We are so excited to be launching our first adventure into the Canadian Rockies and Assiniboine Provincial Park! Known at the Matterhorn of the Rockies, Mount Assiniboine is one of the most iconic mountains in North America. Our team will travel in and out via helicopter and spend 3 days trekking in a stunning and remote wilderness. This one is not for the faint of heart. Even in the middle of summer, it is not uncommon to face blizzard conditions in and around Assiniboine. We have scheduled our trip in late September to catch the turning of the larches, but this also means there is a pretty good chance of very cold temperatures and challenging weather. We can’t wait.
Dates: Sept 21-26, 2024
The trip will depart from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Team members are responsible for arranging their own transport to and from Calgary, and must plan to arrive before 3:00PM Mountain Time on September 21st (earlier in the day is better) and should not plan to leave before 12:00PM on September 26th.
Cost: $2,550
- A non-refundable $500 deposit is required at the time of registration to secure your spot on the team. This team is extremely limited in size so please get your deposit in as soon as possible.
- $1,275 is due before May 1st, 2024.
- $2,550 is due before August 1st, 2024.
- *We will work with each team member to arrange a payment schedule
What is included:
- Restaurant dinner and hotel/Airbnb on days 1 & 5
- Round trip helicopter ride to/from Assiniboine Provincial Park
- All lunches and dinners during our time in Assiniboine Provincial Park
- 3 nights tent accommodation
- All transportation to and from Calgary airport
- Trekking permits and fees
What is NOT included:
- You are required to bring your own day pack and trekking gear (rain shell, headlamp, clothing layers for cold weather, etc.)
- You are responsible for your own breakfast each day and all trekking snacks (we will provide a sample list of what most trekkers will be bringing).
Trek Difficulty: Difficult
Assiniboine Provincial Park is a rugged wilderness area. It is not to be underestimated, especially as it concerns the potential weather. That said, since we are helicoptering into the park, we will only be carrying day packs on our three planned daily hikes and we rate each of them as “difficult.”
Our three hikes are weather dependent. If we get good weather, we will do all three. If not, we will prioritize them in this order: 1) Hike the Niblet and Nub Peak, 2) Summit Wonder Peak, and 3) Hike to Windy Ridge.
Hiking the Niblet and Nub Peak is the easiest and least technical of our three hikes, but it provides absolutely stunning views. It is a 5.7 mile round-trip from our camp site to the top of Nub Peak and back. We will likely do this hike before sunrise or at sunset, so plan to hike one-way in the dark.
Wonder Peak is a rugged peak with significant exposure near the top. The round-trip distance from our camp site will be 6.5 miles. We can hike to the top of Wonder Pass in most weather conditions, but we will not attempt the summit without clear skies and minimal wind. This hike will offer us the best views of the fall colors as the larches will be golden yellow in almost every direction.
Our last hike will be to Windy Ridge. This is not a technical hike at all, but it is a bit longer. The round-trip distance from our camp site is 9 miles. The top of Windy Ridge provides a very unique vantage point from which to view Assiniboine Peak.
Our Assiniboine Provincial Park trip is accessible for novice trekkers and does not require the same fitness level as some of our other treks. However, 3 nights of camping at potentially very cold temperatures and with unpredictable precipitation patterns requires significant mental toughness and fortitude, and team members who devote themselves to a season of training will certainly enjoy the trip more than those who do not.
We are limiting this trip to only 7 people. It will absolutely fill up quickly. If you are interested, do not wait to register.
Itinerary:
Day 1 (Sept 21)
Team members need to arrive at Calgary airport no later than 3:00PM Mountain Time. Upon arriving in Calgary, we will check in to our team hotel/airbnb and enjoy a nice dinner out.
Day 2 (Sept 22)
We will be up early to grab breakfast and make our way to the Mount Shark helipad. Depending upon where we stay on Day 1, we will have a bit of a drive to get to the helicopter. The helicopter ride will be short, but incredibly memorable as we make our way to the Assiniboine wilderness. We should arrive mid afternoon near Magog Lake where we will set up camp. After we get settled in, and pending weather, we will make our way up the Niblet and Nub Peak to watch the sunset over Assiniboine Peak. We plan to hike back down after dark and enjoy our first night in camp.
Day 3 (Sept 23)
We will get up and have a warm camp breakfast before setting out on one of our two remaining hikes–either up Wonder Peak or to Windy Ridge. We should return to camp by mid-afternoon for an early evening camp style dinner.
Day 4 (Sept 24)
Day 4 will be much like day 3, except we will do whichever hike we did not do on day 3. If we time it right, we should be able to get back to the Assiniboine Lodge for drinks from 4:00PM-5:00PM, which will be a great time for us to reflect on our experiences over the last couple of days.
Day 5 (Sept 25)
We will get up early and make our way back to the Assiniboine Lodge where we will catch our helicopter back to Mount Shark. We should be back at our cars by midday and we will make our way back to Calgary to check into our hotel and enjoy a celebratory dinner.
Day 6 (Sept 26)
We will arrange to get everyone to the airport in time for their flights. Please do not schedule a departure any earlier than 12:00PM.