Mount Black Prince Ski

Lat/Lon: 50.69444°N / 115.24167°W - CLICK FOR TOPO MAP
Mount Black Prince is located in the Spray Mountain Range of Peter Lougheed
Provincial Park. Peter Lougheed is a part of Kananaskis Country which
encompasses over 4,000 square kilometers of foothills and mountains bordering
Banff National Park in the central Canadian Rockies. Black Prince is adjacent to
Mount Warspite and holds down the middle section of the Spray Mountain Range
located just north of Upper Kananaskis Lake. These two mountains share the range
with several other objectives including: Mount Murray (bolstering the northern end of
the range), Mount Invincible and Mount Indefatigable (ending the range to the south).
Mount Black Prince was officially named in 1917 after a WWI battleship, typical of
peaks in this section of Kananaskis. (this particular Royal Navy cruiser was sunk in
battle and 750 sailors perished as a result). The ship was named after an English
prince who wore black armor when he fought against the French in the Hundred
Years War. Black Prince was first ascended by Fraser, Gorril and Hicks in 1956.

Your main views on an eastern ascent of Mount Black Prince include the Kananaskis
Range to the north: Mount Buller, Mount Galatea, Gusty Peak, Mount Engadine, The
Fortress, Mount Chester and Mount Lawson.

Mount Black Prince routes are not listed in either the local scramble or select alpine
guide. However, a backcountry ski objective on Black Prince is listed in Chic Scott’s
“Summits and Icefields, Canadian Rockies.” I triggered a Class 3 avalanche, 500
meters wide and down to an October rain crust on an associated slope March 1,
2006. Photos of this event are included.

Getting There
You have two options. From the Canmore Nordic Center, drive 52kms south which is
almost to the end of the Spray Lakes/Smith Dorrien Road (gravel or in winter, snow
laden, maybe not even plowed depending how early you are getting started- we had
to dig out one stranded party on this trip) at Kananaskis Lakes. Turn right at a sign for
the Mount Black Prince Day Use Area. You are most likely to see mountain sheep in
the summer and coyotes in the winter using the road and once in awhile a moose or
two. Watch for hazardous rock or snow fall on the switchbacks above Canmore.

The other option: Take the Kananaskis Highway (Highway 40) exit off of the Trans-
Canada Highway between Calgary and Canmore. Travel past Kananaskis Park
headquarters and Barrier Lake on your right and continue quite a distance to the
intersection with the Kananaskis Lakes Trail road on your right. There will be a winter
gate in front of you (closed from December 1-June 15). Turn right and take another
right on the Spray Lakes/Smith Dorrien Road. Travel 8kms and pull into the Mount
Black Prince Day Use Area on the left. There are restrooms at this location.

Red Tape
There are no permit requirements to enter, climb and/or park in Kananaskis Country.
This is active grizzly country however. Take bear spray during non-hibernation
months. This is avalanche terrain during the winter. Therefore it would be prudent to
check recent notices posted on the park’s website regarding that issue. The park
headquarters is actually located on Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail) several
kilometers south of the Trans-Canada. Notices are posted outside if they are closed.
This is a solid information center with good staff and beta and are open all year.

Camping
There are campsites galore in the Kananaskis Lakes complex, backcountry and
camper sites. You cannot camp outside of the marked specific camping areas in
Kananaskis. Refer to the Kananaskis Provincial Park website for more information
regarding camping and/or lodging.

When to Climb
As with most climbs in the Canadian Rockies, the driest time for alpine climbs is
from June through September. As I mentioned before, the only published route is the
back country ski route. I did this ski in March, 2006 and triggered a serious avalanche
event that is detailed in the photos. Avalanche conditions were high for that day.

External Links
The Kananaskis Provincial Park website is a very thorough park website, including
trail conditions or closures, wildlife notices, weather conditions, avalanche
conditions, camping permits, whitewater conditions, etc. It is an excellent source if
you are going to spend any time here and comparable to any National Park website I
have used. Outside of the parks web site, Canadian Avalanche Association is also
useful, particularly for winter travel. Canadian Alpine Accident Reports are also
extremely useful.

Route
This is an 1800'+/- ascent day for one run. Most people make multiple runs. From the
Mount Black Prince parking area, follow the ski tracks or what is normally the
summer trail that bleeds off of the parking area due west. After a short distance you
will cross Smith Dorrien Creek via a small bridge. Follow a wide trail to the left and
as it gets steeper, about .5kms, veer off to the right on to a ski trail. There is a bench
here in the summer, but it is normally buried beyond visibility in the winter.

You will be on a single track that actually loses several 100 meters elevation and you
will want to reapply your skins for this section on the way back. You cross Warspite
Creek and work your way up again to the left. Any ski tracks should lead to a narrow
and shallow gully (drainage to your right) that ascends at a good movable rate
without having to use switchbacks for about .5kms. This gully will eventually take you
into the lower section of an easterly ridge that offers top notch glade skiing. (GR
252194) Follow or create switchbacks that lead to the top of this ridge. Stay out of the
avalanche slopes leading up to the walled steep cliffs on your left. Towards the top,
the ridge narrows and when you hit exposed rock on the ridge, that is the top of this
ski ascent. There are bowls to the south and north. I venture to guess that neither is
considered safe skiing for the majority if not all of ski season.

Trip Report
I triggered a class 3 avalanche (photos), 500 meters across and down to the
October rain crust on March 1, 2006 on the north side of this ridge. This is one of
the closest and most serious events I have ever avoided in the mountains. We chose
Black Prince because avalanche conditions were high and we thought the ridge to
be the safest skiing around. We were no doubt right, but should not have ventured
into or near the north bowl as we did.

After the avalanche slid, which took a matter of time as it propagated across varying
steep terrain, we stood precariously on the only snow left on the north side of the
ridge. We had a small fracture line directly above us that had remotely triggered the
slide by coming into the bowl from the east. Everything to the west and above was
gone except for a small remaining crown. The snow we existed on was of triangular
shape and we were at the wrong end.

For an exit, we were limited to three choices: Attempt to return in our tracks which
included the trigger several meters back This involved putting our skins on which
would not be viable. We wanted to have the option of skiing out of a subsequent slide
and did not want to be caught with our skies off or our skins on. The second option
we discussed was traversing lower to tree line in an attempt to cross back to the
ridge on more anchored snow. This was not popular as we did not want to be caught
any lower by the massive remaining bulge of snow we were standing on. Therefore,
our final conclusion was to ski back to the ridge with as direct line as we could
despite the fact this was not the most ideal loaded or angled snow left to ski on.

On our way up for our first run down the ridge, we passed two guides who had been
skiing on their day off. All four of us made one descent down the ridge together. On
the second ascent, we caught up with them again and told them we would venture
out to the north bowl for a look. They proceeded to head up the ridge as we did for the
first run. Therefore, they were on top of the ridge and witnessed the avalanche from
the top. They came back down the ridge and concurred with our plan. The two of us
went single file with spotters at both ends. We were pretty excited to be back on the
ridge.

Essential Gear
Touring Skis and Boots, Skins, Poles, Avalanche Transponder, Shovel, Probe,
Goggles, Helmet for the Glade Skiing, Good Sunscreen for the Intense Snow
Reflection, 4W Drive if Recent Snow.