The Climb: Eon Mountain via the SW face is a 3 star (classic) route in David Jones' Rockies South book. He rates it as PD+ with 4th class scrambling, but other reports mention some low 5th class terrain. Regardless, it's a big mountain that would probably have way more visitors if it were only 50m higher. Andrew Nugara rates it as one of the best trips he's ever done: anugara.net There is also more beta available on the Alpine Climbs in the Canadian Rockies Facebook page, I can share the links if you're curious. Recent parties have taken a rope to rappel off the summit block. Fitness/Skill Expectations: You must be prepared for a long day in the mountains on technical scrambling terrain. Expect difficult and exposed 4th class scrambling with potentially some low 5th - you should be confident on this type of terrain and have completed many difficult Rockies scrambles in the past. I will bring a 30m rope if needed for crux sections, but generally we will aim to scramble most of the 4th class terrain. You should be prepared to ascend and descend nearly 2,000 m of elevation gain in one day. Logistics (UPDATED!): The plan is to drive in via the roads used to approach Assiniboine from the BC side on Friday evening (leave the city at 6:00 PM), car camping at the base of the mountain. Then we will get an alpine start and climb up Eon on Saturday morning, return back to Calgary for Saturday evening. Screening: Event attendees will be screened to ensure they have the necessary skills and experience to complete this climb. Sign-up is not first come first served, and attendees will be selected at the discretion of the trip leader. Gear Requirements: Helmet, harness, rappel device, a few locking biners, double length sling, warm clothes, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, plenty of food, 2-3L of water, anything else you might need. We might consider bringing crampons and an axe, but if the mountain is that out of condition then we will likely choose another objective. Weather: The forecast for Saturday looks good - sunny and in the mid teens for temperature. It's supposed to rain a lot on Wednesday and Thursday. We should get a good look at the face on Friday afternoon as we drive in. If it's out of shape, we can consider Mount Alcantara or Mt Gloria as a Plan B. I expect that Eon should probably be dry, except for maybe some fresh precip from this week.
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