The Bugaboos got their name from a turn-of-the-20th-century gold hoax, but their grandeur and world fame are the real McCoy. They were the climbing dukedom of Conrad Kain, who from 1916 to the 1930s led clients on routes that still challenge experienced climbers. In the 1950s-1970s legendary climbers like Fred Beckey, Yvon Chouinard, and Chris Jones forged routes on Snowpatch, Bugaboo, Pigeon Spires, and the Howsers. And in 1965 our founder, Hans Gmoser, built a little Heli-Skiing hut beneath the towers, and CMH was on its way.


The Bugaboos are a hiker’s nirvana. Four examples of their roster of more than 100 hikes:

Septet Traverse. This lovely hike begins in a larch forest on a ridgeline and weaves up and down through cirques and hanging valleys, each with it own glacial lake, each with a brilliant, unique colour, from azure to turquoise. Relatively distant views of the Bugaboo Spires give them a new, imposing aspect.

Rockypoint Basin. A pastoral, gloriously green hike in a large cirque with many variations, including a full-day hike up to Grizzly Ridge for massive views of the Spires.

Rooftop Ridge. One of the best places to get a 360 degree view of the southern Columbias, Bugaboo Spires, and the Rockies, Rooftop is a rocky, above-timberline hike with a number of pickup points along its length. From up here it’s easy to make sense of the landforms and their ancient shaping.

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