February in the Canadian Rockies doesn’t usually offer many snowless peaks. But the weather has been an anomaly, spring-like for weeks with temperatures climbing above 10 degrees, leaving some of the front-range mountain patchy with bare ground, snow and ice.
I saw a post about Anklebiter Ridge in Bow Valley that it was nearly snow free so I decided this would be fun. I’ve had this scramble on my mind for a few years but it always slipped down the list because of its short distance.
There’s a popular traverse from Gap Mountain to Anklebiter and vice versa with multiple loop options too. On this adventure, I kept it simple with an out-and-back.
Likely it is called “anklebiter” ridge because it takes a bite out of your ankles. No actual bites for me but my ankles took a solid pounding from loose rocks.
Getting to Anklebiter Ridge
Directions are pretty straightforward. Follow Highway 1 from Calgary to exit 114 toward Seebe/Eshaw then Bow Valley Trail (Highway 1A) to Grotto Canyon Trail Parking Lot.
Trail
Follow the Grotto Canyon Trail for about 200 metres. When you see the first sign for Grotto Canyon trail, ignore it and take the trail on the right. There’s a little stump marking the trail. I missed it at first, and I was forced to backtrack almost a kilometre.
Run along the wooded trail for about a kilometre before you get to the first little hill then it’s more climbing for a few minutes before reaching the first scramble section. Nothing too technical – some rock bands that were easy to navigate. Here I saw and heard a small group ahead. Before long I caught up with them where we chatted for a few minutes about the trail before parting ways.
I continued on navigating the loose gravel among the slab sections and rock bands. At one point, I drifted over too far off-route and had to do some bonus scrambling to regain the most logical line. There were so many trails so I took the one that made the most sense to me. I assumed the group I met earlier was now ahead of me.
Anklebiter boasts three or four false summits, each one would make for a nice day, but I was determined to summit. Several sections were covered completely in snow, only when I saw the frozen footprints leading the way, did I feel assured I was going the right way.
I started to waver with the wind picked up and the snow began to fall. I was less than a kilometre to the peak so I trudged on. I was really cold but I just wanted to bag the summit and get down.
Just before the final push to the summit, I heard voices. It was the group that I thought was ahead of me. They were taking a break on the false summit behind me.
That small proof of human life was oddly motivating. I made the final push, reached the summit and took video and photos. I looked Gap Peak, blanketed in snow and east to Bluemat Hill, remarkably not covered in snow.
Descent
I hurried down and passed the group on my descent. They were hoping to do a loop, and invited me to join them. I was cold and not in the right headspace so I kindly declined.
The descent was far smoother than I had anticipated. Often descents can be the worst part of a hike or a scramble. But as a runner, it is often the time when we make up time. I had my poles in my pack, just in case. But one was broken so I kept them secured. I didn’t get lost, and I was able to get down in a relatively good time with not a single slip or fall.
Anklebiter Ridge may have been short and sweet but it earned a spot in Project 26. As a trail runner, I love these short scrambles (usually when I am done) because they sharpen the mind and builds the grit, I’ll need for the long days on the trail and mountains to come.