Last updated on April 30th, 2020 at 09:55 pm
As my fifth summer in Banff kicks off I found myself with a random day off. The sun was shining and after a lengthy debate about what to hike we settled on scrambling Mount Rundle….after all, who could have lived here this long and not hiked it! We were not alone in our endeavor and I wanted to share a few tips I learnt along the way!
- Start early
This can be a BIG day. We hit the trail at 11am and I was surprised to find people heading up as we were descending. On average people complete the hike in 7 hours or more. One of my biggest regrets was not getting on the trail earlier, I was very aware of our time constraints the whole way up the mountain and this somewhat ruined my day if I’m honest.
2.) Take poles
There are no ifs or buts here, this mountain is steep! Relentlessly steep. You’ll appreciate them on the way up and rely on them on the way down. Loose scree and steep slab rock are what face you in the Alpine section of this mountain and due to the size of this beast, you spend a lot of time above that tree line.
3.) Think carefully about your footwear
The slabs of rock and patches of scree are tackled easily in a tough pair of hikers, either shoes or boots. Even a solid pair of trail runners would probably do just fine. For all my scrambling adventures, I prefer the ankle support of boots, you encounter a lot of loose rock and one falling and smashing your ankle would not be a great way to end your day, boots give you that extra protection.
On this particular day on Mount Rundle I couldn’t help but notice one poor guy who couldn’t go any further in his skate shoes as they just didn’t have the grip he needed. It would be crushing to me to have put in so much work to make it three quarters of the way but to not be able to summit due to poor gear choices.
4.) Vertigo = no go
If you suffer from vertigo, a ear of heights or have no head for exposure when scrambling Mount Rundle may not be the summit for you. I’ve heard many horror stories about people getting out of tree line and not being able to go any further. When I was descending I stumbled across a girl who couldn’t make it any further, the thinner section of the dragons back was too much for her.
Make no mistake the exposure here isn’t extreme but it definitely exists on the dragons back area of the hike. Scrambling often involves some level of exposure, I like the use the Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies book as a resource when planning my scrambling adventures to see if I trail is suitable for my skill and comfort level.
5.) Take lots of water!
A good stretch of this hike is above tree line, that means no shade and no water source. Take plenty of water with you. Sounds obvious but this is a strenuous hike which takes most people 7-10 hours to complete. Take plenty of snacks and lots of water. With that in mind never leave home without sun screen and a hat either!
6.) Pack some layers
I completed this hike in a tank top and shorts, which was perfect until the top. It was insanely windy and I needed all my layers in order to be able to enjoy the rewarding view I had worked so hard to see. Don’t be that person who has to cut their time at the top short due to being cold!
Lastly make sure you pop into the Parks Canada Visitor Centre in downtown Banff to grab there Scramblers Guide to Mount Rundle and check the latest trail conditions before heading out.
