Mount Chief Pascall
Mount Chief Pascall
April 27, 2025
Distance: 10.58 km
Elevation gained: 1,039m
Highest elevation: 2,208m
It had been two weeks since Liz and I attempted the Copilot and turned around at the bottom of the glacier - and I was still feeling guilty that I hadn’t had more energy or mental stamina to push forward. So for Mount Chief Pascall, with conditions looking great and a fairly straightforward trail, I was determined not to mess this summit chance up.
I warned my adventure partner, Liz, pretty early on that I would focus on keeping a chill pace so I wasn't as likely to bonk later. With snow right from the parking lot, we made easy work of the ‘road’ sections of trail. Navigating and wayfinding through the middle section of steep forest was tricky, and we never really had any clear tracks to follow. Once we got out of the trees though, our objective and way up the ridgeline was abundantly clear.
We cruised along the ridgeline, thoroughly enjoying the views of Mount Joffre next to us and all the other peaks in the distance. We also enjoyed the bit of cloud cover that prevented us from getting scorched by the sun. At one point, Liz said something about ‘definitely getting to the summit,’ to which I instantly admonished her.
“Elizabeth! It’s like saying ‘shut out’ before a hockey game is over. You just don’t say it!” I also added, slightly embarassed, “I’m not superstitious. I’m just a little-stitious.”
Fortunately, Liz was right. After a couple of steep slopes that had me kickstepping with a little extra force, we made it to the summit of Mount Chief Pascall. There were 360 degree views, with mountains in every direction. Mount Joffre was especially stunning, feeling so close and covered by dramatic snowfields.
Liz hopped onto the summit boulder with ease, and the joy of a summit absolutely exploded off her face. I was a touch more cautious topping the boulder but it turned out to feel quite simple. Sitting on the summit boulder with a direct view of Mount Joffre was an incredible reward.
About 20 meters further along the summit ridge, we saw another boulder that looked roughly the same height. Liz carefully started scrambling over to it, and with her reassurance of good holds, I followed a bit behind her. Ultimately, I stopped before crossing a snowy ridge and Liz stopped just a few feet from the other summit boulder because of some serious exposure and consequences. It was great practice sussing out the conditions and our own limits.
After some more pictures and a bunch of snacks, we started the descent. Once we were past the steeper slopes, we cruised the ridgeline again. This time, we found some decent tracks to follow back down, giving us more compressed snow and a little more speed. We lost the tracks through the steep forest section and had to do more wayfinding again.
I also realized that I lost one of my brand new crampons due to the rookie move of hanging them on the outside of my pack. I knew they needed to be secured better but failed to take an extra minute to do so. Big lesson learned! Other than that costly (literally) mistake, our trek down was uneventful.
We drove into Squamish and stopped for a casual dinner at Locavore, where I had a weird but delicious balance of salad and poutine. Over dinner, Liz and I talked a lot about other objectives we had, the joys and challenges of my potential vanlife, and what life paths we would each consider. Another incredible adventure day in the books!
