Click here for new site with larger pictures
Mount Bryce 3507 m
Canadian Rockies (click for map)
On the east ridge of Main peak, Mount Bryce
Mount Bryce is a big, spectacular peak south of Mount Columbia at the Western edge of Columbia Icefield in British Columbia. The five Lyell Peaks are in the same part of the Rockies too. Two of Mount Bryce's three peaks are over 3353 m (11,000 ft). Mount Bryce has had fewer ascents than Mount Robson, partly due to access difficulties. Recent logging roads up Bush River have greatly simplified the approach but at the same time, since the road, a bit more Canadian wilderness has been lost. Still, you'll never meet a crowd on this mountain. Some years, no-one climbs it.
Click thumbnails to enlarge
Approaching the bivouac site for Mount Bryce the first day, at a point near
7000 feet (2135 metres) just above treeline. It took less than 4 hours hiking from where
we were able to park at that time. Forest fire smoke was unbelievably thick on this
day: You could taste it.
This picture is a short way above our bivouac at the snout of
the south glacier at GR779638, the most straightforward ascent route. Here, a helpful
peasant identifies the mountain for us. We ascended the long snow/ice gully, which can be
seen from Bush River North road, just south of Bryce. The pinnacle at the top of this snow
gully is also visible from the road.
Here is a view of the South glacier route which starts from the logging road in Rice
Brook. West peak and middle peak shown. Photo was taken from South Rice Brook meadows.
Anyone climbing the East ridge route or the North face should study this pic, it will be
useful! If you descend this route, be sure to traverse around below the cliffs as
shown and then head down an open washed out gully down to the road below. This
avoids bushwhacking. You end up 20 minutes east of the roadside waterfall, which is the
south glacier runoff.
Routes on Mount Bryce range from classic mountaineering to steep, icy north faces. But even with the advent of a logging road, getting there is still half the adventure. Risks include collisions with loaded logging trucks, porcupines eating your vehicles' radiator hoses and surprise meetings with cantankerous bears. And that's apart from the actual climb...Not at all like climbing in the Alps! (Where the hazard was incompetent parties.)
© All photos copyright by the author 1999.
"No, I think that's it there."
More Bryce