At 9:23pm on Saturday August 29th, 2026 I completed the Crowsnest High Five in a new record time of 21 hours and 23 minutes. That is more than five hours faster than the time I set on my first completion here last September.
For anybody who has not come across it, the High Five links five iconic mountain summits of the Crowsnest Pass in a single effort: Crowsnest Mountain, Mount Tecumseh, Mount Coulthard, Turtle Mountain, and Bluff Mountain. You start and finish in the same place, you can connect the peaks in whatever order you like so long as you reach the true summit of each, and you punch a card at every summit register to track your progress. I run the Standard Route, which means every peak is linked on foot, including all the running between trailheads. Jamie Lowe-Wylde and I put the route together using known trails that avoid private land and unregulated railroad crossings.
Last year I completed it for the first time in 26 hours and 46 minutes, and I came away from that one knowing there was a lot to improve on in my route. This year the goal was to go under 24.
Turtle first, in the dark
I started at midnight, joined by my friend Austin Sedgwick, and we went up Turtle Mountain first. I had just been on that mountain in the dark the week before, pacing Joanna Ford during her own High Five effort, so I was confident I could navigate the tricky ridge between the false summit and the true summit with little trouble. We made a quick ascent and an even faster descent, earned a few new personal bests on those segments, and came off the mountain about 45 minutes ahead of my goal pace. Skylar Roth-MacDonald met us at the bottom for resupply, and I set off on the long solo leg out to Mount Coulthard around 2:50am.
Coulthard and the Andy Good connection
Skylar met me again on York Creek road, which let me pack light for the run across town and then load up properly for what came next. That next section would be several hours before I had another resupply opportunity, and it included the only part of the course I had not covered in advance, so I packed extra calories and prepared accordingly. Recent grading on the ATV trail leading up to Coulthard made the climb easier than my previous efforts up there, and I was grateful for the relatively smooth jog. I reached the summit of Coulthard a few minutes after 6:00am, punched my High Five card, and made my way down into the bowl as the sun began to rise.
The connection between Mount Coulthard and the Andy Good Basin is a route I have been eyeing for a while without having the opportunity to complete it. It is steep, and it was as rewarding as I had hoped. It dropped me into the Andy Good Basin and on to the 7 Bridges trail for a most spectacular downhill jog out to Highway 3, where I met Skylar again, this time joined by his partner Laura.
The rope on Tecumseh
Jamie Lowe-Wylde started up Tecumseh about thirty minutes ahead of me to give himself time to rig a 70 metre rappel line on the east aspect of the summit. That let me make a speedy, direct descent into the east bowl and head out toward Crowsnest Mountain. I had scouted several route options for travelling up and over Tecumseh, and despite the additional logistics of involving ropes, this was the optimal route. It saved more than five kilometres of travel over rough, rocky terrain.
I reached the summit at 11:30am, approximately 75 minutes ahead of my plan, so I took the opportunity to slow down and consume a few extra calories. The rappel itself is not very steep and could be downclimbed without the rope, but we decided the extra work was worth the safety insurance after more than twelve hours on my feet.
A crowded chimney on Crowsnest
Getting from Tecumseh over to Crowsnest Mountain meant a few ATV trails, a short bushwhack, and a knee deep stream crossing. My friends Bill, Kevin and Shirley were waiting at the Crowsnest Mountain trailhead. During the resupply I took note of the very full parking area, knowing I might have some trouble passing others on the trail. This mountain is notoriously dangerous for rockfall in the busy season.
Kevin joined me for the first mile of trail before the technical ascent started. I met ten people coming down the chimney, the most I have ever seen up there, so I was grateful to have my helmet as I followed non-typical ascent lines to avoid climbing under or over anybody. As I approached the summit I could see storm clouds in the distance, and that inspired me to push through this one quickly and avoid getting caught in a storm on a very exposed summit. The effort paid off, and I managed to return to the trailhead before any of the climbers I had seen descending as I was ascending. Not that any of them knew this was a competition, but I felt pretty proud of myself in this moment to have moved this quickly, setting a new personal best on the descent route with nearly 70 kilometres and four summits in my legs.
The long run back to Blairmore
The final summit would require another long run back into town. Last year, that 23 kilometre jog is where my run fell apart. I believe I pushed too hard and did not fuel properly.
So this year I did exactly the same thing, but this was part of my plan. Knowing I had only the easiest of the five summits remaining, I used that section to empty the tank on the easy, net downhill trails leading back to town. Skylar ran it with me and cracked the whip whenever my walking break lasted a little too long. We arrived at the Bluff Mountain trailhead a few minutes after 7:00pm, nearly two hours ahead of schedule.
As expected, I was starting to dip into the well by that point, and with a sour stomach developing I was struggling to stay on my nutrition schedule. Laura and Bill met us there with a resupply and some encouraging words. I drank half a soda, ate a gel, and committed myself to finishing before the sunset.
Bluff, and the last light
The climb up Bluff was slow but efficient. I was grateful for dirt-covered trails after a long day on the sharp and unforgiving talus rock that defines the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Alberta. I did my best not to stop for too long on the ascent, other than to put on my jacket for the wind near the top. I signed in to the register and punched the final summit on my High Five card before making the descent. I had decided in my mind that I would reach the bottom without a headlamp, but the final 400 metres of thick forest forced me to make one last stop to retrieve it from my pack.
Bill was waiting for me at the trailhead so we could run the final kilometre back to spry running store together and close the loop I began exactly 21 hours and 23 minutes prior. I stopped my watch just in time to watch the last light disappear on the horizon. A perfect end to a most perfect day.
The numbers
- Elapsed time: 21:23:00
- Distance: 101.07 km
- Elevation gain: 7,122 metres
- Average heart rate: 128 bpm
- Summit splits: Turtle 1:30am, Coulthard 6:09am, Tecumseh 11:29am, Crowsnest 3:21pm, Bluff 8:33pm
Thanks
Austin, Skylar, Laura, Jamie, Bill, Kevin, and Shirley. I am always impressed by the passion and support from the running community. I am forever grateful to have found my people. Jamie hauled a rope up a mountain and rigged the rappel line so I could save more than five kilometres of rough ground. Austin and Skylar joined me for the midnight start and Skylar ran resupply all day and then paced me through the section that took my soul last year. Kevin and Shirley drove all the way from Calgary to support and Kevin joined the first mile up Crowsnest and back to McGilvery. Of course, Bill the Thrill was on the team, running dog duty, Crowsnest + Bluff Mountain crew, and even came to keep me company for the final kilometre.
I am super stoked to have surpassed my goal by a significant margin, and inspired to set my sights on a sub-20 effort in the future.
If you want to give the Crowsnest High Five a try, get in touch. I look forward to sharing my notes with the next person that wants to take it on. You can collect a punch card from spry in Blairmore and if you finish it you can bring your punch card to spry for an official finisher's hat.