Misty Icefield

The Misty Icefield is a high glaciated plateau in the Eastern part of Garibaldi Park. It is rarely visited due to its remote location. Backcountry skiing traverses, as well as (summer) mountaineering routes in this area are described in the following sources:

Guidebooks, online resources:

1. Bivouac/Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia entry on the Misty Icefield
2. John Baldwin (1995). Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis.
3. Bruce Fairley (1986). A Guide to Climbing and Hiking in Southwestern British Columbia. Gordon Soules Book Publishers Ltd.

Trip reports:

1. Robin Tivy (2008). Misty Icefield with Fire Lake Exit - Attempt (Bivouac trip report). Or read: Sandra McGuinness (2008). The road to nowhere: in search of the Misty Icefield (Bivouac trip report). Photos
2. Klaus Haring (2006). Snowcap Lake, Jewel of Garibaldi Park, Bivouac trip report
3. Robin McKillop, Kate Zidek, Steve Klassen; Feb. 13-19, 2000 (7 days). Winter ski traverse of the Misty Icefield from Lillooet River Roads to Pitt River. Day 1: Snowmobile ride from 5km south of Tenas Narrows along unplowed West Lillooet River Road, walk up to subalpine meadow. Day 2: Reached treeline and a lake SE of Icemantle Glacier, crossing Icemantle Glacier onto the ridge leading down to Tuwasus Pass. Day 3: Down to Lower Snowcap Lake, up the ridge running south from the "bridge" separating the upper and lower lakes. Day 4: To Snowcap Peak. Ski down to Misty, dropped down to Stave, Camp at the SE corner of the Stave Glacier. Day 5: Skied down from Stave Glacier to series of lakes, to another lake, crossing an icefield, descent to the icefield north of Remote Peak. Day 6: Skied up the final icefield, from top of 6600' ridge west of Remote Peak, followed a broad steep ridge west down to a new logging road that climbs to treeline in the north-facing basin below. Skied logging road to Alvin logging camp and "Le Chateau" (fishing lodge). Day 7: Got driven to Pitt Lake and took water taxi to other side of lake. Robin McKillop (2000). Misty Icefields Traverse in Winter, VOCJ42 ('99-'00), p.73-76
4. Robin McKillop (1999). Snowcap Lake and Mount Pitt in Late Summer, VOCJ41 ('98-'99), p. 108-110
5. Robin Tivy (1998). Misty Icefields traverse - Route description. Bivouac trip report
6. John Ley (1998). Misty Icefields. The B.C. Mountaineer Volume 64?, p.58. 
7. John Ley (1997). Misty Icefields Traverse - Sure I'm interested, Bivouac trip report
8. Manrico Scremin (1988). Misty Icefield - Spearheads Traverse, Bivouac trip report
9. Brian Waddington, Darlene Anderson, Loch MacDonald, Dave Williams; May 18-26, 1985 (9 days). Spring ski traverse of the Misty Icefield from the Lillooet River Valley to the head of Pitt Lake. Day 1: Drove to top of logging road, headed up through the forest towards the snow. Long ski along pleasant ridge to first camp just west of the 6000' snow dome. Day 2: Traversed the Icemantle group, dropped down to Lower Snowcap and camp at Hourglass Lake. Day 3 and beyond: Moved up to the Snowcap via Staircase Glacier, climbed Nip and Tuck Peaks, Schnee Kogel, Snowcap, Stave and Misty peaks; passed from the Misty Icefield to Stave Glacier through the Stave-Misty col. Climbed Halkomelen, Katzie and Nebula peaks; spent a day in the tent after leaving the Stave Glacier; crossed to the Remote Peak Divide by passing south of a 7000' bump east of Nebula (recommended: climb over this bump as opposed to traversing steep slopes on its southern aspect), dropping down to a lake. Climbed Remote Peak. To leave the divide, they dropped westward from the 6600' ridge (1.5km west of Remote Peak) onto very steep avalanche-prone slopes. A better route suggested by them would be to drop south-west from Remote to two small lakes, and then climb back up to the ridge to the west before continuing on down this ridge to the trees. From here they left the snow behind and walked down to logging roads in the "TL10986" creek valley. A dozen kilometers of boring road took them to the head of Pitt Lake. Brian Waddington (1986). A Ski Traverse of the Misty Icefield, VOCJ28 ('85-'86), p.6-9
10. Brian Waddington (1985). Icemantle Glacier, VOCJ27 ('84-'85), p.26-27
11. Klaus Haring (1972). The Great Garibaldi Traverse - Part 2, Bivouac trip report
12. John Clarke (1972). Climbing reports: Coast Range - First Ascents in Garibaldi Park, Canadian Alpine Journal Volume 55, p. 70-72. 
13. Roland Burton et al. (1972). Misty Icefield diary, VOCJ14 ('71-'72), p.141-151.