Most hikers go to Trophy Meadows and perhaps Plateau of the Lakes. More ambitious hikers go to the top of Trophy 2.  But, how do we approach Trophy 1? The classic approach is to go over Trophy 2 and come down the precarious ridge between the peaks, climbing the west ridge to the summit. This alpinist route is quite doable, but dry conditions and good scrambling skills are needed.

Another approach is to traverse over to Cwem Cwem Lake and climb the broad south ridge of Trophy 1 to the top. The route over to Cwem Cwem is not an easy one, though. From the foot of Trophy 2, drop down the stream gully into a narrow valley, then down again and traverse over to the a wider valley, following the stream up to the head of the valley and to its source. The GPS route below shows the route in relief:

Once on the shores of Cwem Cwem Lake, the route up to Trophy 1 is an easy scramble. For most, returning by the same route is the quickest route. We chose to take a high-level alpinist traverse which was slow, tricky, and challenging, particularly the route down to the col between Trophy 1 and 2. The whole route across the cirques is on a series of ledges and rock slopes and takes almost 3 hours. The terrain is rugged, but the views are rewarding:

Our route took all day and we finished the scramble in the light, but it was dark by the time we returned to our vehicles. There are seven peaks in the Trophy Range and some of the most rugged and stunning scenery awaits those who will scramble and explore.