The Lions are one of the most iconic peaks that you can see from Vancouver. I was initially planning to do West Lion scramble on Sep 5, but it got pushed out as I went on Oudi’s Garibaldi NE Face climbing trip. Finally, I posted the trip on BCMC for Sep 12. Anna, Vanessa and David signed up for the trip.
How Difficult is West Lion Scramble?
West Lion is rated as a difficult scramble in Matt Gunn’s book. Here is what Matt has to say about the first crux –
“… this ramp involves difficult scrambling and significant exposure. A person died falling off this ramp in the past, so exercise caution” – Matt Gunn, Scrambles of Southwest BC Page 33.
I also received an email from a concerned BCMC member who had done this route, stating that it is an extremely dangerous scramble, and all participants should be aware of it. The trip posting and screening questions highlighted the difficulty of the scramble, but just to be safe I sent an email again.
We would bring our helmet as rockfall is common, but we won’t be roping up. If someone felt uncomfortable, the last scramble was optional. Everyone agreed with the plan.
Lions Bay Trailhead
We met at St. David’s Church at 6 am and then drove to Lions Bay. We parked at the Lions Bay Elementary School and started our hike at 6:30 am. In 10 minutes, we were at the trailhead on Sunset Drive.
It was my third time at this trailhead this season. I had done Brunswick Mountain with Kush and Tunnel Bluff’s hike with my family. Today, we would hike the first two km on a gravel road and then take a right for Lions at the colourful sign.
It was relatively flat after this sign, and the trail is well marked. We hiked past a small waterfall on our way.
Around one and half hours into the hike, we took our first break.
We hiked down to the Harvey Creek. After crossing the creek, the trail gets interesting and is steep.
Hike to Summit Ridge
After 30 minutes of hike through the forest, we were at an opening with our first view of The Lions.
The smoke from wildfires limited our views, but it was not too bad. Soon we were hiking on open rocky terrain and followed the trail with occasional paint marks. We took a short break just before the ridge. Further along the ridge, we had a beautiful view of The Lions, especially the East Lion.
In few minutes we reached the sub-summit.
We put on our helmet, and some of us changed into approach/climbing shoes. We stashed our bags and made our way to the notch.
Once at the notch, we had a better view of the scramble ahead. Anna didn’t feel comfortable and decided to head back to the sub-summit. Stepping back is never an easy decision, especially in a group. I admired Anna for knowing her comfort level and making that decision.
The Final Scramble
We were soon at the first crux, the slab traverse. There are not as many places to grab on to, but it is not that difficult if you have some climbing experience.
We continued our scramble following the ribbons used to mark the trail. Occasionally I would look around to make sure that we were not going off-trail. At some places, we saw white tape used to mark the trail. We had regular and open communication to make sure everybody was okay with the approach and feeling comfortable with the scramble.
Soon, we were at the second crux. A 5-6 m section split with a tree about 2 m up the route. I felt that we could have climbed either to the left or to the right of the tree. The right side, although more exposed, seemed easier and manageable.
As I went up the right side, it became more challenging than what I expected for a fourth-class scramble. Vanessa and David agreed that it was the toughest section so far.
We saw another ribbon higher up, and we made a traverse to reach it. From here on, it was easy to follow the trail.
West Lion Summit
Soon, we were on the summit. It took us four hours of hiking from Lions Bay Elementary School to reach West Lion’s summit. The scramble itself was around 20 minutes from the notch. Smoke from wildfires created some unique summit views.
Group photo –
After a quick break, we started our descent.
We were soon at the second crux. From the top, the route to the right of the tree (climber’s left) seemed easier for the descent. We were all thinking about down climbing this section, but were relieved to find out the easier option.
Few more minutes and we were at the first crux. After a slow and cautious traverse, we were done with the slab section.
Soon we were back at the sub-summit and took a lunch break. By now, few more groups had made their way up and asked us about the scramble. “How was it? Is it easy to find the trail? How hard is the scramble?”
Without knowing people’s background and their experience, it was difficult to give a definitive answer. My take on it – if you have done exposed scrambles before and were comfortable, go for it. Otherwise, the view is as good from the sub-summit.
Harvey Creek
Our first break on our descent was at the Harvey Creek.
I first thought we were just going to get out feet wet and relax a bit at the creek. But, Anna, Vanessa and David got into the small pool. Hesitantly, I followed them. It was cold but refreshing. I need to do this more often.
We were back at our cars around 2:30 pm. We hiked 18.2 km (out and back) under eight hours, with around 1600+ m of elevation gain/loss.
To be honest, after reading about all the rescues, accidents and seeing YouTube videos, I was a bit skeptical about West Lion scramble. It is a difficult and exposed scramble, but it turned out easier than what I had expected. After completing four scrambles from Matt Gunn’s book, I now have a better sense of the difficulty rating, quality and time required for these trips. I feel good.
Resources:
Trip Reports / GPX Track: Steven Song’s Website
Review of Scrambling Accidents in BC
Cypress Provincial Park: BC Parks Link
Glossary of climbing terms
If you are in Lower Mainland, check out British Columbia Mountaineering Club for trips and courses.
Disclosure: I am a member of BCMC. I am not affiliated with any of the other organizations.
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Thank you for the detail report. How do you compare it with Markhor Needle traverse ?
Thank you Bahareh. I think West Lion is easier than Markhor Needle traverse.
Tumba tough unto,
howdu amma, but safe ittu.