Striped Rock Mountain, or Mountain of the Spiral Road. It is easy to see how it got its names as it is comprised of mostly shale and limestone layered in an almost horizontal strata. It also goes by the name of Cloud Cap mountain, or Mt. Robson. King of the Rockies. And whilst it’s not the tallest mountain in the range it is the tallest in the Canadian portion, but that aside, it still deserves its royal title. What a mountain! 3,954m in elevation, and 460km of isolation, it stands alone and proud, holding a 7th spot in Canadian prominence and a 21st spot ranking in North American prominence, and 119th in the world.
The first known and accepted ascent was a guided climb led by Conrad Kain on July 31st 1913. The other two in the party were William Foster who was deputy minister of public works for British Columbia at the time, and Albert MacCarthy, a banker from New Jersey. Their route fittingly became known as the Kain Face. That being said, a claim had already been made on the summit as early as 1909; and by an audacious route: the Emperor Ridge. This tale was purported by the Reverend George B. Kinney, and cowboy / outfitter Curly Phillips. Phillips later recanted, claiming to have actually stopped prior to the summit, but by about only 60’. Evidence found decades later seems to indicate that they may have stopped much lower. Kinney however, never recanted, and took his first ascent story with him to the grave.
Back in the day this was a remote and very difficult mountain to even approach, and one of the reasons for the success of the 1913 trip was that the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway had laid track to Yellowhead Pass, thus eliminating arduous and dangerous month long approaches. Here’s a brief interlude of some railroad trivia for you… Yellowhead Pass has the best gradients of any crossing of the continental divide in North America. But even in 1911 it was a costly proposition. Well over budget, it cost $105,000 per mile of track in the mountains.
But all that aside, it remained, and still does to a certain extent, a difficult peak to summit. I’ve heard that as few as 10% of attempts are successful. From 1939 to 1953 the mountain repelled all comers, and Kain’s first ascent route was challenging enough that it was the most difficult ice climbing in North America at the time, and wasn’t repeated for 40 years. Slowly but surely though, routes began being opened on the mountain, but none of them are easy, and some are exceptionally committing and serious.
| Route | Grade | First Ascent Team | Year |
| Kain Face | IV WI2/3 | Kain, Foster, MacCarthy | 1913 |
| Hourglass Route (first descent) | IV | Kain, Foster, MacCarthy | 1913 |
| South Face SW Ridge (normal) | III WI2/3 | Putnam, Hargreaves | 1922 |
| Fuhrer – Hall | IV 5.4 | Fuhrer, Hall | 1934 |
| Fuhrer Ridge | IV 5.4 | Fuhrer, Carlson, Hainsworth | 1938 |
| Wishbone Arete | V 5.6 WI3/4 | Gordon, Firestone, Sherrick | 1955 |
| Spencer Solo | IV WI2/3 | Spencer | 1959 |
| Emperor Ridge | V 5.6 WI3/4 | Perla, Spencer | 1961 |
| North Face | IV WI3 55° | Callis, Davis | 1963 |
| Glidden – Lev – Mohling | IV WI3 55° | Glidden, Lev, Mohling | 1969 |
| Southwest Face | Spero, Waterman | 1974 | |
| Logan – Stump | VI 5.9 A2 | Logan, Stump | 1978 |
| Cheesmond – Dick | VI 5.9 A3 | Cheesmond, Dick | 1981 |
| Becker – Webster | IV WI3 55° | Becker, Webster | 1982 |
| North Face Variation | Blanchard | 1989 | |
| Slovenian Route | ED 5.3 65°-85° | Pocker, Škarja | 1990 |
| Infinite Patience | VI 5.9 M5 WI5 | Blanchard, Dumerac, Pellet | 2002 |
| House – Haley | VI WI5 M7 | House-Haley | 2007 |
| Running in the Shadows | VI AI5 M6 A0 | Berman, Hawthorn | 2020 |
Besides the routes listed above there have also been several unsuccessful attempted routes that have yet to see an ascent. Such as the Patterson Couloir*, and the Callis-Kanzler on the Emperor Face. I also haven’t been able to find any information about any attempted climbs via the East ridge, which looks sketchy and unrewarding at best.
It’s a big mountain with a lot of snow and ice. One that seems to generate its own weather patterns. All of British Columbia could be seemingly clear with bluebird skies and there would be a storm raging here. Snowfall, whiteout conditions, and high winds are all common, any month of the year. Due to its large size, and location, the mountain easily catches moisture from the Pacific. This in turn results in much higher precipitation values than in surrounding areas along with predominant and abundant cloud cover. When the prevailing winds from the west rise and pass over the mountain they cool and condense into what is known as an orographic cloud; basically a cloud caused by the earth’s topography.
Some notes on selected routes…
Kain Face: Maybe one of the easiest routes, it is mostly free from objective hazards, and hence very popular. The significant challenge is the very long approach. Your total time car to car could be close to 4 to 5 days, unless you are very fit and determined. This route was also the scene of the FWA in 1965 by Patterson, Bertulis, Stewart, and Beckey. (go figure)
South Face: The ‘Normal’ route. Another popular route because of its ease, and the facts that it provides the quickest ascent, and is serviced by a hut. The drawbacks are that there are route finding challenges on the so-called Schwarz ledges especially on the descent, and a very real objective hazard on the south glacier. A very fit and competent party could do it in 2 days.
The Wishbone Arete: Popular on paper at least, due to its inclusion in the book 50 Classic Climbs. But this climb along with Mt. Logan’s Hummingbird Ridge are reasons why a good number of climbers are critical of that work. The Wishbone is not exceptionally difficult in the overall scheme of things, but there is a significant amount of loose rock, and at times some ice challenges near the top. Maybe not exactly an ‘classic’. Allow a good 3 days. Of historical interest, this route was first attempted in 1913 by Basil Darling, Prouty, and the guide Schauffelberger. They made it to within 100m of the summit. Of minor personal interest, Darling’s son was an instructor of mine in college.
The North Face: Another reasonably popular climb. The purity of the line and relative lack of objective dangers are a major draw. There is close to 800m of 55° ice, and as such makes it one of, if not the most popular north faces in the Canadian Rockies. It’s been done in 2 days car to car, although 4 to 5 days may be more realistic. It’s also had a ski descent if that’s your thing.
The Fuhrer Ridge: Technically speaking the North Ridge. I gather that this is a pretty rewarding and straightforward climb, and one with relatively little objective danger. Snow and ice and pretty secure rock. It is said that it would be climbed more often were it not for the fact that it is flanked on the left and the right by the Kain Face, and the North Face respectively. It’s another climb that will take 4 to 5 days.
The Emperor Ridge: Maybe the longest ridge climb in the Canadian Rockies. This route contains another one of the mountains many defenses. The infamous gargoyles. Mostly rotten ‘snice’ towers. They decorate the last kilometer or so of the ridge. Parties often weave the rope between these features as the only realistic method of belaying; be prepared to jump off the other side of the ridge from your partner if they fall. This route was almost climbed in 1930 by O’Brien and Underhill, who were thwarted a mere 150m shy of the summit. Part of this route may have been climbed during the earlier mentioned hoax climb in 1909. Plan on 3 days. I had thought, incorrectly as it turns out, that my old compadre the Desert Mountaineer may have tried this route in the way back when, but he vehemently denies it…
The Emperor Face: Okay… This is where the big boys come out to play. There are about 7 routes here. All are as hard as fuck. Way, way beyond my pay grade. You had best be an elite world class alpinist if you are even considering attempting any of these climbs. Steep terrain up to 85°, ice, rock, considerable rockfall hazard, and problematic retreat, exists on all of these routes. Cold days, and colder nights are essential to boost success chances. If you really think you are badass try soloing the face as did Marc-André Leclerc.
We first went to the mountain in 1988 with a vague and mostly half baked notion of climbing either the Normal route, or the Wishbone arete. Suffice to say we never actually got off the ground or even set foot on a trail. I think weather might have been the official excuse. The picture above is from that trip. We had some conversations with rangers and were informed that to their knowledge nobody had summited thus far that year. Our second trip in 1989 was a bit more elaborate and enthusiastic in nature and is well documented on this site. I will freely admit today that although this was one of my most memorable and cherished experiences in the mountains, that from my perspective we used unfair means to approach the peak, namely via helicopter. (Not saying that I wouldn’t do that again however…) I believe that flying in is still an available option under park regulations. (In some provincial parks this is not allowed) You can read all about our adventures here: Robson Johnny and here: Desert Mountaineer Mt. Robson And, that was that… we never went back. It’s too bad really, because this would have been a real plum.