An off-trail traversing the boulders and scree in the Ymir Bowl. Climb Ymir Mountain.
Difficulty: C2 difficult
Distance: round trip: 6.7 km
Elevation: +760m
Season: mid-July to late September
Drive up Whitewater Ski Hill Road and park.
Trail. There are two main hiking routes up Ymir, both are off-trail.
The west ridge. The normal way.
The north ridge via Half Dome can be found on All Trails.
Connecting these two could make a nice loop but the Half Dome route involves scrambling and may be easier going up.
Walk past the Whitewater Ski Lodge to ascend the ‘Lower Sluice Box’ run, aiming straight for Ymir Mountain on an old rough road that quickly narrows into a footpath.
Cross a road, walk up about 10m, then the trail resumes. At a boulder field, the trail disappears.
Going left up the boulder field goes to the north ridge via Half Dome. For the west ridge, cut straight across the bowl finding your route.
Aim for a long narrow chute to the left of some steep rocky bluffs. After 1.5 hours of hiking, reach the ridge and find faint bits of trail among the rocks. It’s a steady uphill climb with a few cliffy patches. Near the summit, drop down into a deep notch with a chute far below by going onto the south slope.
Sign the summit register
Descent. Rather than descending the north ridge, it may be simpler to return the same way.
The north ridge via Half Dome
Considered a challenging route, there are sections of scrambling requiring the use of hands. but there is no exposure or difficult moves.
References:
https://westkootenayhiking.ca/ymir-mountain/
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/canada/british-columbia/ymir-mountain-and-half-dome