• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Professional Hobo

Traveling full-time in a financially sustainable way

  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • DESTINATIONS MAP
  • TRAVEL STUFF
  • CONTACT
  • BOOKS/COURSES

Rock Climbing in Hidden Valley

Last Updated: October 26, 2020

A View From The Top after 4 Pitches of Climbing…..

The last two weekends running, I have been in the mountains. Last weekend was at Hidden Valley near Jasper, where I accompanied a few members of the Alpine Club of Canada on a traditional multi-pitch rock climbing trip with an instructional bent.

This weekend past was to “scramble” up Grotto Mountain and Middle Sister Mountain, near Canmore, again as part of an ACC trip.

This post was originally published in 2007. It has since been updated for accuracy of links and content. 

HIDDEN VALLEY

The beauty of Hidden Valley is the scramble from the road up and around the corner of a mountain to a beautiful secluded place ideal for rock climbing. The approach takes just under an hour, and actually deters many sport climbers who would rather pull off the side of the road and start climbing right away. So for the amazing quality of rock at Hidden Valley, there are surprisingly few climbers on any given day. In fact more often than not, you don’t see anybody at all. It’s like a private paradise.

Traditional multi-pitch climbing involves a few key elements: “Traditional” refers to, well, traditional climbing styles! Ie: you don’t always have a nice bolt that has been attached to the rock by a previous climber for you to clip your rope into (known as sport climbing). Instead, you are required to find the ideal route as you climb, and lay anchors in nooks, around horns, and in cracks as you see them. It adds an entirely new element to the climb, as you need to be able to multi-task and think on your toes. Or on the rock as it may be.

Multi-pitch refers to the fact that the wall you wish to climb is higher than the rope you have, so you have to climb the wall with numerous “pitches” of the rope. In a team of two climbers, the first would climb to a place where they can set up an anchor and belay station, then they tie themselves off and the second climber follows as the first climber belays from above and takes up the slack in the rope. The process gets repeated until you reach the top.

Some of the challenges I experienced that I didn’t even think about until I was there, is that you generally climb with all your gear on your back and mountaineering shoes on. Typical climbing shoes that sport climbers don are small, tightly-fitted, rubber-covered, sticky shoes, meant to stick to anything, so you can use little more than your toes to gain purchase and climb. Mountaineering boots tend to be big, bulky, and meant for hiking, not sticking to a wall. And climbing with a big pack on your back and gear slung around your neck presents a whole different challenge in terms of balance and weight management.

Another challenge is the limestone of the Rockies. In Ontario, the rock found outdoors and ideal for climbing is Granite. It doesn’t go anywhere. It’s solid. It has nice hand holds, and is gentle on the hands.

Limestone by contrast, falls apart if you look at it the wrong way, and it’s like sandpaper and razors on the hands. As you climb, you have to test every hand and foot hold before you use it because there’s a good chance it could flake away. And the rock is so sharp at times, I finished off the weekend with a a few layers of skin left on the rock, many cuts on my hands and knees, and a torn jacket and pants. But that’s okay – I like to call them “war wounds”!

What struck me the most about learning and practicing this style of climbing is how the world of mountaineering opened right up to me in the course of two days. Once you know how to climb traditionally (and have all the gear – and there’s lots of it – at your disposal), you can accomplish anything. If you are trying to scramble (or hike) up a mountain and find yourself in front of a cliff band, you can rope up and climb over it instead of turning back or trying to find another route. It is true mountaineering at its best.

The weekend was enlightening and exhilarating. Luc and Lars were our fearless leaders, and there were only two participants including myself, so it had a really intimate feel to the trip which is fabulous in this sort of scenario. After two days of camping and climbing and a stop in the Miette Hot Springs in between to nurse sore muscles, we felt invigorated. Driving away from the mountains on Sunday evening was a sad event, as the reality of the 4 hour return home and another week without the mountains set in.

Resting near the top of the mountain….check out the orange pylon with the cool helmet…..sexy huh??? (!)

Sharing is Caring!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Filed Under: Canada

About the Author: As a former CFP (Certified Financial Planner), Nora Dunn traveled full-time for over 12 years. She is an expert in remote work, long-term travel, financially sustainable lifestyle travel, and much more. She is a celebrated author, speaker, writer, coach, and YouTuber. Read More…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. outdoor climbing toys says

    January 22, 2009 at 9:52 am

    Loving this blog. Hope to get time to read more – back soon

    Reply
  2. Elita Mcmanus says

    December 15, 2009 at 3:08 am

    That’s why it is better for beginners to learn from those who have walked the path already, not those who have only theoretically walked the path whose knowledge consists of what “should” be.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

WELCOME!

This site is part travel tales, and part lifestyle travel tips.

Check out my free Travel Lifestyle Guides to answer all the questions you have about your own travel journey!

I'm Nora Dunn. I traveled the world full-time for 12 years, and I still travel for half the year (pandemics notwithstanding).
Expert on long-term travel, personal finance (as a former CFP), remote work, and lifestyle design.
If there's a high-adrenaline activity, I've probably done it. Weird food? Eaten it. Former shaman's apprentice. Always an actor/singer/dancer. Professional speaker. All that. And more…

Get Free Accommodation

how to get free accommodation around the world

Here’s Where I Get Almost All My Clothes:



Use the discount code NORA20 for $20 off orders of $120 or more!

To Maximize Your Free Credit Card Travel Rewards, I Recommend:



buy hats at wholesale price on dhgate for travel

Search

Categories

Before Footer

Nora Dunn The Professional Hobo Featured in Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes, MSN Money, Yahoo, Lonely Planet, Wise Bread, Business Insider, and many more

Footer

About This Website

The Professional Hobo is about how to travel full-time in a financially sustainable way, as experienced since 2006 by Nora Dunn, former financial planner and current world traveler/writer.

  • Writing Portfolio & Speaking Credits
  • Contact
  • FAQs
  • Travel Resources
  • Web Stories

Follow Me!

Copyright © 2009-2021 TheProfessionalHobo.com. All Rights Reserved.

Disclosure: In accordance with FTC guidelines, I disclose that I may be compensated if consumers choose to utilize links located throughout the content on this site. Additionally, some posts might be sponsored to support this blog. Please do the appropriate research before participating in any third party offers. All opinions are my own.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Privacy Policy: While you may rest assured that we at The Professional Hobo are not using your information for evil purposes, here is everything you need to know about our Privacy Policy.