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Trip Details, Logistics and General Information
- Bugaboos
Can I do it?
The Bugaboos are a range of steep granite
spires in a glaciated environment in an isolated location in
the Purcell sub-range of the Selkirks of British Columbia. It
offers a great selection of route choice from easy glacier travel
and scrambling to some of the longest technical alpine routes
of North America. Please refer to the "Daily Itinerary
Suggestions for ideas in your difficulty range of contact us
for a custom itinerary.
It may also be mentioned that especially the below tree line
terrain of the Bugaboos Provincial Park and surroundings are
popular Grizzly Bear habitat. Best to travel in groups and always
carry bear spray.
How to get to the Bugaboos:
Best by car! From the East: 336 km from
Calgary AB, 207 km from Banff AB. From the West: 843 km from
Vancouver, 124 km from Golden BC. From the South: 326 miles
from Spokane WA.
Important is that the last 46 km from Brisco to the trail head
are not paved and pothole-ridden. Especially early season, the
road can be still be covered with residual avalanche debris
and / or very muddy. Commonly a two wheel drive is sufficient
with careful driving, however the clearance of a four wheel
drive vehicle comes in handy, if you have one.
Also,
beware of fast moving work and logging trucks coming your way!
The road is usually drivable from mid-June to the end of October.
Once at the parking lot, it is recommended to use some of the
posts and chicken wire stored there to built a fence around
your car in order to prevent omni-present porcupines from chewing
cables and even tires!
Lodging / Camping in the Bugaboos:
The Bugaboos are a
BC Provincial Park and there are rules for staying overnight
in the Park.
Kain
Hut: (2230m) Reachable from the trail head in 2 - 3 hrs
(4.6 km and 720m vertical gain), depending on your pack weight!
During summer, there is a custodian and frequently a BC Park
Warden based there. The hut holds 36 people, offers electrical
power and gas as well as all necessary kitchen equipment, outhouses
and mattresses. For reservations please call the Alpine
Club of Canada in Canmore at (403) 678 3200. Fees are $22
/ person/ night - your ACMG-certified guide goes free, courtesy
of the ACC.
The hut does book out frequently in high season, especially
on weekends! Also, please note that the hut is closed from November
16 to April 30 due to avalanche hazard and it has been hit previously
at least three times.
Camping is restricted to the Boulder Camp site (2170m, 8 sites,
5 minutes down from the Kain Hut) or more popular, the Applebee
Camp (2480m, 250 vertical meters and 1 km up from the Kain Hut,
20 sites). Please pay your fees to the Kain Hut custodian or
self register in the hut in the absence of a custodian. Fees
are about $ 5 /person/night.
Bivouacking in the Bugaboo / Snowpatch Col and the Pigeon /
Howser Col or anywhere close to the Pigeon West Ridge is not
permitted. If you wish to bivi close to the Becky / Chouinard
on South Howser, you have to descend into East Creek, which
is outside the Park. If you have to bivi on routes, please minimize
your impact!
Meeting Point:
Depending on our client's preference,
we can either meet you a) at the trail head of Bugaboo Provincial
Park or b) in the towns of Golden or Radium in the morning of
the hut approach or c) in Banff or Canmore. The latter option
is advantageous, as we can do a pre-trip briefing with equipment
check and if need be, replenish food and equipment in the many
shops in town. Also, in most cases it makes sense (and saves
cost) to car pool with your guide.
Recommended Season, Weather and Temperatures in the Bugaboos:
Climbing season in the Bugaboos is late
June until the end of September, however, like anywhere in the
mountains of the Interior Ranges of Western Canada it can snow
to valley bottom any month of the summer too.
Depending on snow coverage from the winter one can generalize:
The earlier in the season (July) the easier are the approaches
and glacier travel however you might still encounter residual
snow on climbs and descents. Later in the season (August), the
rock routes tend to be entirely dry however some of the approaches
become more icy, cumbersome and exposed to rock fall, namely
the often used route through the Bugaboo / Snowpatch Col and
the access to the Pigeon West Ridge. Come September, fresh snow
can become an issue for both glacier approaches and climbs.
Services Included in our Guided Trips to the
Bugaboos:
We leave it to our clients, what services
they like to contract from us: From a guide fee and guide expenses
only arrangement to a full service package to include your ACMG-certified
guide, hut and valley lodging, all transport, food preparation
and packaging ($30 / person), equipment rental (aluminum crampons,
light-weight equipment etc), radio and satellite phone use as
well as portering ($2 / pound).
Bugaboo-specific Equipment Needs:
The
key-word is: Go light! With the glacial approaches, you often
have to carry mountaineering equipment through technical rock
routes, namely for trips like the NE ridge of the Bugaboo spire.
Essential pieces of equipment are:
Light mountaineering boots, light-weight crampons - best aluminum
(for rent to our clients or included in our trip packages),
light weight ice axe or combi tool, comfortable rock shoes and
a GOOD head lamp.
Heli-Hiking with Canadian Mountain Holidays
(CMH) in the Bugaboos
If you are looking for a very special vacation you should look
into a heli-hiking
trip with CMH. The CMH Bugaboos Lodge is only 15 minutes
from the Bugaboos trail head located in a world class setting,
excellent food, great rooms, a roof top spa and hot tub and
daily sorties into the surrounding ranges of the Bugaboos with
groups of all levels.
CMH also offers peak ascents with
helicopter support, however CMH helicopters may not land in
the Bugaboos Provincial Park during summer. Hence, mainly the
high peaks at the Park's periphery lend themselves for a climb
with helicopter support - such as the south side of the Howser
Towers and especially the West Ridge of Pigeon Spire. Please
feel free to inquire directly with us or CMH about your "heli-mountaineering
options.
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