Climbed Brewers Buttress on Castle Mountain today. The climbing route was in good shape, but we were surprised by the amount of recent erosion in the standard descent gully above the Castle Hut.

There were no signs of recent travel in the descent gully, and many sections of what used to be a fairly well beaten trail have been washed away. More route finding and careful down climbing was required...and more loose rock and poor footing was encountered, making for a significantly slower and more careful descent than in the the past.

Fortunately the four rappel stations in the bottom of the descent gully are still in good shape.

Of note for hut users, there is currently a good water source a few minutes below the hut on the approach trail.

Conrad Janzen
Brian Webster
Morgen Funston
Parks Canada Visitor Safety