Big Sister (2936 m) |
I did the big sister way back when on September 19th, 1999 with my Dad. It was a very hot day - between 20 and 30 degrees on top. It was an awesome day, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Our ascent time was 2.5 hours, the same on our descent. This is a picture of the 3 sisters from Canmore, but not from when we climbed it. The 3rd or Big Sister is on the right. You can see the pinnacles and notches near the summit if you look very closely. The elevation gain is about 1200 meters. |
We started off from our timeshare in Kananaskis early in the day hoping to climb Yamnuska. It was such a nice day that we kept continuing on through the valley and decided to do the 2nd sister. We missed the turnoff, so we decided to do the 3rd sister. It would be my Dad's 2nd time. The only problem was that we forgot all water and food! We started off and I was thirsty almost immediately. My Dad promised me snow at the top, though. This is the shot of the notch in the ridge where you go from the upper plateau to the lower plateau. It poses no difficulty, though. |
After hiking almost 2 hours in the near 30 degree weather, we reached the pinnacles where snow was still clinging to the backside. Don't lose your footing! Most people went over the pinnacles, but I think it was much easier just to contour around them. This is a shot from my Dad who is on the summit. Can you pick out Assiniboine? As you can see, it was a great day. |
On top! It's mid September and most all of the peaks in the background are void of snow. We got a German biophysicist to take this picture!? The only problem was that I was very hungry and thirsty, and my Mom was expecting us back in Kananaskis hours ago! Boy were we in trouble! You can see Rundle and Cascade in the background. |
Here's a picture of the middle sister from the top of the big sister. It looks kind of small, though. However it is interesting to discover that the elevation gain on the middle sister is much more than that of the big sister. This is thanks to the Spray Lakes road, which actually gains quite a bit of elevation. The 1st sister is beyond the 2nd. |
