Haldan Borglum | Peak by Peak

Chancellor Peak
October 9 2022

Chancellor Peak, like its neighbor Mount Vaux, rises impressively above Highway 1 near Field and comes to a sharp point at its summit, making for an intimidating looking peak. Classified by Alan Kane as the hardest mountain in his Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies book, this is most definitely a serious peak that should only be tackled by those with a wealth of scrambling experience.

With dry conditions lasting especially late in 2022 I decided to go for a solo send of this peak, and when a weather window appeared I went for it! The ascent starts with some treed and moderately bushy sections but climbs extremely quickly straight up sending you to treeline in no time before the hands-on terrain begins. After a bit of gully-esque terrain an upper wall sends you right into the main bowl that ascends Chancellor, but to reach it requires an exposed ledge traverse that is definitely a no-fall zone! What follows is a techy step that is definitely low 5th, and then a resing traverse from right to left that heads towards the summit on wide but exposed ledges and is followed by sustained slabby terrain to the top!

Chancellor Peak had the best views of the Goodsirs I had ever seen and I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't really feel too challenged by the mountain. That being said, the descent was just as technical and given that I was solo I had to be extra dialed to get down in one piece. A very challenging scramble but not quite the toughest in Alan Kane's book in my opinion, that title goes to the formidable Mount Robertson!

links: STRAVA | GAIA
elapsed time: 9hrs
DIFFICULTY: climber's scramble

Other related trip reports: Mount Robertson | Wetterspitze | Cima del Tempo || The Armchair Traverse | Mount French | Mount Vaux

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