Grotto Mountain (First Attempt)

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The winter of ‘25-‘26 was interesting to say the least. It started out with a BANG with some of the best snowfall and skiing Banff had seen for decades, and then just… hit pause. Much of late December and early January was entirely devoid of snow, outside of higher regions further into the Rockies.

Quite frankly I was more than tired of strapping sticks to my feet and sliding down triangles The First Guy To Ever Climb A Mountain
Ryan George - YouTube.com
[Archive] [No Archive Link] really fast in bounds, and wanted to go up and get some views for once. Passing by Grotto while returning from a trip to Edmonton on the 15th, I couldn’t help but notice how wind-swept and devoid of snow its summit was. I eagerly packed my bag in preparation for the next morning, knowing full well that the odds of bagging a moderate summit in January weren’t all that great. I had to try; I was done sitting around indoors, thoroughly bored of in-bounds skiing at Norquay, and knew I’d be kicking myself later if I passed up the opportunity.

The morning of the 16th rolled around and I hit snooze on my alarm a few too many times and then some (4hr drives are somehow more exhausting that 15hr summit days!), eventually arriving at the trailhead at 1400hrs. I grabbed my poles, donned my pack, and started working my way upwards.

The trail was surprisingly scattered and undefined for such a popular scramble; I suspect most people take the eastern ACC route instead of the more meandering western approach I was gunning for. It eventually converged into a single track as I passed the new Cougar Creek flood retention system.

Not sure what I was thinking here holding the camera decidedly out of level..? Not sure what I was thinking here holding the camera decidedly out of level..? ✕

Clouds descend and obscure the view across Canmore and the Bow Valley. Clouds descend and obscure the view across Canmore and the Bow Valley. ✕

The trail continued to branch frequently as I ascended, and I prioritised elevation gain and then westerly travel when choosing between forks, which served well. Clouds descended over the valley as I continued to rise, limiting the view substantially - but heck, I didn’t care. I was out on a proper, dry trail for the first time in months, and that was enough.

I ascended rapidly and had my first sight of snow at 1507hrs and 1820m elevation. At this point it posed no significant trouble thanks to the microspikes I’d brought, and I continued along my merry way. A light dusting of snow started to fall, at which point I knew I likely wouldn’t be getting the summit - but I carried on anyways, given that the trail up to where I’d gotten would be completely safe to descend even in a full-blown snowstorm.

Snow makes its first appearance.

Snow makes its first appearance. ✕

Things started to get concerning at 1517hrs and 1900m, when I found myself encountering increasing levels of solidly frozen ground. Try as I might, I simply could not get my spikes to bite into the icy trail, and was forced to admit defeat shortly thereafter at an elevation of 1943m. I took a panorama from my high point, and then sat down and enjoyed a late lunch before making my retreat.

Middling views thanks to incoming snow. I couldn't care less.

Middling views thanks to incoming snow. I couldn't care less. ✕

Snowfall sped up as I descended, and I concluded that I’d just barely squeezed by the end of the region’s winter break. I kept as fast a pace as I could, not wanting to be a target for any loose dry slides that might come down once the snow had built up, and made it back to the car at 1638hrs with just about a centimeter of snow on the ground.

I had myself a long think as I returned from Grotto, looking back on both the day’s trip and the previous season. This was yet another entry in a long list of scrambles where I’ve turned around thanks to poor conditions or weather - and while this was out of my control on Grotto, in many cases I could have skipped out on the problem by just starting an hour or two earlier and dodging afternoon thunderstorms.

With that in mind, I resolved to do two things more consistently in the coming scrambling season: hitting the trail on time, and re-attempting and bagging as many of my unfinished peaks as possible. The second seemingly held, given I’d be back to have another go Grotto Mountain (Second Attempt)
Hagelslag.ca
[Archive] [No Archive Link] at Grotto in early May once the melt started.