Cascade Mountain

Cascade Mountain towers above the Bow River Valley beside Banff and is the highest peak adjoining the townsite, making it one of the area’s defining landmarks. James Hector named it in 1858 for a waterfall on its southern slopes, and it has also been called Stoney Chief. A common climb leads from the Norquay Ski Area to the Cascade Amphitheatre and along the ridge toward the summit, but despite an initially moderate reputation, it is a serious ascent with lingering snow, avalanche-prone terrain, storms, rescues, and fatalities. Its prominent southwest ridge, first climbed in 1977, had been recognized as promising rock decades earlier.

Alberta · Canada