Mount Fox

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Mount Fox
  • Location: Kananaskis Country (Kananaskis Lakes)
  • Activity: Scrambling
  • Height: 2,973 m (9,754 ft)
  • Elevation Gain: 1,680 m (5,512 ft)
  • Distance: 19.0 km / Round Trip (11.8 mi)
  • Avg Steepness: 10.0°
  • Estimated Time: 9-13 hrs
  • Technicality: Expert.3c
  • Fitness Level: Athlete
Red line is the actual track I took up to where I went which was recorded by my GPS.

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Fox Lake. There is pretty beach there. Where are bikini girls?

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Mount Fox. This one is serious. Ascent route is the right ridge. Once scramble begins, there is no time out. Continuous serious hands on scrambles for 700 m elevation.

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We made our trip little harder by trying this beast which is off route.
(Photo By Ali Shariat)

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Ali finishing up the beast.
(Photo by Mark Evans)

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These waves of monster bumps were waiting for us.

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Elk Range. This is like 5 day backpacking ridge walking!

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Let the scramble ramble begin p( `o´ )q
(Photo by Ali Shariat)

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Horrifying!! Horrifying!! Horrifying!! This is typical scramble here.
(Photo by Ali Shariat)

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This is crux area. First you have to come up difficult scramble where I saw a piton for those who bring ropes (cheaters!!). Then there is a hop hop little rocks and don't fall or die which reminds me of "Takeshi's Castle" a TV show. Then you reach this narrow but small walkway like Lady Mc's ridge where Mark is on the photo. Then there is another hop hop little rocks then the pinnacle, the crux, which you will see later from pictures from descent.

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You cannot see the other side of Fox while ascending, getting up the peak suddenly introduces you whole new wonderful views!!

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Mount Fox and Frozen Lake. Frozen Lake was surprisingly deep and no bikini girls.

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North side. Kananaskis Lakes.

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Guess what I found? The summit log placed by Alan Kane in 1995 and his log!! If you don't know him, he is the recipient of the Banff Mountain Book Festival's Canadian Rockies Award with his book "Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies". Many people call his book "Bible" including myself. The man who started scramble madness in the Canadian Rockies.

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Descent. This is crux, the pinnacle I was talking about. Mark challenging this beast.

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This is the short but narrow walkway right after the pinnacle. Ali on top of it.

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Me at the pinnacle. You can see the hop hop little rocks I was talking about at the right bottom corner.
(Photo by Ali Shariat)

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Not sure what Mark is doing… So you think you can dance?
(Photo by Ali Shariat)

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Typical down climb.

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Typical typical.

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Horrendously typical. This weekend, Mount Fox and 3 peaks of Mount Lougheed combined, three of us have spent 22 hours of hardcore scrambling. We have covered 39 km, and 3600 m elevation gain.


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