BOU AVENUE
Eiffel Peak
Taking advantage of the good weather and the absence of access restrictions (no less than six hikers per party allowed in Larch Valley--usually in effect from July thru September), I scrambled up Eiffel Peak in Banff National Park on 28 June 2003.  While climbing the lower slopes was fairly straightforward, I was somewhat apprehensive about the abundance of snow on the upper mountain.  Nevertheless, I proceeded cautiously and managed to avoid most of the snow by scrambling up steep but reliable rock slabs.  I reached the summit about 3.5 hours after leaving the parking lot.

After lunch, I nervously slid down one of the snow slopes to avoid downclimbing the rock slabs, but once I was back on easier terrain, I stuck to the rocks for the rest of the descent.  Coincidentally, less than a minute after I got back on the Larch Valley trail to head out, I bumped into Bruce Dunbar, a climber I met last year on top of Mount Galatea.  On this day, he was planning on heading up Mount Temple and bivouacking on the summit.  We chatted for awhile, and I wished him well before hiking back to my car at Moraine Lake.
Eiffel Peak
This is one of the first clear views of Eiffel Peak upon entering Larch Valley.
7-8-9 Peaks
Mount Tuzo, Deltaform and Neptuak Mountains are three of the famous Ten Peaks near Moraine Lake.
Check out the view!
Sonny looks toward Moraine Lake and Mounts Babel and Fay (draped by glacier).
Made it.
Sonny stands on the 3084-metre summit of Eiffel Peak.
Mount Temple
The 'tourist route' up Mount Temple still has much snow.
Going down?
Sonny descends grassy slopes with Neptuak Mountain and Wenkchemna Pass in the background.  Eiffel Lake is barely visible down in the valley bottom.
Refreshing!
The access trail to the lower slopes of Eiffel Peak (visible between the trees) crosses this creek shortly after leaving the Larch Valley trail.