Protection Mountain (TV, Television Peak)

August 26, 2009, sawback range, banff national park

Summit
2972 m
Gain
1700 m
Distance
21 km
Round trip
10 hr
Technical
SC6 YDS (Hiking)
Activity
scramble
Quick 'n dirty
Class 3 - you fall, you break something
Difficulty
Easy hiking and scrambling on trail.
Route
GPS trackMap

On August 25, 2009 I got together with Marta and scrambled Protection Mountain, a.k.a. Television Peak in Banff National Park. I had heard lots from Marta on the RMBooks Web Board and read many of her trip reports with interest but we had never done a scramble or climb together.

Protection Mountain Route Map
Protection Mountain Route Map

With Marta having over 250 mountains and me having over 200 myself I guess it was only a matter of time that we do a trip together! Unfortunately her partner, Chester, was out with a sore back so Marta was looking for scrambling and climbing partners to avoid doing solo trips and since we both wanted the same peak we managed to join forces.

You can just barely make out the trail beneath Marta (look on the grassy part of the slope). Mount Temple and the Lake Louise peaks show up in the background. The view doesn't get much better than from right here so if that's all you're after I wouldn't bother going any further than the mine. I'm at the entrance to the mine taking this photo.
You can just barely make out the trail beneath Marta (look on the grassy part of the slope). Mount Temple and the Lake Louise peaks show up in the background. The view doesn't get much better than from right here so if that's all you're after I wouldn't bother going any further than the mine. I'm at the entrance to the mine taking this photo.

We ascended via Sonny and Bob’s recommended route - the Protection Mountain mine hiking trail. Following their great descriptions we had no route finding issues and enjoyed the interesting mine site.

The mine is pretty cool.
The mine is pretty cool.
The view out of the mine entrance looking towards Mount Temple.
The view out of the mine entrance looking towards Mount Temple.
Marta is a tiny speck on the far right - can you spot her? She thought I was behind her and waited for me. OOPS. I was dashing off to the summit unaware that she was concerned about me... She eventually found me. At the summit.
Marta is a tiny speck on the far right - can you spot her? She thought I was behind her and waited for me. OOPS. I was dashing off to the summit unaware that she was concerned about me... She eventually found me. At the summit.

The hands-on scrambling on the ridge is quite fun but you pay for it with an approach of 4-5 hours depending on your speed. We found the mine quite interesting and were both very impressed with the great approach trail. We both found no issues at all on the ridge, it was mostly a hike with maybe 2 sections of moderate scrambling.

Summit views include Avens (L), Douglas, Lychnis, St. Bride, Pulsatilla, Bonnet, Block, Noetic, Helena Ridge, Stuart Knob and Castle Mountain (R).
Summit views include Avens (L), Douglas, Lychnis, St. Bride, Pulsatilla, Bonnet, Block, Noetic, Helena Ridge, Stuart Knob and Castle Mountain (R).

Total elevation gain was much more than I thought it would be - over 1650m on Marta’s Suunto, but there are a lot of ups and downs on the ridge and I certainly felt tired enough to confirm this altitude reading. 

Descending the north ridge.
Descending the north ridge.
Down climbing the ridge.
Down climbing the ridge.
Descending the west face.
Descending the west face.

Overall this is a recommended outing with a great approach trail, interesting history at the mining site and a fun ridge. Just don’t be like me and under-estimate the size of this outing.