CANMORE – A group of hikers and their furry friend were rescued over the weekend after finding themselves stranded on “ankle biter ridge” in the Grotto Mountain area on Sunday (May 26).
The group of four were hiking when they became “cliffed out” on what is commonly referred to as ankle biter ridge, the unofficial name for a ridge west of Loder Peak, in the Grotto Mountain area near Canmore.
“The group appeared to be inexperienced and lost their way,” Jeremy Mackenzie, a Kananaskis public safety specialist explained.
“They ended up descending into a gully system east of the main ridge. They descended some distance and eventually found themselves above a cliff, could not continue down and could not re-ascend due to fatigue.”
Alpine Helicopters assisted in the rescue, according to the company’s Facebook post, with a heli-sling longline operation.
There were no injuries reported.
At press time there were no advisories or public safety messages for Grotto Mountain on the Alberta Parks website.
Trails in the Canmore area are drying out, especially at lower elevation, the website states but higher elevation trails still hold snow.
“Overall, trail condition area variable with icy, snowy patches. Ice cleats are recommended but may not be needed for larger sections of trails.”
