“Paramount Peak”, Farnham Group. At 9900 feet “Paramount Peak” is the higher of two prominent rock peaks located at the southern extremity of the Farnham group and visible along parts of the Toby Creek road west of Invermere. On July 23 my wife Gretchen, our 4-year-old daughter Kara, and I approached the “Paramount” massif via an old mining jeep road that leaves the Jumbo Creek road at 4500 feet about a mile north of the first bridge over Jumbo Creek. Following this road over several steep overgrown and washed-out sections to about 5500 feet, we set up a high camp to the east of the jeep road just below some short cliffs and close to a small stream. The next day we headed east and upward through much fallen and burned timber to the large stream draining the southeast slopes of 10,100-foot Monument Peak. Leaving the lush meadows around the stream at about 5900 feet, we continued northeasterly up over meadows and talus slopes to the 9000-foot saddle west of “Paramount Peak” (6 hours from high camp). From here there was pleasant third-class climbing on the firm rock of the southwest ridge, along the sheer south face, with Kara rockclimbing the last 600 feet herself (1¼ hours to the summit). Realizing that we would not have time for the long traverse over to 9810-foot “Paradise Peak”, we hurriedly built a cairn for our first-ascent record, and descended the same tedious route to high camp in 4½ hours just as the darkness settled in.

Curt Wagner