North America, Canada, British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies, First Ascent of Mt. Willerval

Publication Year: 1952.

First Ascent of Mt. Willerval. Mt. Willerval (10,400 ft.) is situated on the S. side of the Alexandra River Valley between Amery and Ridges Creeks, about seven miles W. of the Banff-Jasper Highway. The peak was climbed on 12 July 1951 by A. E. Creswell and Fred Ayres. Our approach was along the Alexandra River, then S. up Amery Creek Valley nearly to its head, where we were directly under the towering E. cliff of Willerval. The cliff continued S. and E. in a sweeping curve, completely enclosing the upper valley. We surmounted this wall by means of a talus slope whose upper tip connected with a band of ledges running horizontally southward along the face of the wall for about 500 ft. to the hanging glacier between Willerval and Mt. Monchy, next peak S. From the rock saddle above the glacier, we continued N. for three-eighths of a mile along the western base of the summit tower of Willerval to its N.W. corner, where a broken area enabled us to reach the summit snow field. From here it was an easy walk on snow to the top. Descent was by the same route.

F.D.A.