Mount Louis

Lat/Lon: 51.21°N, 115.67°W
Mount Louis was officially named in 1886 after an early Canadian Rockies surveyor. It was
first ascended in 1916 by MacCarthy and the infamous Canadian climber Conrad Kain.
(Where the Clouds Can Go: The Autobiography of Conrad Kain by J. Monroe Thorington)
The mountain is not a high one nor does it have a glacier or snowfield, but its monolithic
profile (similar to the Dolomites) and vertically dipping faces give the tourists on the Trans-
Canada something to stare at. The limestone of Mount Louis is Devonian. What makes
Mount Louis more unique then its neighbors are the extreme steep cliffs which surround
the peak from all angles. Mount Louis is one of a group of three peaks which are part of
the Sawback Range (Edith and Fifi-yes, named after a dog). They are composed of rock
layers which were originally horizontal but are now oriented vertically. The rock is better for
climbing than what is typical in the Canadian Rockies. Mount Louis is most striking in the
winter when the surrounding mountains are covered with snow but its vertical cliffs remain
bare, producing a dramatic contrast. Located just to the north of Banff, it comes into view
for just a short period driving through Banff National Park westbound on the Trans-Canada
Highway.

There are only challenging Alpine III rock routes on Mount Louis, ranging from the
popular Kain Route at 5.7 to Kor-Fuller at 5.10d. The summit register reads like a who’s
who of North American climbers and was still in place during my 2003 summit.

Getting There
The Trans-Canada Highway dissects Banff National Park east to west as you come in
from Calgary. Bypass the Banff town exits and take the Bow Valley Parkway exit. Follow the
parkway for .3 km west to a road on your right, turn right and proceed to the Fireside Picnic
area at the end of the road.

Red Tape
You will be required to purchase a national park pass as you enter the park. This pass is
good for all four national parks. If you plan many visits to Canadian National Parks within
one year, you should purchase an annual pass. There are no permit requirements to
climb in Banff National Park, but all camping is regulated. There is also a backcountry
permit required if you plan on spending a night in the backcountry versus the town
campsites. This can be obtained via the parks website which is included in the camping
section below. Park headquarters are located in Banff and you will drive through the
manned kiosks as you enter the park.

This is active grizzly country, therefore, you should always have bear spray on your person.

When To Climb
Mount Louis is alpine rock, so dry conditions are required. Being in the Bow Valley
Corridor, dry conditions are possible almost anytime, but normally the best chance for
success lies in June through September. Daylight hours are also something to consider
before setting out. Lightning is a real issue on Louis. Not only is it conducive via its shape,
but there is a steel cross on the summit as well.

Camping
You can go on line at Banff National Park to pick your camp site and obtain your camping
permit. The closest camping is back in the town site of Banff, or if you want to avoid the
hustle and bustle, you can camp further down the Bow Valley Parkway at , Johnston
Canyon Resort and Campground .

Mountain Conditions
Banff National Park’s website has weather, wildlife reports, trail closures, etc. Outside of
the parks web site, Canadian Avalanche Association is also useful, particularly for winter
travel.

Routes    (credit to Selected Alpine Climbs-Sean Dougherty)
Kain Route (Normal Route) III 5.6/7
A famous climb put up in a very casual manner while Kain was accompanying MacCarthy
and some friends on a "day's picnic to view the scenery". It is now a very popular route to
the top of one of the more striking mountains in the area. The hardest climbing is at the
very end. If the weather breaks, downclimbing the route is reasonable for experienced
parties. In fact, some parties actually use this as the descent route. It has been climbed in
two hours but most parties take a little longer. The first ascent was done in 4 hours.
However, don't underestimate this route: the number of bivi walls in the upper half of the
climb attests to the number of parties who either overestimated their ability or
underestimated the difficulty of the route.
Homage to the Spider III 5.8
This route is named in tribute to Walter Perren, "the Spider of Zermatt", who pioneered the
summit variation on the Kain route by seeking out the best limestone. There are about 8
pitches of steep climbing on some of the best rock found on the mountain. It's an aesthetic
line, well worth the extra 20 minutes of approach. The climb ascends the steep face on the
east side of NE ridge of the mountain.
Gmoser Route III 5.8
The route I first climbed on this mountain. A very impressive ascent for its day and one of
the best moderate alpine rock routes in the Banff area. The rock is typically clean and the
standard is reasonably consistent (5.5-5.6) except for a steep corner system in the lower
third. 5.7/8 climbers will find the crux a good challenge. It combines with the best climbing
on the Kain Route and is a fitting approach to the Perren variation.
Kor/Fuller III 5.10d
Takes the big groove/gully in the centre of the S face. The crux pitch is sustained and tiring
when done free. Undoubtedly much easier at 5.8 A1!
Greenwood/MacKay III 5.7
Excellent for the grade; the position on the upper rib is superb. The lower gully section
should be climbed as quickly as possible - it's a haven for falling rocks, though safer
possibilities do exist.

Route
This is a 4000'+/- ascent day. From the parking lot, cross the bridge and obtain the Cory-
Edith Trail to your right. At the fork, remain right and continue along the faint trial below the
east side of Edith. After approximately 1800' ascending into Gargoyle Valley, passing all
Edith peaks on your left, you end up at the base of Mount Louis.

The Gmoser route climbs the south face via slabs west of the southeast ridge. Start at the
base of these slabs directly below an obvious corner system.

We ran a running belay through the first shallow corners to the base of the steep wall.
Then move right into the base of the corner. Climb an obvious wide crack until you are
slung out on small holds to the left of the corner to avoid a bulge. You step back into the
corner above this bulge (5.8). Proceed past the next bulge (5.7) to easier ground. Then
follow a trough for a short distance and traverse left around a rib to reach the descent gully
used for the Kain route. Gain the rib on the left as soon as possible and follow it to a large
platform at the base of the summit tower. The summit tower is split by a deep chimney.
You can use this chimney, but the cleaner option we took was to the right in a
prominent crack (photos). This is a two pitch finish.

Essential Gear
Standard alpine rock rack: nuts and cams (mostly small to med), 8-12 draws, a few long
ones (extenders), 2 double ropes will minimize rope drag and make a faster rappel, rock
shoes are worth it, helmet, etc

Trip Report
We parked at the end of the Vermillion Lakes park road and traverse the highway traffic
due east and after we crossed the 2nd fence; continued due east until we hooked into the
Edith Pass trail. Have no idea why we did this when we could have just used the Edith
Pass Trail from the Fireside Picnic area.

After about 2000', passing all Edith peaks on your left, you end up at the base of the
Gmoser Route. This is about 15 pitches, several are fast, and several are slow. The
Gmoser Route is an Alpine III- 5.8 and a lot slower than the Kain Route. We had to set our
own stations early on this route, including pitons once. There is a fun chimney-crack early,
about the 4th pitch. I got totally pumped on this one. Then we faced some careful route
finding. We ended off route in a gully and had some serious rock fall whiz (you know the
noise) by my head and legs. Keep moving left and stay out of the gullies. It eventually joins
back into the Kain route. Once you are up to the headwall, there is another great pitch into
the 5.9 area.

It was a super day, no other climbers on the mountain (even though it was a Saturday).
Great views of Edith and Cory all the way up and then Fiji, Assiniboine, Temple and the
Vermillion range. We down climbed versus counting on some rough belay stations for
several pitches down and faced one 60 meter lower section. This route is slightly west of
the Gmoser. Once on the col, scramble 1000' down back to the trail.