Decker Mountain

Date: September 11, 2024

Distance: 18.9km (Blackcomb Ascent Trail one-way is 6.1km, Decker round trip from Rendezvous is 12.9km)

Elevation gain: 1963m (includes Blackcomb Ascent Trail) 

Decker Mountain is one of several bumps along a ridge east of Blackcomb Mountain. It’s easily accessed from the Blackcomb Gondola, which brings hikers into the subalpine, saving hundreds of vertical metres. I wanted to go hiking, but had to be back in North Van by 5pm for work. The weather looked best in the Sea to Sky area but I couldn’t go that far with the time constraint. Decker Mountain seemed like a good choice. The original plan was to head further east along the ridge to Mount Trorey and Mount Pattison, but that didn't happen.

I arrived at Whistler around 8am and headed up the Blackcomb ascent trails, a series of trails taking hikers from the base of the Blackcomb gondola to the Rendezvous lodge at 1850m. These trails are well-maintained and the ascent went by quickly. There were brief views through the trees. Inspirational Muir and Emerson quotes are posted on various signs. I soon reached the Rendezvous lodge. 

The weather was worse than expected and clouds had rolled in. I continued southeast along the well-marked Overlord trail, which involved a long gentle descent followed by a long gentle ascent. The views would be nice in clearer weather. At about 4km I reached a bowl below the Blackcomb-Decker col. This is the end of the official trail, but an unofficial route leads to the summit of Decker from here.

I went southeast then ascended the southwestern ridge of Decker. This route was mostly along boulder fields with occasional cairns. By then, there were full whiteout conditions and I couldn’t even see the summit. As I approached the summit it started snowing. The summit is marked with a wooden pole. Apparently the views are excellent. There was no point in continuing east so I just turned around.

The snow stopped on the way down, and the clouds cleared a little, giving some views of Whistler across the valley. On the way back I saw a marmot. I took the gondola down, saving some time, and made it back home with plenty of time to spare.