The Fortress (Alberta)

The Fortress

The Fortress (upper center), Mount Chester (right) and Gusty Peak (left and ridge foreground)
Elevation 3,000 m (9,800 ft)[1]
Prominence 287 m (942 ft)[2]
Location
The Fortress

Alberta, Canada

Range Kananaskis Range
Coordinates 50°49′40″N 115°14′20″W / 50.82778°N 115.23889°WCoordinates: 50°49′40″N 115°14′20″W / 50.82778°N 115.23889°W[1]
Topo map NTS 82J/14
Climbing
Easiest route Scramble on southwest ridge

The Fortress is a mountain located in the Kananaskis River Valley of Kananaskis Park of the Canadian Rockies. When viewed from Highway 40, the north face presents a fortress like appearance. The Fortress should not be confused with nearby Fortress Mountain.

The mountain was originally named Tower Mountain but was changed in 1957 to its current name so as not to be confused with Tower Mountain.[2]

Climbing routes

The southwestern slopes can be scrambled from either the Chester Lake side or Headwall Lakes side. Both routes join at the Chester-Fortress col. From the col, a steep path ascends the remaining 325 m (1,066 ft) to the summit. Only the final section of the summit block requires any real hands on scrambling. The Headwall Lakes approach takes longer but the scree slopes leading to the col are not as loose as the Chester Lake side, which serves as a better descent route.

Photo gallery

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "The Fortress". PeakFinder. Retrieved 2005-11-20.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "The Fortress". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2009-01-01.