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Mount Goodsir 3562 m

Southern Rockies, Canada

Near the summit of South Goodsir

Mount Goodsir near Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rockies actually has two separate peaks. North peak is 3525 m; South peak is 3562 m. From Ice River just outside Yoho National Park, it is a tough day bushwhacking up an overgrown trail to Zinc Creek. This is the normal camping place on the south side of the massif. These two big peaks are generally done as separate climbs, not as a traverse. Either one can be done comfortably in 3 days round trip from the car if the logging road in Beaverfoot Valley is passable. When the mountains are dry, expect minimal roped climbing if you're on route. This is not as easy as it sounds.

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South Goodsir peak telephoto from logging clearcut at trail head by Ice River. Ascent route follows towards the right skyline ridge.

Descending South Goodsir after an unsuccessful attempt. A cornice blocked the final ridge, and we were not on the best ascent line either. The limestone rock was horrendously loose and it took intense concentration to descend safely. We were glad to finally reach camp. We should have been further around to the southeast side of the peak.

It took a few years for recollections to fade sufficiently and then I went back. It was second time lucky. A narrow ridge leads to the summit mass on South Goodsir and this had been corniced on our previous try. Even without a cornice it looked so intimidating that I got gripped enough to leave my pack here, carrying only a chocolate bar and a summit register to the top. I should have taken my camera instead: The summit already had a register.

North Goodsir

A year later, I returned again and our party of 3 climbed North Goodsir in a 3 day trip...

View of North Goodsir and normal route seen from South Goodsir. After all these years the red line will probably have weathered away.

Ascending the upper leg of the "V" on North Goodsir. It was mainly snow in a gully angled at 35 or 40 degrees.

Above the gully, an exposed traverse with a move of about 5.3 or so under an overhang leads to easier scrambling and the summit.

From either summit it may be possible to see Mount Assiniboine, although I'm not sure we did. Mount Sir Donald is more obvious since it is closer. We sure didn't see Mount Adams, though, or the Matterhorn, for that matter.

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