The North Face, Mt. Edith Cavell
At 11,033 feet, the highest of Mount Edith Cavell's summits is accessible via numerous routes and is popular among mountaineers. It lies in the Athabasca and Astoria River valleys in the Edith Cavell Region along the Continental Divide. One of the more famous routes---not for the inexperienced---is The North Face, which has three variations to different summits (the East Summit, the Colorado Spur and the Main Summit). The North Face is considered classic by climbers worldwide. The route is more than 5,000 vertical feet and includes a good amount of solid quartzite. Depending on the season, conditions and variations from the original route, there can be mixed snow, ice and rock terrain, as well as some glacier traversing.
This peak is not far from the town of Jasper and can be accessed by Highway 93A, which winds alongside the river through the Athabasca Valley. It leads to the slopes of the peak. The routes are accessible via a trailhead at the end of Cavell Road.
Japanese Route, Mt. Alberta
At 11,884 feet, Mount Alberta is the sixth highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and rises higher than any other peak in the Winston Churchill Range. One of the last summits reached in the Canadian Rockies, it lies far from any roads and includes a strenuous approach and difficult route just to get to the base. Although rated moderately by the six people from the Japanese Alpine Club and their two guides who first climbed it in 1925, the first part of the route includes various horizontal ledge systems covered with debris from the friable, vertical shale cliffs that rise 300- to 600-plus-feet above.
The descent reverses the route and, as with all mountain climbing, conditions vary depending on weather and season.
Skyladder, Mt. Andromeda
Located halfway between the towns of Jasper and Lake Louise at the Columbia Icefield, 11,318-foot Mt. Andromeda stands next to Mt. Athabasca and is surrounded by glaciers. The moderate ice climb Skyladder is the most popular route on the peak and was first climbed in 1960 by J. Fairly and B. Parks. The route climbs the right shoulder of the mountain, crossing a sometimes-difficult bergschrund (crevasse created by glacial ice separating from surface ice) up to an ice face that starts out as steep as 45 degrees but gradually kicks back as the ridge to the summit is approached. Various descents are available. Depending on the season, the ice will alternately stick around through the summer or melt away completely, and conditions vary widely.
