Low-lying clouds, rain, snow, and typically miserable weather made this Saturday an unlikely day to ascend a mountain. We gave it a try, however, and were pleasantly and unpleasantly surprised. After a 20 minute hike along the canal, the first part of the scramble consisted of bushwhacking up to the tree line. There was no snow, however, it was raining lightly. As soon as we got close to the tree line, the environment  changed dramatically - snow and plummeting temperatures. From forest to frozen tundra- like conditions.

From the tree line, the ascent to the summit was quite interesting and very cold. As we got higher, the wind picked up and blowing snow made the conditions severe. Visibility, at times, was very poor. At one point, I had to stop and try and warm my frozen feet. We kept going even though the deepness of the snow and the extreme weather made travel, at times, quite treacherous. The summit came very suddenly and unexpectedly and we were very happy to have made it. The views of snow-covered Ha-Ling Peak and the East End of Rundle were in striking contrast to our sunny summer ascents of these peaks. We descended the mountain quite rapidly, although we ended up going off course, making for a more difficult and dangerous descent. A good scramble and we both felt very good about summitting in such harsh conditions. 

Not-so-perfect conditions on a typical winter trip

    
Mark taking a rest, with the summit above him

Low visibility caused by blowing snow; the blurry curved line near the bootom of the photo is my camera strap! I put it there for effect - really I did!!

At the summit, looking east; the peak in the middle is Big Sister

At the summit cairn, with the East End of Rundle behind and at the left