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Date |
Ascent Time |
Descent Time |
| 1st Time |
12 Jul 98 |
3:58 |
3:42 |
| 2nd Time |
23 Aug 98 |
2:38 |
N/A. |
| 3rd Time |
29 Aug 00 |
4:20 |
2:40 |
12 Jul 98 - Mt. Niblock is one of the mountains surrounding Lake Louise.
More specifically, it overlooks Lake Agnes high above Lake Louise. It's a great mountain
for scrambling. There are numerous rockbands with running water which you can test your
skills. Above the col, you can test your balance and bouldering techniques as you make your
way to the summit. To get to this mountain, park at Lake Louise and walk to the lake-side
of the Chateau. As you face the lake, take the Lake Agnes tea house trail off to the right.
This is a very popular trail. From there, you will see see the remaining trail to the
summit.
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12 Jul 98 - Here we see Lake Agnes with Mt. Niblock (right) and
Mt. Whyte (left) high above. Follow a well worn trail around Lake Agnes to the back
side of the lake. Once at the other side of the lake, you will need to branch off the
well worn trail (which leads to the Big Bee Hive), and go towards Mt. Niblock.
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12 Jul 98 - As you leave the Lake Agnes trail, heading towards
Mt. Niblock, you will first go up a long scree slope. Follow this scree to the first
set of rockbands.
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12 Jul 98 - Here is a closer view of the first rockband. You
will encounter several of these on your way to the summit. It really doesn't matter which
way you climb these rockbands, but generally speaking, you want to stay in the middle of
the first rockband.
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12 Jul 98 - After clearing the first set of rockbands, you will come
to the upper gully. From there, head towards the black spot in the next rockband. I would
advise walking around this one. From there, just pick your spot as you beginning climbing
the next few rockbands.
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12 Jul 98 - The terrain of the upper rockbands is quite different
from the lower ones. On my first trip up, I came across a couple other people doing this
mountain. It was actually a Utah tourist and a Swiss guide. This picture will give you a
good idea of the type of climbing you will be doing on your way up the upper rockbands.
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12 Jul 98 - As you approach the summit, you will encounter some
really neat looking rocks, showing the different layers of rock.
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12 Jul 98 - Once you gain the col, you will see the path to Mt Whyte.
From this picture, you can see why I chose not to make the traverse. Also from the col (not
shown here), you can see Waputik Icefield. It's quite an impressive view. Unfortunately for
me, by the time I got my camera out of my pack, a cloud had rolled in and I could no longer
see it. If you want to see the icefield, you will have to climb this mountain yourself.
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12 Jul 98 - This picture was taken on the way back down from the very
upper rockband to the middle set of rockbands. At the top of the picture is Lake Louise with
Lake Agnes in the middle. From here, you have a great view of the trail up to Big Beehive.
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12 Jul 98 - Here are the two individuals (tourist and guide) I came across on my way up.
As you can see from the picture, these two are short-roping going down the scree. I found this
a bit unneccessary, but I guess it's all a matter of comfort.
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