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Acéphale Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Areas in Acéphale

Down Under 0 / 6 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6

Hypochondriac Wall 0 / 1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 1

Lower Wall 0 / 48 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 48

Upper Wall 0 / 52 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 52

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Elevation:	4,296 ft	1,309 m
GPS:	51.05815, -115.13898 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	59,703 total · 547/month
Shared By:	Phil Lauffen on Aug 24, 2017 · Updates
Admins:	Dave Rone, Tom Jones, Richard Rose, Rhys Beaudry Page Updates (admin only)

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Access Issue: Gear Stashing Not Permitted Details

Acephale is in the Bow Valley Provincial Park. Gear stashing may jeopardize access.

Description

Acéphale, Pronounced Ass-Ah-Fail by the locals, is a premier crag on the flanks of Heart Mountain. Blue streaked, blocky, and pavement grey limestone buttresses are tucked away in the quiet trees. You can almost ignore the semis engine braking their way into Canmore.

"Ace" is an incredible crag with great climbing from 12- to 14+. If you are climbing at the grade, this is a must visit. It gets shade all day, so can be quite chilly. The routes range in height from 15m to close to 35m.

There are two distinct sectors, the Upper and Lower walls. The Upper wall generally has harder routes that are shorter and more intense. The Lower wall has some incredible power endurance climbs on the left side, and in general more variety in rock quality and flavor.

In general, I have felt the grades at Acéphale stiff and the rock hard on your skin, compared to other crags in the Bow Valley. Prepare thy tips for battle.

Getting There

Drive towards Calgary from Canmore. Pass the Lac de Arcs exit. Go ~2km, and watch for a few ponds and guardrail on your right. At the end of the guardrail swing off the highway into a massive grass/dirt pullout. (SEE GPX TRACK FOR MORE DETAILS ON MAP)

Follow a steep trail uphill out of the parking lot, following the signs for Acephale (30-45 minutes). If the signs are not present or further information is needed, refer to the text below.

Additional Approach Info: Exit the parking lot soon encountering an obvious T intersection. Walk to the right for a couple minutes, crossing under the power lines to immediately head uphill again. Continue up this trail, staying right at the Y fork after a few minutes. Follow the trail alongside a seasonal creek bed, climb up some trail improvements over the water fall, and follow the creek bed which leads you directly to the Lower Acephale. Continue up right another 10 min to arrive at the Upper wall.

Fixed Gear and Rope Buckets

Since 2019, no fixed gear will be tolerated at Acephale. Please pack in and out everything you need (not a long hike).

See CASA or TABVAR for more information.

107 Total Climbs

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Classic Climbing Routes at Acéphale

Mountain Project's determination of the classic, most popular, highest rated climbing routes in this area.

5.11a 6c 22 VII+ 22 E3 5c 8 ● The Warm Up Sport Upper Wall
5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c 12 ● Neoconstructionist Sport Lower Wall
5.12a 7a+ 25 VIII+ 25 E5 6a 10 ● Where's Mom? Sport Lower Wall
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b 17 ● Hickory Dickory Dock Sport Lower Wall
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b 14 ● Bucking horse Sport Lower Wall
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b 8 ● Rockamoveya Sport Upper Wall
5.12b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6b 6 ● Lose Yourself Sport Lower Wall
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b 8 ● Altius Sport Upper Wall
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b 12 ● Deal With It Sport Lower Wall
5.12c 7b+ 27 IX- 27 E6 6b 4 ● The Dark Dance Sport Lower Wall
5.12c/d 7c 28 IX 28 E6 6b 5 ● Ice Box of Broken Dreams Sport Upper Wall
5.12d 7c 28 IX 28 E6 6b 6 ● Nemo Sport Lower Wall
5.13a 7c+ 29 IX+ 29 E6 6c 6 ● 39 Steps Sport Upper Wall
5.13b 8a 29 IX+ 30 E7 6c 4 ● Sweet Thing Sport Upper Wall
5.13b 8a 29 IX+ 30 E7 6c 6 ● Naissance de le Femme Sport Lower Wall