A2 Peak

  • Description

    A2 Peak is a part of Mt. Athabasca and as such is also know as, Little Athabasca. It is a really fun summit that suitable for all experience levels with a good level of fitness. The views are amazing throughout this trip, especially as we hike around the beautiful Boundary Lake and then up onto the Boundary glacier, with the ultimate reward being the summit. Though A2 is not as tall as many of the higher surrounding peaks, do not let this discourage you because A2 is the full package and truly one of our favourites. Typically A2 takes about 8hrs to climb (car to car) with 11km of travel and 1035m of elevation gain/loss (exact timing depends on conditions and guest fitness). You can book A2 on it’s own with a pre-position but it is best added a larger 2-3 day trip which gives you time to acclimatize and fully prepare.

  • Grade

    III

  • Duration

    1-2 days

  • Aspect

    NW-NE

  • Length

    9'840 / 3000m

  • Max Guiding Ratio

    3:1

  • Directions

    Banff National Park. From Canmore is a 2.5-3 hr. drive north on Hwy. 1 and Hwy. 93N.

  • Approach

    Starting at the Boundary Lake parking lot near Sunwapta pass, we will follow a neat old trail climber's trial through the forest which leads to Boundary Lake. From the lake, it's a moderate uphill ascent to the gravel flats at the toe of the Boundary glacier, where we will transition into glacier travel mode. We'll travel on the glacier till we get to the SW ridge of A2, which quickly leads to the summit, but not before a short ridge section that req's some scrambling/short-roping and belayed easy climbing. Car to summit stats are, 5.5km traveled with 1035 metres of elevation gain.

  • Descent

    Retrace your ascent with some belayed easy down-climbing or lowering, short-roping, and glacial travel.

  • Routes Nearby

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