Vancouver Island Alpine Guide Mount Landale - 1537m

Summer Route

Follow the trail Lomas Lake Trail to the east end of the lake. Climb up through the forest and meadows heading east, to the base of the small blocky 1420m summit, at midpoint of the ridge joining El Capitan and Landale. Traverse south to the old mine site, then head up the scree slope above the mine. The scree slope ends at notch in the ridge, with a cliff preventing passage along the ridge to the summit. 10m below the notch, traverse south, on ledges, across the west face of the ridge. After about 100m angle up to the top of the ridge. Continue south along the ridge and work your way up the meadowy slope to the right/west of the summit. Finally scramble the last few meters east to the summit.

As of the summer of 1997 it is recommended to descent the preceeding route. Before this it was possible to follow the NW ridge, keeping to the meadows to the right/north side of the ridge crest. The route then dropped stepply down meadows to the south of Lomas Lake. However a minor rock slide has obliterated the route. Boulders the size of cars have rolled within a 100m of the lake, crushing trees in the forest. The entire slide area is littered with extremely loose unstable rock.

Winter Route

With snow the best route up Landale is the gully (ice axe required). From the east end of Lomas Lake head SE into a basin. Then head south up the obvious snow gully taking the left branch near the top. Continue towards the summit joining the the ridge just to the right/west of the summit.