with any beta on the mountain or route.

Interesting enough, when it came time to pick a route, I chose the opposite side of the
glacier to proceed up. We took the left hand side picking an ascent route through
several crevasses and then finished to the col over the 'schrund on the right side.
This route was fast and esthetically pleasing, as well as kept us out of harms way
regarding any rock or ice fall. I noted one soft bridge on our descent of the same
route. The 'schrund is huge, relative to this glacier. If you have to climb in and out if it,
definitely allow for more time. Once we got to the col, we unroped and proceeded up
to the President on snow, rock and some ice. We signed the summit register and
then I scattered up Vice President and signed it's register as well. We had wintry
conditions at the col and the peaks, with no views. Our descent was typically quick. I
would do this mountain solo, but of course, l was grateful for a partner on glacier
travel.

Our total ascent from camp was 3000'+/-.   Double click on the photo to the right to get
a solid view of the glacier, we picked our way through the left and met the col on the
right. There are two approaches, either cross the bridge by the wardens cabin and
proceed on the trail as it follows the drainage and proceed up to the left hand
moraine's edge dumping you on the glacier lower left, or gain the left hand moraine
earlier by veering left off the trail as soon as you pass the sign marking the Kiwetinok
Pass at 4k. Start glacier left, ascend and then traverse glacier right as you aim for the
'schrund towards the col.

We hiked out via the Iceline Trail (superb views) and were rewarded with great
weather the rest of the day.