Hiking Slalok Mountain near Pemberton
Contents
Slalok Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 12.10Km
Elevation Gain: 1,430m
Highest Elevation: 2,653m
Average Gradient: 23.63%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 9 – 11 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 9 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: No
Season: ~Late winter / Early Spring
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Constant travel on 30-45 degree snow.
Slalok Mountain Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°22’12.0″N 122°29’58.1″W
Disclaimer: Winter hiking (snowshoeing) involves significantly more risk than summer hiking. Hikers should be prepared with appropriate education, training and equipment for all possibilities, including but not limited to avalanches. A mistake such as going off trail, getting lost or injured can be far more dangerous in winter than summer. You are responsible for your own safety, and while I am happy to give my opinion on this website as to the avalanche risk of a specific hike, do not take this as fact and please do your own research. Everybody has different risk tolerances and mine might be different to yours.
Slalok Mountain Overview
Slalok Mountain is an iconic summit located in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park near Pemberton. As the jaw dropping, glacier clad backdrop to Upper Joffre Lake, Slalok is gazed upon and photographed by flocks of visitors year-round, though the vast majority will not even think about climbing it. Indeed, there is no trail to the summit, with any ascent entirely self-navigated from the upper lake, with a few possible routes to get there depending on the season.
In the summer the standard route to Slalok Mountain is via an exposed (Class 4) scramble along the west ridge as described in Scrambles in SWBC, with climbers following the Tszil Mountain route before continuing along the ridge to Slalok. There are a couple of scrambling steps along this ridge with “death drop” exposure, so only the most confident and capable parties will tend to tackle this route successfully.
Slalok actually sees considerably more ascents in the winter and spring thanks to the popularity of ski touring and mountaineering in the region. A deep snowpack makes the ascent far less technical during this time, though of course this still requires significant travel in avalanche zones, as well as glacier travel. The standard winter/spring route ascends Slalok’s north face directly from the far end of upper Joffre Lake. Skiers will tend to follow an uptrack onto the edge of Matier Glacier before gaining the northeast ridge to the top, before skiing directly down Stonecrop Glacier then the north face gully back to the lake. Snowshoers tend to climb straight up and down the north face gully, before continuing along Stonecrop Glacier to the summit. This makes for a very steep and sustained climb in constant avalanche terrain. Either way, both skiers and snowshoers need to time this for excellent conditions.
With that said, the route described here will be the winter/spring route via the gully on the north face and Stonecrop Glacier. This is generally a winter or spring trip when both the gully and glacier are well filled in and a snowpack allows for seamless travel. During the summer the north face will see next to no traffic due to the steep ice that will cover the majority of the route. If you plan to ascend in summer you will most likely need to follow the summer scramble via the west ridge route over Tszil Mountain.
Access to Slalok Mountain is from the Joffre Lakes parking lot, which is plowed in the winter and is thus accessible to all vehicles. Dogs are not welcome in the park so leave the pup at home.
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Is Slalok Mountain worthwhile?
Any hike in the Joffre group of peaks will generally offer incredible views, and with Slalok being the 3rd highest peak in the zone you can be assured the vista from the summit is truly staggering. The views of Mount Matier and Joffre Peak are hard to rival (Hartzell is certainly a worthy opponent), but you certainly have to earn this one the hard way, with a gruelling 1,100m steep ascent from the lake.
How difficult is the hike to Slalok Mountain?
To be clear, Slalok Mountain is a mountaineering objective, not a hike, and it comes with a few risks, namely the significant amount of travel in avalanche terrain. The entire 1,100m climb from the upper lake to the summit is between 30-45 degrees, all of which is a prime avalanche zone. Conditions need to be perfect to reduce the risk on Slalok, and naturally it should only be attempted by capable and knowledgeable parties. The route also passes over Stonecrop Glacier, and while most parties don’t rope up for this glacier, any glacier travel always carries an element of risk.
It should also be noted that the north face gully is the descent route for ski tourers, so you can expect to encounter them during the day, especially on a sunny weekend. This adds further risk, as skiers coming down may set off an avalanche overhead without knowing there’s a party below. If you want to reduce this risk you can of course follow the ski touring uptrack on to Matier Glacier before connecting to the NE ridge before summiting, then descending the north face gully.
It goes without saying that this route requires mountaineering crampons, an ice axe and avalanche gear given the constant steep gradient. The climb from the lake to the summit averages at a 55% gradient, by far the steepest, most sustained climb on this site. All in all, Slalok is one of the riskiest routes on this website and should only be attempted by capable parties under ideal conditions.
Slalok Mountain Route Information
Parking for this route to Slalok Mountain is from Joffre Lakes, on the side of Duffey Lake Road, with a large main parking lot that is typically plowed in the winter. The overflow lot is usually only available in the summer. Usually in the winter it’s not as busy and parking is plentiful, especially if you begin at the time that this hike requires.
I won’t go into great detail around the hike to Upper Joffre Lake, if you want to read about it you can do so here. In the winter you will absolutely want to bring microspikes for the trail, as it’s still very popular in the winter and most of the trail becomes a luge track of ice. Some people make do with their snowshoes/crampons, but spikes are easier for this terrain. You may be able to hike straight over Lower Joffre Lake if it’s well frozen, otherwise it’s best to go around.
After around 4km and 350m of gain you’ll reach Upper Joffre Lake, hopefully in around an hour or so. This is a good spot for a break, and most parties will switch to snowshoes here as the heavily trafficked trail to the lake is over.
Assuming the lake is well frozen, you can now cross it, generally aiming for the southern point of the lake. Your general direction will be towards the imposing north face of Slalok, and you can see your entire route to the summit from the lake, which will look impossibly steep, but it’s manageable once you get up closer to it.
The first 100m or so of climbing from the south side of the lake will be straightforward and mostly low gradient. At around 1,650m the Matier Glacier uptrack that the skiers take will separate from the north face gully. If you are opting to go up via Matier Glacier you will need to trend climbers left, away from the gully, and follow that route (not described here).
On the gully route, the climbing will stay straightforward enough until around 1,750m elevation, at which point you will want to switch gears. Don’t make the mistake of continuing to climb with the plan to switch gear later as once it gets steep you will have little opportunity to stop and switch without struggling with your pack on a steep slope. Now is the time to put your crampons on, get your ice axe out and put on extra layers/gloves if needed. You may also want to get some food/drink down you, or stash your pockets with snacks, as your opportunity to stop for a break will be limited all the way to the summit, more or less, once it gets steep.
The route now is very obvious, straight up the gully. The first few hundred meters is actually the steepest part of the route, varying between 35-40 degrees. In good conditions you should be able to boot pack up quite readily, but icy conditions would make things far more difficult. We found keeping central in the gully was more favorable as that’s where snow tends to accumulate most, with the edges of the gully often icy from snowmelt off the overhead cliffs.
There’s not much to say about the climb up to the glacier, it’s steep and seemingly relentless. If you head out early (you should) you will hopefully avoid any skiers coming down the route as you climb. You’ll need to ascend ~600m straight up from the lake before you reach the toe of the glacier at around 2,200m elevation, where the terrain briefly mellows out enough for you to be able to take your pack off without worrying it will slide all the way down the mountain. You can now also take in some of the majestic views of all 3 Joffre Lakes and the plethora of peaks behind you, which you likely couldn’t see on the ascent as you’re mostly staring at the floor in front of you when you climb the gully.
Once on the glacier the terrain really opens up and you can now see the summit ahead. It’s certainly still steep though! You will more or less be heading directly to the summit block now. Travel from ~2,200m to 2,500m will be a lot mellower than the gulley, albeit still quite steep compared to the average hike. At ~2,500m the route ascends to the ridge slightly east of the summit, with the gradient now picking up again, perhaps to the steepest grade of the day. Still, a good bootpack to the top works fine.
Once you gain the ridge, the final step is a short (~10m), icy climb up the summit block that shouldn’t prove too difficult.
The views are of course absolutely magnificent on a clear day. Mount Matier and Joffre Peak will steal the show, but countless more are on display as well, plus all 3 of the Joffre Lakes will be visible way down below.
After resting up on the summit you will head back down the same way. Some parties opt to glissade as much as they can (some can glissade practically the entire way back to the lake), while others will heel plunge back down. A combination of both worked well for us, it really depends on the conditions you have on the day as to which method works best. At no point should you really need to face in on the descent. Stay aware of any skiers descending the route and where they are. Let them go first if possible to prevent the risk of them setting off an avalanche above you. The descent back to the lake will not take anywhere near as long as the ascent. What might take 3 hours to climb can realistically be descended in 30 minutes, potentially even less if you glissade the majority.
Once back at the lake you can switch out of the crampons and any other gear. I suggest stopping at the north side of the lake and looking back at the tracks you have set on the climb up. It’s pretty crazy to look back and see the route you took to get up there.
When should I hike Slalok Mountain?
Slalok Mountain is best climbed between mid winter and early spring. The peak months will be February to April, but a month either side will generally work fine as well, depending on the snowpack of the season. Early winter is possible but likely not ideal as the gully and glacier may not be well filled in with snow at this point.
Of course, if you are going in summer then you will want to take the scramble route over Tszil Mountain.
Top Tip
You’ll want to bring at least microspikes, crampons and an ice axe for this route, and usually snowshoes as well. We managed to get away without snowshoes when we went in the spring, but that was only because we had confirmation that they weren’t needed before we went.
You should only attempt this route in ideal conditions due to the significant avalanche risk of the route. An early start and finish is strongly recommended for safer avalanche conditions and glacier travel. Most parties will begin before sunrise. Another reason to begin early is to minimize the chance of skiers descending above you as you climb the gully.
Finish all your gear changes, layer changes, food/drink intake etc. before starting the steep gully climb. Once you are in the gully it is very challenging to stop and take your pack off for anything like this.
This entire route is north facing and you may not see any direct sunlight until you’re on Stonecrop Glacier, possibly even later in the depths of winter. Climbing the gully is slow and can also be very windy, so you may want to layer up before beginning the climb.
