INTRODUCTION

This is the fastest route up Mt Bryce. Also, the most popular way. However, the key couloir is a rockfall hazard.

I would suggest that the 1902 route may be more pleasant than thrashing your way up the hillside to Bryce's South Glacier.

APPROACH

The Bush River Road begins near Donald, BC. Turn onto the Rice Brook Road at the 98 kilometer sign. Four kilometers of increasingly bad road lead to the decommissioning closure.

Hiking the old road is tougher than a trail because it was dug up and is getting vegetated. After a few kilometers an old bridge site is reached. Easier crossing may be found at bit upstream. Then another two kilometers until leaving the old road at the last clear-cut, about 5,200'.

An arduous climb starts up the mountainside. Steep forest leads to a narrow watercourse. Climbing the loose rocks of the dry stream-bed is still steep, but better than the bushes on either side. At about 7,000', a cliff and waterfall are dodged by moving left across more steep, loose, slopes. The South Glacier camp is reached at 7,700'.

TECHNICAL CLIMBING

The broken lower South Glacier is avoided by staying left. Then snow and ice are climbed up a couloir that cuts through cliffs, left of a big serac cliff, 9,000'. The gully exits onto low angle neve, 10,200'.

From the broad neve there are two choices of route. Either climb up the south face or traverse right (east) to the Northwest Peak-Central Peak Col and finish up the Northeast Ridge.

More details and pictures @ Summitpost by wlloyd

PROTECTION

Crampons, ice axe, screws and/or pickets. Several pitches of ice are possible to the summit.

A trail built all the way to 7,500' would be nice.

Helmets and a crash pad for a shield in the couloir: "rocks fall from far above and frequently." (peakbagger.com)