Mountain height

Mount Norquay - August 26, 2005

Mountain height:       2,522 m (8,274 ft)
Elevation gain:           1,000 m
Ascent time:              3:05
Descent time:            1:40

Scrambling with Kevin.

In several respects, Mount Norquay could be deemed the perfect scramble:

short, with no approach
no bushwhacking or scree-bashing
lots of hands on scrambling on solid rock
some difficult scrambling, some exposure (but not too much of either!)
great scenery on and around the mountain
a terrific summit panorama
several optional descent routes, including at least two that avoid having to downclimb the difficult sections

That, basically, describes our experience on this diminutive but exciting mountain.

Attaining the east summit was definitely the most exciting and challenging part of the trip. Some difficult scrambling took us to the ridge and the crux – a ramp followed by a very short, but vertical climb to the ridge. The crux was only one or two moves and the high quality rock made for some very enjoyable scrambling.

From the east summit, the higher west summit was easily gained and the trip from one to the other had some great scenery. The perfect weather and recent dusting of snow on some of the surrounding peaks certainly helped.

For the descent, we decided to avoid the crux (and unnecessary elevation gains and losses) by traversing easy slopes on the west side of the ridge. Judging by the trail, we were not the first to take this route (actually, I later found out that Sonny Bou also chose this easy alternative – what’s that they say about great minds?!). We also avoided all of the steep and more exposed scrambling from the ridge to the chairlift terminal, by descending the gully Kane recommends in his description. The entire descent was remarkably fast and easy ending a terrific day.

A highly recommended trip that can be completed in far less time than Kane’s minimum time.