is located in the
Columbia Icefield of
Jasper National Park in Canada. The mountain was named in
1898 by
J. Norman Collie , who made the first ascent. Athabasca is the
Cree Indian name for "where there are reeds" which originally referred to
Lake Athabasca .
- North Glacier (Normal Route) II
- Silverhorn II
- Regular North Face III 5.4
- The Hourglass III 5.5
- North Ridge III 5.5
One of the most prominent features of Mt. Athabasca, is a horned shaped tip near the top called the "Silverhorn". The Silverhorn is one of the easier routes to the summit but requires more caution and ability than the normal route because of
Blue Ice and falling ice from other parties. Although not apparent from the typical roadside view of the mountain, the south side of Silverhorn actually contains a
Scrambling route but one must still cross the north
Glacier to get to it. Once you reach the top of Silverhorn, the summit is a rather easy 15 minute plod over the narrow snow covered summit ridge. On a warm summer day, post-holing on the summit ridge is likely.
