Mount Smuts, Alberta

Elevation: 9640 ft / 2938 m

Degree of Difficulty:

Difficult (Kane calls it the most difficult in his book; much exposure)

Time to Complete Round Trip:

6 - 9 hours

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Information:

Well, I finally joined the Smuts Club.

I had been apprehensive about Mount Smuts ever since I purchased Kane's book. At the end of every summer I always stared longingly at those pages on Mount Smuts. Something about his words of warning sent shivers up my spineless back, picturing myself a red smear at the bottom of a steep drainage gully at the foot of the mountain. Of all 156 peaks in his book, Kane calls Mount Smuts the most difficult ascent. Only a few people succeed each year, and according to Kane some people require rescuing.

I finally went up on August 14, 2004, and although a few of the exposed sections made me ponder what the heck I was doing up there, I was able to prevail. It was one of the best days of my life!

This is a serious undertaking and in several sections a mistake could be your last. Attempt it only under ideal weather conditions. Wear a helmet too!

So I advise you rely on his expertise in his book, and see the disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

 

 

Where to Park:

Head to Engadine Lodge off the Spray Lakes Road. Park about a kilometer up the access road from the lodge. There's a little rough parking patch there (see Kane's book).

 

The Route:

What a dreadfully long hike in. Head to Commonwealth Creek and follow the rough path on the right of the creek. You'll see a nice waterfall along the way.

Mount Smuts is right beside The Fist, another difficult scramble.

 

Above: the start is a fairly easy or moderate scramble. The real adventure begins beyond the top of the yellow line shown.

 

This is where it gets interesting. Views looking down.

The crux for me was just below that "thumb" sticking up in the upper left. One slip along this stretch, and it's all over.

 

Just as Kane said in his book, pitons in the rock for those who bring rope.

 

I don't look too happy here, but I had just passed the crux of the mountain a few minutes earlier. Heart pounding!

A blessed flat section occurs a bit beyond the crux. The rest of the way was comparatively easy.

 

A cakewalk.

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Ah, the summit.

Of course, I donned the ceremonial orange shirt.

. . . and I put on my old geezer hat.

 

The first two entries in the register (1988) are from Alan Kane and Kris Thorsteinsson, the person who is pictured on the cover of his book.

(Thorsteinsson - obviously a good Icelandic guy)

 

I also saw Sonny Bou's entry, as seen above. He was up here in 1996.

He's always good for comic relief, much welcomed at the summit of this beast while you're shuddering at the inevitable descent.

His poem reads:

There once was a stupid old putz

Who wanted to climb up Mt. Smuts.

Not knowing to stop,

He climbed to the top,

And declared that he must have been nuts!

You can see his pictures of Smuts here.

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The Descent Route:

You don't have to descend the same way you came up. There is an alternate descent route that Kane mentions in his book. Make your way along the North ridge. You'll see a few possible gullies to your left. I picked one and quickly realized it was a mistake, so I made my way to one of the farther ones. I knew I was o.k. when I found a tiny stone cairn. This route wasn't too bad compared to the ascent.

 

After all this, you simply make your way down to Birdwood Lakes (below) and hike back around the mountain.

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SOME GREAT VIEWS FROM MOUNT SMUTS

Above, Mount Assiniboine

Above, Mount Birdwood

Above, the Spray Lakes Reservoir.

Above, The Fist as seen from the summit of Smuts. Looks tough, but it is easier than Mount Smuts. I did it a few years back.

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SOME PICTURES ALONG THE HIKE