Wind Ridge
Completed in dry conditions but it is possible with some snow. The route involves a fairly long approach followed by a long grind to the summit. The trail is surprisingly very steep in some parts so don’t underestimate it. There is also a rock band crux that can be scrambled, or a slightly easier but very steep and slippery trail that avoids it at climber’s right. The rock band is great to scramble up, without a crazy amount of exposure, but could potentially be a problematic downclimb. I would consider it to be in the realm of Class III scrambling. If it is wet or snowy, then your best bet is probably the cliff band crux (more info on that on Vern's report at explor8ion.com).
Wind Ridge is simply a bump off of The Rimwall that overlooks Highway 1 and the town of Canmore. However, it offers surprisingly great views of the area for the short hike that it is. Its steep and expansive meadows can be host to many wildflowers and animals, all with the impressive views of Mount Lougheed. These meadows are potentially the reason for the windy peak, hence the name, or potentially the wind is because the ridge juts out into the Bow Valley, catching the passing air current. Either way, this peak would be great to complete in the shoulder season (or wildflower season!) or to have as a backup in case conditions on a different objective are not quite as expected.
Park at what I like to call the Pigeon parking lot, which is just past the Banff Mountain Gate Resort. It is a bit weird to find, so the directions above are quite handy. The parking lot is about a 50 minute drive from the Calgary city limits.
From the trailhead, begin hiking and quickly take a right turn towards the Centennial Ridge Trail. Lose a bit of elevation on the trail until the creek crossing. After this, you will ignore the left turn heading to the Centennial Ridge Trail, instead, take the right option and continue along in the valley. Continue straight on the trail in the valley for the next while, ignoring any right turns. After 2.2 km from the Centennial Ridge Trail turnoff, take a right and head up the trail that leads up the slope. Gain a lot of elevation up this steep trail until you turn left and enter the meadow area. Continue up the ridge on the most obvious trail (can be very steep in places), until you notice the cliff band straight ahead. Ideally, it is scrambled, but there is a bypass to the right of it. After the crux, continue up the straightforward trail to the summit. Descend the same way. A GPS track is recommended for this trip to make sure you stay on track thanks to all the turns and side trails.
We met up with some friends at the parking lot quite late, after some nasty traffic on the way up and began our trip at 11:15 am.
The start of the hike was very straightforward and rather boring, but we all chatted as we made our way to the climb. Once we got there though, it really steepened and had everyone sweating. The trail grade cut most of the chatting to a minimum, but soon enough, we started getting some relief with a flatter trail as we worked our way into the meadow.
The beginning of the grassy slopes (and a bit of relief from the elevation gain!).
West Wind Pass looks really nice. I’d be visiting it from the other side late in the year. From left to right are Lougheed 1, Windtower, and Rimwall.
Beautiful grassy meadows as we make our way to the crux.
After the crux, we make our way along the last bit to the summit (we left the others behind).
Pano of the beautiful terrain.
Looking over at The Rimwall from the summit. No summit pano this day unfortunately.
The Three Sisters were so close.
From left to right: Pigeon Peak, Skogan Peak, Skogan Pass, and Mount Collembola.
Another look over West Wind Pass from the summit of Wind Ridge. It must get windy around these parts since there is Wind Mountain, Windtower, West Wind Pass, and Wind Ridge all within like a 5km radius of each other!
The Bow Valley.
After our short summit stay, we (my dad, Diego, and I) rushed to catch back up with the rest of our group, whom we had left just before the crux section.
On the way down, we found a funny looking bird after hearing some odd sounds coming from the bush. I think it was some kind of Grouse, but I may be completely wrong. I’ll let you correct me if you’re a bird expert. But anyways, that was our cool wildlife sighting for the day!
On our way down, looking back over at Lougheed 1 and Windtower.
Once we got back to the trees, it was an easy and straightforward, albeit long walk out.
The summit of this hike is probably not for the whole family, as shown by our trip where half the group stayed below the crux. However, it is a fun hike even to the viewpoint below the crux, with good views of the meadows and the Lougheeds nonetheless. The trail was a bit slippery from the loose dirt and steepness, but overall no big complaints for this one. It’s certainly a great fitness hike with a low risk, small bit of scrambling practice for the crux.