Location: Joffre Lakes Provincial Park
Dates: August 8-9, 2025
My most recent climb was closer to home, in BC, and one of the best of the year. We climbed Mount Matier, the highest peak in the Joffre Group - above Joffre Lakes in the Pemberton region (Joffre Lakes Provincial Park).
The group was 5 climbers included myself, with the other 4 coming from afar - Northern Ontario, Minnesota/Michigan (via Kentucky), and Wyoming (via Boston). It’s fair to say my pals were thoroughly impressed by the climbing in BC.
We had a perfect weather window on the morning of August 9, 2025, with clear skies, no wind, and relatively good late summer conditions over the Matier and Anniversary Glaciers. The open crevasses were plentiful, the snow bridges sketchy, and the bergschrunds - there were several extensions around the route - were terrifying. We navigated the latter, which was committing and covered in blue ice, only with the help of ice tools and ice screws. The crowds were non-existent and we had the entire mountain to ourselves, save for one party of three we passed late in the day. After a season in the Cascades and dealing with the US National Parks and Forests, can I get a hallelujah to no permits?!
We had to use a wide range of alpine skills: glacier crossing, exposed scrambling and down climbing, steep snow climbing and several pitches of raps off snow anchors and navigating around the bergschrund.
A worthy and highly recommend BC objective!
(A gorgeous and engaging climb)
(We rappelled off snow anchors and left a solidly placed deadman picket going over the bergschrund)
(Summit shots of the surrounding glaciers)
(Mount Joffre looming above the Matier Glacier)
(Roping up as we approached the Anniversary Glacier)
(Bivy spot for the evening, the Anniversary Glacier is quite broken up by late summer and was completely dry save for the odd snow bridge, which we diligently avoided)