Mt. Abraham
This hidden gem is one of the best alpine rock climbs in the Canadian Rockies! Tucked away on the quiet & remote David Thompson Highway this challenging route doesn’t see many ascents. The climb has about a dozen pitches of excellent rock climbing interspersed with bits of scrambling. CRAG’s head guide Jay Mills made the third ascent of this route in 1999 and likes it enough to have climbed it about 20 times since!
Elevation: 2940m / 9646ft
Location: David Thompson Highway near Nordegg, Alberta. 2.5 hours from Canmore or Banff.
Difficulty: Intermediate difficulty but very long day.
Logistics: A 1 day trip. The best time for an ascent of Mt. Abraham is June through September.
Prerequisites: Comfortable on multipitch rock to 5.8 while carrying a pack. Good fitness and experience with big mountaineering or scrambling days also required.
Routes
Shoulder Route (III, 5.8): A fantastic alpine rock ridge starting right at the highway! Lots of scrambling and over a dozen pitches of rock climbing in unbeatable positions above Abraham Lake! From the summit we scramble along a scenic ridge until reaching to top of the very long descent gully. 10-16 hours round trip. Group size up to 2 if both are reasonably experienced.
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
- Mountaineering boots or sturdy hiking boots
- Harness – available for loan
- Helmet – available for loan
- Rock shoes
- Crampons and/or mountaineering axe depending on season – available for loan
- Sweater/Fleece
- Rain Jacket
- Rain/Wind Pants
- Light Gloves
- Toque
- Sunglasses
- Headlamp
- Sunscreen
- Water Bottles (2 litres)
- Lunch