Snow Dome Mountain is the snow-capped massif standing on the Continental Divide in the Columbia Icefield.   It stands 11 400 feet and is considered the hydrographic apex of North America with meltwaters flowing to three oceans (the Arctic via Hudson Bay).

Ice climbers and mountaineers climb the east face above Dome Glacier, but it can also be skied in a long day by going up the Athabasca Glacier through the three icefalls up to the Columbia Icefield neve, then a loop around to the backside and an ascent to the summit, a total climb of about 5000 vertical feet.

My solo ascent of Snow Dome took place over a sunny Victoria Day weekend.   In the early morning hours, I put on my skis at the foot of the glacier and proceeded on skins up the tongue of the Athabasca Glacier, keeping to the left to stay away from the overhanging seracs on the face of Snow Dome.   The route up through the icefalls is a careful process, testing with poles at a few spots, but the overnight freezing keeps the snow firm over any cracks in the ice.   From the top of the last icefall, the neve stretches for 10km over to Columbia Mountain.   A ring of high peaks encircles the Icefields.   I picked a gradual climbing arc over the south side of Snow Dome and started climbing.   The ascent from this side is 7km steady upward progress.   The weather was great all the way up, but the winds howled on top.   The summit has a large flat area and the winds whipped snow to form a hard crust.   Views were great in every direction, but it was too cold to stay long so after a short lunch, I took off my skins to head back downhill.

The descent on telemark skis was perfect on the south side of Snow Dome.   It was easy to link turns and keep a consistent line down the slopes.   This was the highlight of the day.   The way through the icefalls was a bit more of a challenge.   In the upper icefall, I planted my pole to initiate a turn and my pole and half my arm disappeared into a crevice.   By mid-afternoon, the sun’s rays softens the snow on the surface and the snows covering the crevasses are no longer stable.   From there, I slowed down, picking each turn carefully.   Generally speaking the corridor through the icefalls is not safe in the afternoon with the danger of seracs handing off Snow Dome and Andromeda always a risk.   On another trip, a major avalanche came off Snow Dome and covered the whole corridor on a late sunny afternoon.    We skied across that avalanche the next morning and there were house-sized ice chunks all the way across the 1km width of the tongue of the glacier.

Should adventurers ski up Snow Dome?   Definitely not alone.   Progress through the icefalls is always risky and a small group on a rope with crevasse rescue training and equipment is a much safer way to go.   Getting a very early start (in the dark) is a better tactic so that the descent is over before the warmest part of the day.   But, the ascent is quite doable with an experienced party in good conditions.   Nowadays, I just look across from Wilcox Pass or Wilcox Mountain to the eastern summit rim of Snow Dome and enjoy the views from 7000 feet ….