Grotto Mountain

The South East Buttress of Grotto Mountain is an excellent alpine rock climb and provides a big challenging day in the mountains!  The direct variation on the lower half of the mountain provides lots of pitches of rock climbing up to 5.6 before reaching the steep crux.  High above the valley the crux pitches of 5.8 climbing are technical and steep.  A few more moderate pitches lead to the summit ridge but there is still a long ways to go!  A couple kilometers of scenic hiking and scrambling lead along the horizontal ridge line to the summit.  Descent is made down the hikers trail back to town. 

High above the Bow Valley on Grotto Mountain

Elevation: 2705m / 8880ft

Location: Canmore, Alberta

Difficulty: A long day with tons of terrain to cover.  The 5.7 crux is very hard for the grade. 

Logistics: Climbed as a day trip from Canmore.  It gets lots of sun so can be good from late April through October.

Prerequisites: Good endurance and multipitch rock climbing experience up to 5.8 or harder.

Rock climbing on Grotto Mountain
Grotto Mountain's SE Buttress rock climb

Routes

South East Ridge direct (II 5.8): This variation to the SE Ridge was pioneered by our head guide Jay Mills and offers alot more climbing than the classic route described in guidebooks.  Higher up on the mountain we join the standard SE Ridge route just as it steepens.  10-14 hours round trip. Group size of 1 only.

Gear List

All technical equipment is provided free of charge except for boots. However, if you have any of your own climbing gear feel free to use it! Rental and purchase information for boots, clothing and camping gear can be found here. If you are unable to locate any of these items or have any questions feel free to contact us at any time for assistance.

  • Small Pack (about 30 litres) – available for loan
  • Hiking boots or light alpine boots
  • Harness – available for loan
  • Helmet – available for loan
  • Rock shoes
  • Sweater/Fleece
  • Rain Jacket
  • Rain/Wind Pants
  • Light Gloves
  • Toque
  • Sunglasses
  • Headlamp
  • Sunscreen
  • Water Bottles (2 litres)
  • Lunch