We'd been very lucky, and yet we didn't feel lucky. This was due to the fact that during an earlier attempt of the North Face we'd been hit hard by a surprise summer blizzard halfway up the face, with flows of spindrift and slough cascading down, filling our clothes with ice crystals and snow, as freezing winds whipped the snow around in a frenzy. Our failure on that attempt was sealed by a dropped ice glove (mine) which made descent imperative as frostbite started to set in. We'd now failed twice, but I'd prefer to fail up on the North Face than to take one of the easier routes to the summit again. The North Face of Mt. Athabasca is a place where it's completely possible to suffer frostbite while the valley basks in 75 degree fahrenheit temperatures. It's an unforgiving place and any ascent of this face is guaranteed to be an adventure. Next time I am back in Canada I'll take another crack at it; it'll still be there.
Photo by Dow Williams
