Cambria Icefield Traverse. The Cambria Icefield lies east of Stewart, B.C., in the Boundary Ranges of the Coast Mountains. It is a large expanse of ice, punctuated by numerous peaks of 6,000 to 9,000 feet. From the south end of the Cambria Icefield, more glaciated terrain stretches south to the Nass River.

Between May 5-18, our group of four (Joe Fillipone, Matthias Jakob, Dave Williams, and I) traversed the Cambria Icefield on skis. We traveled from north to south, starting where the Bear Glacier descends to the Stewart Highway and finishing at a logging camp located near Kwinamuck Lake in the Nass Valley. We climbed several peaks en route: an 8,000-foot peak one mile north of Otter Peak, an 8,000-foot peak three-and-a-half miles northeast of Otter Peak, an 8,200-foot peak 14.5 miles east of Stewart, Lavender Peak, Tchitin Peak, and several minor summits between Lavender and Tchitin Peaks. We found cairns on Lavender Peak and one of the 8,000-foot peaks. All the peaks were straightforward climbs on steep snow and easy rock. Lavender Peak was a particularly pleasant ascent as it offers an uninterrupted 4,000-foot ski run on the descent.

Markus Kellerhals, Alpine Club of Canada