We attempted an ascent of the regular scramble route on Temple last Monday, Sept. 11th. The hike up to Sentinel Pass (2611m) was snow free and beautifully scenic as it is this time of year. Above the pass our travel slowed due to early season snow with an average depth of 15cm (40cm in deeper spots). We turned around 300+ meters below the summit (3544m) due to timing.

If you are planning on heading to Temple anytime soon, expect there to be more snow than stated above, as it was snowing while we were hiking out on the 11th and today in Canmore residents woke up to a couple cms of fresh snow on their lawns. Expect route finding to be more challenging and constantly evolving wintery condition. Windslabs were a part of our morning hazard assessment, with their risk of pushing/carrying you down a slope or over a cliff, but we did not find any that posed significant risk in the terrain we traveled. Our main hazard encountered was slipper rock, either from snow &/or ice, combined with a fall away hazard (ie. cliff). We also witnessed some afternoon solar rockfall events from Eiffel peak, which is adjacent to Temple.

Play smart and have a great fall of exploring the mountains!

Patrick Lindsay
Ridgeline Guiding Services
ACMG Alpine Guide