"I have mixed feelings about Mount Ball, so here is a pros & cons list: PRO: somewhat of a trail exists for the first kilometer CON: many kilometers of deadfall makes the next section slow travelling PRO: after the headwall, some flat karst pavement makes for some fast trail CON: a long scree slog up to Beatrice Peak PRO: pretty awesome views from up top CON: from Beatrice, it takes longer than expected to get to the summit of Ball PRO: kinda nice to check this one off after gazing at it for so many years CON: it's a long way back to the car PRO: the scree descent is pretty quick CON: despite having a GPS track to navigate by, it's still pretty easy to get off route PRO: a big day out exploring a valley with no-one else around There was a lot of getting off route on this track. Strava did not record the whole track. Actual time was 13:40. Actual distance was likely around 27km. Elevation gain around 1900m." — geoffhardy • Sep 8, 2024

"Haffner Creek approach is even worse than most people describe: a pure purgatory in 30C heat. The scramble itself has 2 short upper moderate sections (Class 3 terrain). The optional descent gully off Beatrice is right now choked with snow - ice-axe and a traction device recommended. I planned to ascend Stanley Peak as well but realized that the hanging valley between Beatrice and Stanley has no water. Running short on water, I beat a hasty retreat down to Haffner Creek." — Taras • Jul 31, 2022

"Haffner creek lives up to the hype...and I'm going to suggest it gets even worse each year due to new avalanche debris and new erosion. I now wear it with a badge of honour. Beatrice and Ball look so close from the bivy site once you've walked in in the morning. But Beatrice is higher than it looks and Ball is further than it looks. Masocists the ones that did Ball from the parking lot in a day. Bluebird though just after the fresh snow and of course no one around. Tackled Stanley via SW the next morning and then Haffner round 2. Stasys you are a machine. Rob glad you enjoyed Haffner both ways with your full pack. 3 to go... Scramblers (2): Stasys, Alex https://www.meetup.com/canadian-scrambling-and-mountaineering-company/events/273015855/" — alexjoseph • Sep 9, 2020

"Bert and I did the unthinkable - we returned to the Haffner Creek bushwhack. It was miserable. It was hot. It took us forever to get to the bivy. Then we set up the tent and ate and a thunderstorm made its presence known. We tied down the tent really well, got inside and then it hailed pretty hard! It was mentally taxing after the bushwhack and it didn't help us feel positive. It was creepy ominous. I didn't sleep well... maybe 3 hours of sleep? However, Sunday was perfect. I never needed my down, never needed my crampons, never needed my ice axe. But I carried them all lol, so my already big pack was still heavy. We took the waterfall gully up Beatrice, slogged to the summit, then went over to Mount Ball. I couldn't commit to the sketchy left bypass of the rock knob, so I told Bert to go ahead while I looked for a better route. I made the sketch move required for the right bypass, then chased after him and we ascended Ball together. It was Bert's last peak of the Kane 2nd edition. Wow!!!!! He and I have done over 60 of them together, so over 1/3. Amazing!" — leigh-annewebster • Aug 2, 2020

"Well well.... A year after going up the creek, Leigh-Anne and I decided it was time to tidy up the unfinished business and go back. After a hot bushwhack in we established camp and had dinner. We did the toiletries and got ready for bed. There was weather moving in and we had to take some precaution to ensure the tent wouldn't blow away. We got in the tent and within ten minutes it was raining and hailing. Eventually the storm passed and we were able to get some sleep. The next morning we got ready and went up the waterfall, and aimed for Beatrice. We had already decided to do Beatrice first, finish on Ball, and come back down the waterfall. Enough of me yacking, enjoy the pics." — BertB • Aug 2, 2020

"Deadly approach. Haffner creek is no joke. I think it gets worse with every avalanche cycle and spring flood. We spend 7 hours climbing over log jams with our "not so light" overnight gear. Also carried mountaineering boots, crampons, and a mountaineering axe. It was an exhausting grind to the bivy. The actual scramble up ball was beautiful, but not too exciting. There's a brief moderate section near a waterfall, followed by a steep talus slope. Once you gain the Beatrice/Ball col, you need to go up and over a butress (moderate scrambling, but loose rock) then beside (we mostly chose beside) or on a snow slope to the summit. The final summit ridge had deep snow, which was not supporting in the late day. Fortunately, it was not steep, so there wasn't any avy risk. A long trip up, but the views were amazing!" — mike_rogers81 • Aug 3, 2019

" MOUNT BALL Mount Ball is best described by some as one of the most inaccessible miserable scrambles in Canada. Located in the Kootenay National Park, standing at 3,311m (10,863 ft) simply put this scramble/trek is a beast. There seems to be general consensus from reading the few trip reports online that this scramble is an endless bushwhacking nightmare, followed by a tough scramble that leads to incredible views! Ultimately many agree with Alan Kane’s statement that “few who have undertaken the trek would repeat it.” After reading the few trip logs that exist on this trek I cam across a few favorite quotes that can really sum up this trip. “Straight hell” “What kind of God would allow a valley like this to exist?” “If you want to find your “dark zone” this trip is perfect” “Trail? What do you mean Trail?” Although most trip reports summarize how tough and relentless this trek is, I believe it to be a great trek, provided you are both mentally and physically ready for a trip of this magnitude. Trip Date: Saturday Aug 29 -30, 2015 Trip Report We started our trip with a 5am wakeup and a 5:30am departure from Calgary, AB. After a pickup of my trekking comp..." — darrenrlund • Aug 30, 2015