Everesting in Canada
Climbing 8,848 m on five iconic Canadian inclines
May is the best month to attempt an ascent to the summit of Mount Everest. In most of Canada, late May is not a bad month to try Everesting, riding up a climb, then down it, and then up it again until you’ve logged 8,848 m of elevation gain. In one ride, you climb to the top of the world’s tallest mountain, virtually. Here are five prime climbs for getting all Sir Edmund Hillary with a 25-tooth cog. Actually, a 28 is probably better. Mont-mégantic, Que. Mont-mégantic regularly features in the Tour de Beauce. In 2009, Darwin Atapuma, now of uae Team Emirates, won the stage atop Mégantic. Fellow Colombian Sergio Luis Henao, currently with Team Sky, was second. Length: 5.3 km Average grade: 9.6 per cent Elevation gain in one ascent: 511 m Number of climbs required to Everest: 17.32
Voie Camillien Houde, Montreal
Camillien Houde is part of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. The Worldtour riders only climb it 17 times. Wimps. Also, for your climbing to count as an Everesting attempt, you must follow the same route down that you took up. It seems the pros aren’t really worried about a proper Everest during the GP. Length: 1.6 km Average grade: 7.3 per cent Elevation gain in one ascent: 119 m Number of climbs required to Everest: 74.36
Marmot Basin, Jasper
Marmot Basin was the finale of Stage 4 of the 2015 Tour of Alberta. Tom-jelte Slagter won the stage, after winning the day before. Would he ever be keen on doing the climb 13.77 times? Length: 12.97 km Average grade: 4.9 per cent Elevation gain in one ascent: 643 m Number of climbs required to Everest: 13.77
Mount Revelstoke, B.C.
In 2013, Canadian cycling magazine dubbed the Mount Revelstoke climb the hardest in Canada. It’s definitely one of the longest climbs on the continent. Length: 26 km Average grade: 5.6 per cent Elevation gain in one ascent: 1,468 m Number of climbs required to Everest: 6.03
Mount Seymour, B.C.
Mount Seymour is part of Vancouver’s classic Triple Crown challenge. It’s the tallest of the three mountains, so the most efficient for racking up 8,848 m. Length: 13.1 km Average grade: 6.9 per cent Elevation gain in one ascent: 904 m Number of climbs required to Everest: 9.79