Trip Details:
Date: November 2, 2019
Summit Elevation: 2470 m
Total Elevation Gain: 1030 m
Total Distance: 9.5 km
Round Trip Time: 4:26
Difficulty Notes: Class 2 The ascent route is part of the well-maintained Centennial Ridge Trail. In the fall snow and ice can occasionally obscure the trail and offer some additional challenge.
GPS Track: Olympic-Summit
At the start of November, Scott and I embarked on our last hike of the season. Our original goal was to summit Mt Allan, but, between the crazy winds and a wee bit of exhaustion, we decided to leave it for another day and stop at Olympic Summit. The Centennial Ridge Trail would be a good training run for my ultra in September. And, as I am writing this, the idea to make a loop of Olympic, Mt Allan and Mt Collembola is starting to look tempting. We’ll see what the new year holds!
It was a gorgeous day to be out in the mountains! The shorter days in the winter have many drawbacks, but they do make it easy to catch both the sunrise and the sunset while spending a day in the mountains. We were very much enjoying that fact on our drives! The sky was mostly clear, allowing us to take in a lot of the mountains, while the clouds added great accents to the views and to the sunrise and sunset.
The day was pretty warm, minus the winds. They weren’t something I had anticipated, but we could hear them loud and clear as we made our way through the trees. Once we got above treeline they hit us with their full force and were our constant companions. However, they did do a good job of scouring away all the snow and leaving us only a few snow pockets to deal with.
The climb up to Olympic Summit is steep and steady for a long time, but it offers up great views of the Kananaskis Valley. It made us work, but I was just glad to be out with Scott for one last adventure before the snow really started flying. Our paths have diverged a little now that I’ve dived headfirst into backcountry skiing. But, I’m looking forward to doing a couple winter adventures together.
Starting off from the Ribbon Creek Day Use Area. Just a light dusting of snow. Approaching the first viewpoint. Looking out at the Kananaskis. Scott posing in front of what I believe is the northern flank of Mt Kidd. Mt Kidd in the beautiful morning sky. The Centennial Ridge Trail continues to wind its way up to Olympic Summit. Mt Baldy in the distance. Mt Lorette I believe. After a steep climb, the summit block comes into view. Looking along the ridge at Olympic Summit. Mt Collembola pops into view. Approaching the summit block. We saw of herd of goats on the cliffs. We found their tracks again higher up but never saw them again. The snow deepens a lot right before the summit block. There is no way Nakiska should be open right now, but they were, and we could see skiers down below us. The snowshoes finally came in handy for a brief section. On the summit block. There wasn’t much snow up here, but the little that was was wind blasted and icy. Approaching the top of Olympic Summit. At the summit cairn, enjoying the view northeast towards Mt Lorette and Mt Baldy. Looking down the Kananaskis Valley. Mt Kidd and Ribbon Creek to our south. Ribbon Peak and Mt Bogart behind in the clouds, I think. Mt Sparrowhawk to the west of us is also shrouded in clouds, with Wind Mountain popping out on its right. Our original objective, Mt Allan, will have to wait for another day. Mt Collembola to our north. People usually access it from Nakiska, but I wonder if you can get there from Mt Allan.. And back to Mt Lorette. I still have so much to explore in the Kananaskis! Thankful to be up here on such a beautiful day. Looking down at Nakiska as we make our way off the summit block. Back down at the car and ready to head off into the sunset.
