[MCR] Icefields Parkway Nov.18-23

Just back from a week of work on the Parkway, here's what we saw...

 

Nov 18 - Balfour Wall - Able to set up 5 ropes.  Minimal snow on approach.

Nov 19 - 5/7/0 - No snow on approach.  First pitch climbed on right hand side with half of the pillar being open, running water.  This pitch was unclimbable when we got back to the base.  Rest of route in good shape with exception of large chunks of ice and some rocks coming down the climbers right hand side (10 to 15 metres from climbing line) from melting ice/running water. 

Nov 20 - "Bullshit Canyon" - No ice, pure drytooling.  Minimal snow with the creek being just barely frozen in places.

Nov 21 - Bow Falls - Minimal snow around lake (lots of ice on trail though).  Route is small right now with it being a solid WI4.  Very dry and brittle.  No cornice. 

Gorby Falls was also climbed and reported as wet and  soft ice for the crux with some brittle dinnerplates on the approach ice.  Cornice on left hand side of route looked quite stable at the time.  Another group went back to Balfour and did not climb the right hand pillars after lunch as it was heating up too much.

Nov 22 - Two O'clock Falls - Again no snow on approach and wet and soft.  Melt out was also climbed and reported as in good shape with some running water in spots, easy to avoid.  Route was rapped from a tree about 150m lookers left of top of route to avoid streams of water on the route.

Nov 23 - Haffner - Coming along nicely.  Temperature inversion taking place as all trees were rime coated and -9 temperature was recorded. 

Other observations - Curtain Call has fallen down, as has the routes above La Tabernac.  Couldn't see the bottom but looked like parts of Tabernac had crashed too!.  Minimum temperature all week were -6 with maximums being +7.  Polar Circus looked good with the second last pitch looking like the crux.  Weeping Wall was falling apart.  Basically anything that was south facing was getting torched.   Shades of Beauty looked good.  Observed numerous point releases on south aspects (Mt.  Wilson) as well as NE aspects (Mt.  Jimmy Simpson).  Murchison looked like solid WI5. 

 

On behalf of Stevie B, Grant M and Mike S

 

Cheers

 

Mike Stuart
ACMG Assistant Alpine Guide
#1-730 3ST Canmore, AB T1W 2J6
T: 403 609 8454
E: m_stuart@telus.net