Rimwall Summit

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Rimwall Summit
  • Location: Kananaskis Country (Highway 742)
  • Activity: Scrambling
  • Height: 2,680 m (8,793 ft)
  • Elevation Gain: 970 m (3,183 ft)
  • Distance: 7.5 km / Round Trip (4.7 mi)
  • Avg Steepness: 14.5°
  • Estimated Time: 5-8 hrs
  • Technicality: Advanced
  • Fitness Level: Moderate
Pink line is the actual track I took which was recorded by my GPS. Kane's book describes that likely you have to walk downhill alongside of a major rock band until able to sneak around to its low point. I think if you go all the way to waypoint "Cairn 1", either you have to lose elevation as Kane says or do climber's scramble like we did. My suggestion is at waypoint "Aim for cairn 4", you should bushwhack for 80 m toward NW and find a weak point on the major rock band before it becomes too big like our descent route. This way you don't have to lose elevation or do climber's scramble.

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The day started wrong. First, I forgot to bring my camera and GPS, so I had to go back making my buddies wait. Then Shaun's car started make metal-to-metal squeaking sound. We stopped and looked at a wheel. A small rock somehow sneaked into between disc brake and a cover (I don't know its name). We could remove the rock and continued to our destination. Please pave Smith-Dorrien. I bug you!!

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It was another typical winter day. Cold and some clouds.

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Rimwall had several moderate scramble spots unlike some over rated summits such as Cascade. Winter condition made the scramble harder but still was manageable.
(Photo By Ali Shariat)

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Spray Lakes at bottom. Mount Nestor and Old Goat Mountain behind.
(Photo By Ali Shariat)

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Instead of go downhill to avoid this major rock band, the three idiotic musketeers decided to scramble up the rock band. First attempt was failed due to the snow up top.
(Photo By Ali Shariat)

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But we found another weakness. From this angle it doesn't look too bad I thought. Mark tried but he couldn't, so I tried but with pole in handy. I was able to break ice with pole to create more hand/foot holds.
(Photo By Ali Shariat)

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I thought this is a difficult scramble from bottom, but from top looking down, I think this is climber's scramble hahahahhaha. We spend 30 min or so. The other members who went down to avoid this rock band went way ahead of us.

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While we were fooling ourselves, I saw the darkness was coming.

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The last picture of a lovely day, the darkness took everything away after this.

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We had 1 minute break from the darkness and we could see the summit and other members ahead of us.
(Photo By Ali Shariat)

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Many people underestimate how hard hiking is. Look at Kinu. She was young and beautiful before this hike, but after hours of continues exhaustion, she aged 50 years older.
(Photo By Ali Shariat)

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Farewell to the others who already made it to the summit, we kept going. Some may wonder why they didn't wait for us. It's not because they didn't want to wait again after they waited for me this morning. Under such condition, you don't want to stop. If you do, you only get cold. In fact after the snack break we had before the darkness came, we didn't stop and rest. We didn't open backpack again for snack or even for water that day.

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At the summit. The three idiotic musketeers. From left, Mark, me, then Ali.
(Photo By Ali Shariat)

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Spending three minutes at the summit, we decided to get the hell out… The shortest amount of time I spend at summit.

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At least I didn't have to see view of Canmore again.

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As we came down below tree line, the darkness went away. AGAIN we were up there at the wrong time!

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Since we got separated we took a group picture at the parking. From left, Shaun, Zofia, Kinu, Mark, Ali, Andrea, and me.

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