Mt. Lady Macdonald

The East-South-East ridge on Mount Lady Macdonald is a long and enjoyable alpine rock ridge above Canmore, Alberta.  Most of the climbing isn’t too difficult, but with a few steeper pitches and tons of exposed scrambling along a very narrow ridge this route isn’t for the faint of heart!  This is not to be confused with the popular hiking & scrambling route.  It’s sunny exposure makes for a long season and this is often one of the first alpine rock routes to get climbed each Spring. 

The ESE ridge on Lady Mac

Elevation: 2606m / 8550ft

Location: Canmore, AB

Difficulty: 5.5 rock climbing and lots of difficult scrambling.

Logistics: Done as a day trip from the Canmore area. Late April through October is the best time to plan an ascent of Mt Lady Mac. 

Prerequisites: Scrambling and rock climbing experience. 

Alpine rock on Mt. Lady Macdonald
High on Lady Macdonalds ESE Ridge

Routes

East South East Ridge (II 5.5): A much more challenging route to the summit than the popular hiking trail/scramble. This ridge starts about 45 minutes up Cougar Creek and has many hours of great scrambling as well a few steep pitches of fun rock climbing. The steep drop-offs along the ridge won’t soon be forgotten! Descent is made down the hiking trail back to Canmore.  8-12 hours round trip.  Group size up to 2 if both are experienced scramblers.

Steep climbing section on the ESE ridge of Lady Mac

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
  • Sweater/Fleece
  • Rain Jacket
  • Rain/Wind Pants
  • Light Gloves
  • Toque
  • Sunglasses
  • Headlamp
  • Sunscreen
  • Water Bottles (2 litres)
  • Lunch