Glacier Mountaineering Society

Fri, Jul 21 2006 - Allen Mountain (View Original Event Details)

Coordinator(s):		Stephen Smith
Participants:		Stephen Smith

Write Up:
It was another successful J. Gordon Edwards Climbing Day with many participants gathering in the Many Glacier area for multiple climbs. My group of ten started out at 7:30 a.m. to climb Allen Mountain. I coordinated this climb in 2005 and enjoyed it so much I decided to do it again. I won’t repeat route details, but this strong group enjoyed a different descent route this year. After ascending the Snow Moon Basin route followed by a leisurely lunch on the summit, we decided to descend the Northwest Slope route to Lake Josephine while two of our group enjoyed the Cracker Lake descent which my group had done in 2005. Both of these descent routes enable one to make a loop out of the climbing day without retracing steps, but the Northwest Slope is most likely the shortest descent option. Angling to the north (right) while descending the Northwest Slope route allows climbers to avoid heavy bushwacking by picking up a northbound game trail that eventually intersects with a large avalanche chute. This chute leads directly down to the hiking trail on the east shore of Lake Josephine.

After three Allen ascents, I have found some keys to success are an early start, having access to more water than usual, and careful route finding at the crux or the “great break.” The climb has many varying, memorable features including gorgeous Schwab Falls, unique views of the Many Glacier valley and beyond, and some fun scrambling which combined result in my high recommendation of Allen Mountain.

Have some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Tim Anderson at twamontana@gmail.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.