Hiking Cayoosh Mountain near Pemberton
Contents
Cayoosh Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 15.20Km
Elevation Gain: 1,300m
Highest Elevation: 2,561m
Average Gradient: 17.10%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Very High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Winter
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Very steep (50 degree) snow climb, glacier travel.
Cayoosh Mountain Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°22’49.0″N 122°28’28.2″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.
Cayoosh Mountain Overview
Cayoosh Mountain is a glaciated peak in the heart of the Duffey area near Pemberton. In the winter this is a popular region for ski touring, with a number of options for day trips suitable for many abilities. From a hiking perspective there are several ways to summit Cayoosh Mountain, but the most popular is a winter approach from the east, passing over the Armchair Glacier before a very steep but short snow climb up to the summit. The summer scramble over the south ridge is covered in Matt Gunn’s Scrambles in Southwestern BC, however this is much less popular and more involved than a winter ascent.
Thanks to its popularity with skiers, the eastern approach described here will usually benefit from an abundance of skin tracks guiding the way for the majority, if not the entire hike. Hikers should be aware that this route passes directly over the Armchair Glacier, though in the depths of winter any crevasses are typically well bridged by a deep snowpack. By glacier standards this is a more benign glacier and most parties do not rope up. As always though, caution must be taken around glaciers, particularly towards the beginning and end of the winter when snow bridges will be thin.
Beyond the glacier there is also a traverse across a steep avalanche grade slope, followed by a snow climb up a ~50 degree slope. Most people will use crampons and an ice axe for this section. All of this combined makes Cayoosh Mountain a technical ascent with significant avalanche risk, pushing this more towards mountaineering than hiking. As such this “hike” should only be attempted by experienced parties with knowledge, experience and training in backcountry winter travel through steep, complex avalanche terrain.
Timing an ascent of Cayoosh Mountain is imperative to a successful outing. Given the terrain, you will want to ensure avalanche conditions are favorable, but you also want to be confident that the glacier is well covered with a thick snowpack to minimize the risk of falling into any crevasses. Given these facts, the most popular months for this route to Cayoosh Mountain are around December to April, with January to March the prime months for ideal conditions. Outside of these months the snowpack may be too thin to be confident that any crevasses are covered. A summer ascent from this route would be unusual due to the risks of traveling on the glacier without a snowpack, and the steep ascent at the end may not even be possible if the rock is loose. If you intend to summit Cayoosh in the summer you should refer to Matt Gunn’s book for that route, which is different to the route described here.
While dogs are permitted on this route, most people wouldn’t bring them due to the steep and technical terrain.
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Is Cayoosh Mountain worthwhile?
Any trip out to the Duffey rewards visitors with some of the finest views on offer in SWBC, and Cayoosh Mountain is one of the premier objectives in the region. The views from the glacier and for the remainder of the ascent are hard to rival, with stunning panoramic views from the summit. Cayoosh Mountain should be saved for favorable conditions on a bluebird day, which can be few and far between in the winter. While this hike is certainly challenging, both physically and technically, this is perhaps one of the best winter hikes SWBC has to offer.
How difficult is the hike to Cayoosh Mountain?
Physically speaking Cayoosh Mountain is a difficult hike with a steep average gradient for a winter outing. Just how difficult this is will depend on the conditions when you go. After fresh snow you may need snowshoes the entire day, and if you’re breaking trail you can be sure this will be a tiring one. Usually there is a well defined skin track leading most, if not all of the way up, in which cases things will be noticeably easier. If you can time it after a period of little or no precipitation you will make your life much easier as you will be pretty much guaranteed a skin track to follow. This will help immensely with navigation as well, particularly lower down through the trees, but also higher up across the traverse and up the snow slope (see below).
Technically this hike has a number of challenges and is the main reason this has been listed as a very difficult hike. Up to the base of the glacier is mostly straightforward travel, but from then on there are a number of factors to consider. Firstly any travel on a glacier needs due caution, and while many parties are happy to go unroped, some people may want to consider this, especially earlier or later in the season when the snowpack is thinner. At the top of the glacier you will reach a steep traverse across an avalanche grade slope. While only brief, perhaps a hundred meters or so, this can be tricky, especially if there isn’t a well defined skin track leading across. The fall below is steep, and an ice axe would be recommended to arrest any slips.
Immediately after the traverse you’ll reach the climb up to a plateau before the summit block. This climb is very steep, reaching around 50 degrees. Obviously there is a significant avalanche concern on a slope of this gradient, and this is way too steep for snowshoes. Hikers will need to kick steps into the snow and climb up, using an ice axe (or two) for balancing and arresting any falls. The steep slope is fairly short, perhaps 50m, and any fall will usually just mean a long slide back to the plateau below. In favorable conditions with well consolidated snow this slope can be straightforward, but in icy conditions you will absolutely need crampons and an ice axe, and any fall would be more consequential. Climbing this slope in deep, fresh powder could be challenging as well. To add to the complexity there is also often a large cornice at the top of this slope that can add to the risk. Some years the cornice is small or nonexistent, but on other years the cornice can be so large that you have to dig through it to crest the top. The risk of a cornice collapse as you climb up is not one to take lightly, especially in spring when warming can destabilize the cornice.
Once you’re beyond the steep snow slope (and cornice), the remainder of the ascent to the summit is straightforward.
Cayoosh Mountain Route Information
The trailhead for Cayoosh Mountain is on the right hand side of Duffey Lake Road, around 2.5km after passing the Joffre Lakes parking lot (see coordinates). This is a plowed parking area that is usually fairly large, however it is also very popular on a sunny weekend, so be sure to get there early (this is a hike that you should be starting around sunrise or earlier anyway).
From the parking lot you’ll cross the road and should readily see tracks leading up an FSR. If there are no tracks, well, you’re in for a long day! The FSR begins ascending at a slight gradient, and after 1.5km or so you’ll reach a big switchback with another trail leading off to the left. Ignoring this trail you’ll continue on the main FSR, which now becomes completely flat for the next kilometer. Beyond this the trail now narrows with the possibility of some overgrowth in the early/late season, and around 500m ahead the FSR ends, leaving you in a sparse, open forest with a clear visual of Cayoosh Mountain looming far ahead.
From here there are a couple of routes up through the forest, and you’ll see that the up route differs from the down route on the GPX. The standard route is the up route, and after a brief climb through some sparse trees you’ll find yourself at the base of an open slope that skiers often like to descend. You’ll now climb up this steep slope for around 100 vertical meters, before departing into the treeline. After some brief navigation through the trees you’ll find yourself at a fairly sizable frozen lake, with some imposing buttresses beyond.
Working around the northern edges of the lake you’ll want to follow the tracks into the forest rather than continuing around to the other side. There is a popular ski touring trip that goes beyond the lake called Lazy Boy, but you want to diverge from this trail and enter the forest. This section of the forest can be a little bushy, with different parties picking different routes through. If in doubt, refer to your map, but most tracks will all have the same goal of ascending through the forest and reaching the alpine. It’s only around 100 vertical meters in this ugly stuff before you break out.
From around 1,700m on you’ll be out of the dense forest, and side hilling a little as you continue to climb up. If you have a skin track to follow, navigation should now be very obvious. The views behind you will now be fantastic, and will only get better as you climb higher.
The general direction should be quite straightforward, but refer to your map to ensure you’re on course, especially if you don’t have tracks to follow. You’ll continue to climb fairly steeply towards the base of the glacier, at one point gaining a rib and descending briefly. It may not exactly be obvious where the Armchair Glacier begins as it will be buried in a dense snowpack, but most GPX maps will indicate where the glacier is approximately. The bottom of the glacier is a broad plateau that you’ll need to arc around in order to not lose elevation.
Once you’re on the glacier most skin tracks will tend to zigzag their way up to reduce the gradient, which you may choose to follow. On snowshoes though, you can simply go straight up the middle, which will be steep but more efficient. After around 350m of elevation gain on the glacier you’ll top out at a plateau where you may want to consider switching to crampons for the traverse ahead, depending on conditions. This is also a great place for a break as the views from here are exceptional. Some skiers will stop here and descend back down the bowl for a more chill outing.
Once you’re ready to continue you’ll likely see a trail ahead traversing across a steep slope towards a saddle. While fairly short, this traverse can be tricky in snowshoes due to the steepness of the hill, but some people manage fine in them. Either way you’ll want to get out your ice axe now to arrest any potential slips, working your way slowly across. It’s fairly short lived, and on the other side you’ll find yourself at the base of the steep climb up to the summit block. You may also note some skin tracks leading away from this slope, they’re heading towards what’s known as the Million Dollar Couloir, a popular yet advanced ski line back down the mountain.
If you’ve still got snowshoes on, now is the time to switch out to crampons as this slope is too steep for snowshoes and it’s much easier to transition gear here than midway up. Skiers will often bootpack up without crampons, and some people manage fine in microspikes, but it’s best to bring them just in case. You’ll also want to keep your axe out.
The start of this slope is a lower angle that you’ll manage just fine, but around half way up the grade really increases, with the final 50m or so around a 50 degree slope. That essentially means you’ll be kicking steps into the snow and climbing it like a staircase, using your ice axe(s) to plunge into the snow for leverage with your hands. Sometimes there will be a staircase already kicked in from previous parties, but if not you’ll have to do it yourself. In the right conditions this can be quite straightforward, but if the snow is icy it might prove challenging and you’ll definitely want crampons, or if the snow is deep it might be hard to get any support beneath your feet. Take note of any cornices overhead and do your best to avoid remaining beneath them.
The grade eases off for the last 5m or so and cresting the ridge will hopefully be straightforward. If there is a large cornice, however, this can be a challenge. Sometimes parties will dig through the cornice in order to get through, though this obviously comes with its own risks.
Once you’ve reached the top of this snow climb you’re still around 30m from the summit. The remainder of the ascent should be much simpler though, mostly on a mix of rime and snow, and nowhere near as steep as the slope you just climbed up. In no time you’ll be on the top, where the views will now be panoramic.
Looking south along the ridge you’ll see the famous Joffre range, with Joffre Peak, Mount Matier, Mount Hartzell, Mount Spetch and Slalok Mountain all prominently on display. The most prominent peak to the west will be Saxifrage Peak and Mount Oleg, with Rhododendron & Ipsoot Mountain beyond. To the north will lie Mount Marriott and to the east will be Mount Rohr. There will be an ocean of peaks in every direction, with incredible views as far as the eye can see. Hopefully the winds won’t be too strong and you can stay and enjoy the views for a while.
After finishing up at the summit you retrace your steps back down. On the steep slope you may need to face in and downclimb following the same staircase that you kicked in on the way up. Once the gradient reduces you can likely face forward and plunge through the snow back to the plateau, before traversing back across to the top of the glacier. After descending the glacier and reaching the treeline, you can either follow your ascent route back, or you can take a shortcut as we did that is a bit more direct but more involved route finding. This might save a little time rather than the arced approach up. Soon enough you’ll be back on the FSR for the tedious plod back out.
When should I hike Cayoosh Mountain?
The prime months for this hike to Cayoosh Mountain would be January to March, with December and April also usually working fine. Early May might also work depending on the year’s snowpack, but outside of that you take the chance that the snow bridges over the Armchair Glacier may be weakening.
Obviously there is a lot of risk on a hike like this, so timing your hike for the right conditions is imperative to a successful outing.
Top Tip
Early spring is often a good time for this hike as the snowpack on the crevasses will be at its deepest. If you are able to go after several days without snow you have a good chance of having tracks for the entire hike since this is a popular area. Ideally you can time it for LLL avalanche ratings, which are more common in early spring as well.
Start the hike as early as possible, preferably 7am or earlier, to give yourself enough time. This is even more important in the midst of winter when it can be dark by 4pm. Spring helps with this as it gets dark much later. Set a turnaround time for when you absolutely have to stop your ascent and head back to avoid being caught out too late.
Obviously you’ll need to carry avalanche beacon/shovel/probe, as well as snowshoes, crampons, ice axe(s) and all your usual winter safety gear and clothing. This will be a heavy pack kind of day.
