WINDY POINT
RIDGE
Windy Point Ridge in the spring from Foran showing the route up, which
starts from the road just outside the picture. The cliffs are bigger than they
look in photos. Photo by Bob Spirko
Overview
I figured you all must be getting tired of ALL my
columns being in the same valley-after all, the
Kananaskis is a huge place-that I decided I would do
this column in a different valley. It had to be off-trail,
since that is what this column is about, and I had to
have photos with my new camera, since it’s so much
better than my old one. A few days ago I went to the
Mustang Hills in the Elbow west of Bragg Creek, fully
intending to write about it, but lo and behold I’d left
my camera at home. Snap. So the Sheep it is again,
since a week or so ago I was up on one of my favourite
spots, Windy Point Ridge, taking nice photos in the
early fall weather with a bit of snow on the ground.
Windy Point Ridge is the south end of a very long
ridge stretching from Ware Creek all the way down to
the Sheep. North of Col 713152, it is known as
Gleason. From the highway the ridge is absolutely
spectacular, with its huge textbook anticline catching
you by surprise when you drive around the bend below
Foran Hill. I have been up and down many times by
many different routes, but this is my favourite. Be
careful, it is really steep.