FIRST SKI DESCENT OF CASCADE’S EAST FACE

The first big mountain face you see as you head west into Banff National Park is the iconic East face of Cascade Mountain. A wall of rock, snow and ice, the face has only seen upward travel by ice climbers in the past. Last month though, three ski mountaineers (Andrew Wexler, Justen Bruns and Kevin Rohn) completed the first ever ski descent of the mountain’s East face.

It took the three skiers over four hours to ascend Cascade from the mountain’s South side (above Banff Avenue), and almost double that time to descend via the East. The mission involved setting up a multitude of ice anchors and nine rappels over rocky cliff sections. 

As the guiding industry was slowed down significantly this Winter due to various travel restrictions, many guides have been generally less busy and able to plan and pursue personal missions. Safe to say, we will probably hear about more epic accomplishments like this one before the season is over. 

In the meantime, an interview with Kevin Rohn about the descent of Cascade's East face can be watched and read here.