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Dave Salahub \u2013 500 Ascents in 33 years(1976 to 2009)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A long time friend of mine \u2013 Dave Salahub e-mailed about skiing Little Temple by way of Lake Annette in Paradise valley.\u00a0 <\/span>Good snow coverage in Lake Louise area this year so sounded interesting.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>Dave, Dan Roulston and Brian Hunter and I followed old trail to the bridge below lake and then Dan broke trail up to lake, around the right side and up moraine to ridge.\u00a0 <\/span>We decided to gain the ridge (carried skis for 50 m) and then skied up the ridge through trees as the wind was gusting very heavily.\u00a0 <\/span>We broke out of the trees and continued up the snow until it changed to scree\/boulders.\u00a0 <\/span>The wind gusts were 100+ km\/hr and Brian and I did some of the scree but turned around when the skis came off.\u00a0 <\/span>We skied down through the trees a bit and then contoured over to the gully and back to the lake. Visibility was poor with the blowing snow and skiing was variable with alternating hard pack and pockets of softer snow.\u00a0 <\/span>There were rocks to avoid above the lake but good coverage for late November.\u00a0 <\/span>Dan and Dave continued to the summit and then also skied down the gully between the ridge and Mount Temple.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Dave had picked this summit because it had been his first summit as a 15 year old Venturer\/Boy Scout in 1976 and now 33 years later, it also was his 500th<\/sup> summit. \u00a0<\/span>I asked him what were his most interesting and memorable peaks from the 500( note the Grand Teton did not even make the top 20!)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n HI Bill.\u00a0 – The 20 most interesting\/memorable peaks was a great exercise.\u00a0 Here are some of my favourites (and as mentioned it seems the best memories come from not necessarily the peaks as they do from the trips that surrounded them).\u00a0 In no particular order:<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Gora Avachinsky (2741m, 2007)\u2013<\/span><\/span> volcanoe ski ascent in Kamchatka- one of those places I always wanted to visit.\u00a0 Some great spring (corn) skiing and an interesting approach (started with a 6-wheel drive Russian Kamaz transport truck which got high centered in the soft snow which was replaced by a full snowcat which we got stuck in the raging spring creek followed by a good ole snowmobile….)<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Assiniboine (3618m, 1987 w\/ Mark M<\/span><\/span>) \u2013 September long weekend \u2013 nasty conditions on the standard route from Hind Hut \u2013 took us longer to descend\/rap downclimb than it did for the ascent.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mount Whitney (4419m, 1989 w\/Diane)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 I think it took us 10 hrs one way for this \u201chike\u201d in what was up to thigh deep snow after a huge fall storm.\u00a0 We were on our honeymoon.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n East Ridge of Bugaboo Spire (Bill B, Kelly, Dave and Jim)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 13 hrs and a very real climb on that fantastic granite!<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mount St. Helens (Jody, Mark, Bob, Gregg)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 after it blew in 1980, the summit was closed to all hikers\/skiers until they opened the peak up in June of 1987.\u00a0 They had a permit system of 100 max hikers per day.\u00a0 We went down on a road trip, and did the hike after sleeping in our car at a forest service kiosk on the south side of the peak (to get a permit for the hike). \u00a0Did Mt Hood the next day.\u00a0 \u00a0I returned and did this hike again in 1991 with Diane.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Elbrus (5621, 2003 with four Russians from Nizhny Novgorod)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 about six weeks\u00a0 after the two climbers from Medicine Hat had perished, I was on the peak in what had to be similar conditions (terribly high winds, blowing snow, zero vis).\u00a0 Kept our smarts and with GPS and good gear we summitted and returned.\u00a0 Had a 60-hour period with not a wink of sleep due to very difficult camp conditions wind\/lightning, thunder.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Half Dome \u2013 in 1989 with Diane and again in 2005 with Jeff Gair<\/span><\/span>\u2013 a great hike and the railings in a fantastic setting and the crowds didn\u2019t bother me a bit.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Licancabur (5921m, 2004 with Jeff Gair)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 the culmination of a spectacular ten days in the Atacama Desert of Chile\/Bolivia.\u00a0 Like being on another planet for a vacation.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mount Bierstadt (4287, solo)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 first of about a dozen Colorado 14\u2019ers I was able to hike as a result of some frequent biz travel to Colorado and as stopover on Houston trips.\u00a0 A January day trip winter ascent with snowshoes \u2013 10 hrs one way but that was starting from my house in Calgary.\u00a0 Way to go Air Canada…..<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Orizaba (5536m with Jeff Gair in 2000) <\/span><\/span>\u2013volcano bagging trip to Mexico, inspired for me by the memory of a lost colleague and climbing friend, Robert Burge.\u00a0 Had views of Popocatapetl (5452m) blowing ash and steam as we summitted reminded me of that earlier trip to it\u2019s summit with Robert in 1985.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Columbia<\/span><\/span> (1987 with Margetak)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 for me I think about the sixth try to do that ski ascent.\u00a0 Finally hit great weather and from a camp near the trench, a great ski\/scramble and another place I never have to go back to!<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Castleton<\/span><\/span> Tower<\/span><\/span> (Bill Betts, Kelly, march, 1989)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 another fantastic rock climb and a great introduction to desert sandstone climbing.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mount Nelson (2007)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 a big scramble day in the Purcells.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cerro Condor (1990)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 snowcovered peak on Tierra del Fuego that was the first peak Diane and I climbed on a year-off travelling trip.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pico Lagazuio (Italian Dolomites, 2008)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 I made two via Ferrata trips to the Dolomites in 2008 in connection with North Africa biz travel.\u00a0 Did about a half-dozen popular and excellent via Ferrata routes, this one featuring a series of wartime tunnels that resulted in about 80% of the 650m vertical to summit the peak being scrambled with headlamp INSIDE the mountain.\u00a0 Headlamp\/helmet and via ferrata harness…..<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mount Stephen (2004)\u2013<\/span><\/span> fantastic and classic rockies scramble on a perfect hot August day.\u00a0 Fell asleep for two hours on the helipad on the summit.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mount<\/span><\/span> Temple<\/span><\/span> \u2013 must be something about this one.\u00a0 Did it for the first time at age 19 with a high school friend.\u00a0 Have returned a few times, and it was as enjoyable this past summer as it was the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cirque<\/span><\/span> Peak<\/span><\/span> \u2013 Dolomite area has always been a favourite of mine.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pigeon Spire (1987)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 way too much fun on solid rock in a scenic area!<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Little Temple (1976 and 2009)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 last Sunday just feels good \u2013 nice peak in a familiar area connecting me back to my teenage hiking roots.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Angels Landing (Zion, numerous times)<\/span><\/span> \u2013 just a great hike in a fantastic valley \u2013 Zion is a favourite place of mine along with many other places in Utah.\u00a0 Not so much scrambling done over the years, but a hike that I do at least once every time I\u2019m down there…<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n San Jacinto<\/span><\/span> (3302m, 2008).<\/span><\/span>\u00a0 The mother of all hikes.\u00a0 Cactus to Clouds.\u00a0 Just under 10 hrs one way, but with a documented 3370m total vertical gain including downs along the way from the starting point at the Museum in Palm Springs.\u00a0 The worst of it were the first two or three hours under headlamp in the 25C heat of the desert at night.\u00a0 The best of it is that your knees get a breather \u2013 you take \u00be of the downclimb on a tram.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But amidst those, there will always be the local favourites \u2013 scrambling and easy rock routes on Yam, Mt. Temple, Ha Ling Peak, Grotto, and Heart Mtn \u2013 peaks that it seems will be worth repeating for as long as the legs and lungs will allow…….<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Great attitude, interesting list and a great accomplishment.<\/p>\n Little Temple is a very good ski trip.\u00a0 About 20 km RT and 900m.\u00a0 Took us about 7.5 hrs? and everyone was on tele gear except me.\u00a0 The AT skis were good uphill, in the trees and on the windslab in the gully but the gradual uphill stretch of trail on the way out and the 2.5 km on the Moraine lake road were a bit of a pain on AT gear.<\/p>\n Pictures are here\u00a0 Little Temple<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dave Salahub \u2013 500 Ascents in 33 years(1976 to 2009) \u00a0 A long time friend of mine \u2013 Dave Salahub e-mailed about skiing Little Temple by way of Lake Annette in Paradise valley.\u00a0 Good snow coverage in Lake Louise area … Continue reading