Mount Warspite Scramble or Alpine Climb

Lat/Lon: 50.68°N, 115.21°W
Mount Warspite holds down the middle section of the Spray Mountain Range located
just north of Upper Kananaskis Lake in the center of Kananaskis Country, a
provincial park which encompasses over 4,000 square kilometers of foothills and
mountains bordering Banff National Park in the central Canadian Rockies. Mount
Warspite shares the range with several other objectives including: Mount Murray
(bolstering the northern end of the range), Mount Black Prince, Mount Invincible and
Mount Indefatigable (ending the range to the south).   Mount Warspite was officially
named in 1917 after a WWI battleship, typical of peaks in this section of Kananaskis.

The only published route up Mount Warspite is the difficult scramble.   As the
guidebook suggests, during snow and ice conditions which prevail the majority of
the year on this peak, this route is more of a mountaineering objective than a
scramble, requiring an alpine ax and crampons. During dry conditions, you can
extend this route via a traverse to Mount Invincible and/or Mount Indefatigable. This is
a remote section of the Kananaskis Lakes area once you move past the
interpretative trail. There were considerable signs of large predators around the
mudflats of Warspite Lake in 2005. The guidebook references 8-12 hours for this
objective, I completed it under 6 hrs, although an athletic endeavor pressured by
storms.

I ascended Mount Warspite in pre-winter type storm conditions, therefore, my views
were impeded for the most part except for the Kananaskis Range to the north which
was spotlighted by vacancies in the clouds, including Mount Buller, Mount Galatea,
Gusty Peak, Mount Engadine, The Fortress, Mount Chester and Mount Lawson.

Getting There
You have two options. From the Canmore Nordic Center, drive almost to the end of
the Spray Lakes/Smith Dorrien Road (gravel) at Kananaskis Lakes. Turn right at
signs for the Mount Black Prince Day Use Area. You are guaranteed mountain
sheep on the road and once in a blue moon, a moose or two. I saw a moose this
day, but coming from the other direction. Watch for hazardous rock fall on the
switchbacks above Canmore.

The other option: Take the Kananaskis Highway (Highway 40) exit off of the Trans-
Canada Highway between Calgary and Canmore. Travel past Kananaskis Park
headquarters and Barrier Lake on your right and continue quite a distance to the
intersection with the Kananaskis Lakes Trail road on your right. There will be a
winter gate in front of you (closed from December 1-June 15). Turn right and take
another right on the Spray Lakes/Smith Dorrien Road. I took a photo (included) of a
moose on this stretch of the Spray Lakes/Smith Dorrien Road. Pull into the Mount
Black Prince Day Use Area on the left. There are restrooms at this location.

Red Tape
There are no permit requirements to enter, climb and/or park in Kananaskis
Provincial Park. This is active grizzly country however. Take bear spray. I observed
grizzly tracks at the mud flats surrounding Warspite Lake. There have been
numerous 2005 trail closures in Kananaskis due to mountain lions and grizzlies.
Therefore it would be prudent to check recent notices posted on the park’s website.
The park headquarters is actually located on Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail) several
kilometers south of the Trans-Canada. Notices are posted outside if they are closed.
This is a solid information center with good staff and beta.

When To Climb
As with most climbs in the Canadian Rockies, the driest time is from June through
September. I did the scramble up the west ridge of Mount Warspite in alpine
conditions (snow and ice) in September. There are no published backcountry ski
routes on Mount Warspite, nor would it be conducive to ski to the summit.

Camping
There are campsites galore in the Kananaskis Lakes complex, backcountry and
camper sites. You cannot camp outside of the marked specific camping areas in
Kananaskis. Refer to the Kananaskis Provincial Park website for more information
regarding camping and/or lodging.

Mountain Conditions
The Kananaskis Provincial Park website is a very thorough park website, including
trail conditions or closures, wildlife notices, weather conditions, avalanche
conditions, camping permits, whitewater conditions, etc. It is an excellent source if
you are going to spend any time here and comparable to any National Park website I
have used. Outside of the parks web site, Canadian Avalanche Association is also
useful, particularly for winter travel. Canadian Alpine Accident Reports are also
extremely useful.

Route
This is a 3800’+/- ascent day. My altimeter recorded 3950’ total. Take the Black Prince
Cirque Interpretive Trail 2kms plus to its west end at Warspite Lake. It does not end,
but rather does a loop. As soon as you see the lake, which was more or less dried
mud flats in September of 2005, exit the trail (do not loop around) and proceed along
the right hand side. I took my bike this day and it was good for the trail portion. Mount
Black Prince is in front of you to the west and the Warspite Cascades start to come
into view to the south as you leave the trail and circumvent the lake on the right. Pass
through a small portion of woods and you break out onto a grassy slope coming off
of Black Prince. A faint trail forms through this area, continue straight for the
cascades almost due south and you will come onto large stone rubble with many
cairns. Once over this rubble you will find the trail again; even if you don’t, basically
continue up the right side of the Warspite Cascades on steep grassy ground
ascending to the hanging valley above approximately 2.5kms from the interpretive
trail.

Once you crest tree line and are in the cirque created by Mount Warspite there will be
no trail. Mount Warspite is straight ahead, south, and you are aiming for the col off of
its western ridge. There is an obvious snow ramp below the northern face that gains
1000’ elevation up to the col. This is an objectionable hazard area. If you ascend too
close to Warspite’s steep walls, you will be below potential rock fall and on shallow
snow. The more right you ascend puts you more in line with the avalanche danger.
I chose to ascend a crest in the middle for a majority of the climb moving back
right hugging a minor cliff wall towards the end. Depth and consistency of snow
are important factors during this portion of the climb.

Once up to the col at 8600’, take a breather and examine the west ridge. The
guidebook consists of several conflicting beta versus my observations. The most
glaring would have to be the 100+ meters left to go from the col. It is actually 250+/-
meters to the summit from the col.   At first, start up the ridge directly. I was in an
early fall snow storm of sorts and the loose rock was laden with ice and snow, not to
mention the wind this ridge can catch.   As I tackled several exposed and loose
problems straight on the ridge, it began to occur to me that I would be looking
for an optional descent.

You run into two walls toward the finish. The first one was easily bypassed by
ascending steep snow to the right. The second steeper and larger obstacle is more
complex. If dry, it no doubt presents few problems to traverse right to a steep slope.
However, if snow and ice are prevalent, you would be best served to have both an
alpine ax and ice tool depending on conditions. I went half way up a chimney
chocked full of ice and snow that narrowed in the middle and became loose snow on
hard ice. This chimney can be ascended to the summit with the proper gear. I
descended and traversed further right and found the easier snow slope, took it to the
final summit ridge and had it easy from there to the non-featured summit.

Although the summit cairn was in disarray from brutal winds, there was a summit
register in place in 2005. The view north to the Kananaskis Range (Mount Buller,
Mount Galatea, Gusty Peak, Mount Engadine, The Fortress, Mount Chester , Mount
Lawson) was in good shape being highlighted by a few pockets in a stormy sky, but
otherwise few summits were in view with the exception of the adjacent summits of
Mount Black Prince, Mount Invincible and Mount Indefatigable.

On descent I was challenged with developing a route that bypassed the ridge climb
due to conditions. The snow chutes were relatively stable and consolidated when I
was on the mountain which allowed me to downclimb several suspect bands of rock
on good snow. I went straight down past where I had traversed below the big walls
and worked my way back right via several stop and go ramps and a few steep
chutes. If visibility is good, you can make out the col fairly immediate. Just take your
time and be cautious of the snow conditions. I eventually tied back into the ridge at
the top of the first problem which consisted of a narrow chimney you can descend, or
descend to the east of it which was my ascent route as well. Once back at the col, a
fast glissade takes you 1000’ down and out of harms way as soon as you round the
corner to the left into the cirque. Stay left at first (snow is shallow on slab to the right)
and then switch back right to catch a ridge in the snow that is safer for descending.
Return the same.

Essential Gear
Helmet, Bear Spray, Mountain Bike, Gaiters, Alpine Ax, Ice Tool, Crampons, Goggles

Trip Report
Been a record setting wet summer and even more precarious fall. Saw a moose on
this one, always a delight. Mountains loaded with plenty of snow already (late
September 2005). Tonight, September 20, the low is -6C down in the valleys. Won’t
even get above freezing in Yoho tomorrow. Heading to the front range for a few and
getting the skis tuned and axes sharpened. Cheers.