01

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

Ochre Spring Peak
  • Location: Kootenay National Park
  • Activity: Scrambling
  • Height: 2,777 m (9,111 ft)
  • Elevation Gain: 1,350 m (4,429 ft)
  • Distance: 12.4 km / Round Trip (7.7 mi)
  • Avg Steepness: 12.3°
  • Estimated Time: 6.5-9 hrs
  • Technicality: Intermediate
  • Fitness Level: Moderate

I decided to return to my failed attempt at GR576724 which is south of Whymper and west of Vermillion in Kootenay. There was a summit cairn, but I don’t know if this peak has a nickname, so I decided to call it “Ochre Spring Peak”. I forgot who but someone suggested south slope approach, so I looked at my pictures and found out there is a huge avalanche gully all the way down to bottom. So unlike last time I took this south slope approach.

Approach:
This is an easy and educational approach on Ochre Creek Trail. Getting the ascent route, the avalanche gully was super easy, because the gully hits the trail about 3 km from the parking lot. It is the first gully and it is huge and impossible to miss it (page 3).

The Avalanche Gully and South Slope:
I didn’t trust the highest point I could see from the trail was the summit, but actually it was. Stay on the gully all the way up the treeline. Unfortunately I didn’t find any trail here. Once at alpine, no route finding necessary. I decided to get to the ridge first then traversed to the summit. On the way back, I directly descended to the avalanche gully. The scree was frozen, so it is hard to tell, but I am guessing the scree on my descent route might be a superb scree for scree run.

02

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

Winter is coming.

03

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

At the avalanche gully. The highest point is the peak.

04

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

From below the summit looked closer but felt like never got close to the summit while I was ascending.

05

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

Just enough snow from a night ago to make mountain white.

06

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

Could have been the best view of Goodsirs…

07

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

Peaks on Great Divide.

08

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

North. Banff side still had blue sky.

09

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

This interesting ridge shape helped to keep snow on top. While walking on snow on the ascent slope was hardly hard work, but ridge top got more than enough to dip my foot all the way in.

10

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

There were cloudy periods, sunny periods, but in the afternoon, certainly Darth Vader from Rockwall invaded to north.

11

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

Summit view. Too bad, I had high hope for the view from here…

12

Ochre Spring Peak | 2011-10-29

Triggered a small avalanche. It was cool to see suddenly snow broken into pieces and slid down.

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