Western Canada Wild Fires Affecting Summer Climbing

The wild fires in Western Canada have been raging for over a month and many climbers are feeling the burn.

The first are burning throughout B.C. and into Alberta and the smoke is making it difficult to approach, climb and be up high in the mountains.

A look at the Coast Mountain Range this morning as wildfire smoke from the BC interior starts to drift towards the ocean. Thanks to our friends at BC Wildfire Services for sharing this view as they were enroute from Campbell River to Prince George AND thank you for all your hard work! . . . #bcwildfire #wildfire #wildfireservices #skyview #cityofpg #campbellriver #bc

A post shared by BC Ministry of Transportation (@ministryoftranbc) on Aug 1, 2017 at 4:36pm PDT

On Castle Mountain, a number of climbers had to descend before starting their route because the smoke was so thick they were choking.

Closer to Banff, the popular Sunshine Slabs has been closed due to the nearby fires, which are causing ash to fall in the valley late in the day.

Smokey skies in Banff due to the Verdant Creek wildfire about 20km from town. To report a forest fire call *5555 from a cell phone. ? by @chasedavidson_ #lifeincanada

A post shared by Life In Canada (@life_in_canada) on Aug 1, 2017 at 3:29pm PDT

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park has been closed because of a 4,500-hectare fire that is threatening the trails. In Rogers Pass, big fires can been seen from the tops of most peaks. Check out the webcam here.

The Sea to Sky area around Squamish is full of smoke, making it hard to see across the Howe Sound at certain times of the day. Check out the webcam here.

Before travelling anywhere, check the hashtags #bcwildfire and #wildfire on social media to see recent images.

Just got back from an absolutely INSANE trek to Mount Assiniboine. After changing our plans due to fires in the area, we set out from a totally different trailhead. This shot is from our perspective, headed towards the park. The smoke in the air made it hard to breathe, but we finished the full 45 miles of our trip in less than 2 days.

A post shared by Kurtis Minster (@kurtisminster) on Aug 1, 2017 at 4:01pm PDT