[MCR] MCR Summary - Rockies and Interior, August 31

Mountain Conditions Summary - Rockies and Interior Ranges
August 31, 2006

The exceptionally dry conditions of this summer have come to an end, and winter has arrived to many alpine areas throughout the range.

On Wednesday the weather pattern shifted to a NW flow, bringing cooler temperatures and heavy rain to the mountains. The heaviest precipitation fell in Continental Divide areas, where reports of up to 25cm at higher elevations were received. Mt. Assiniboine and Mt. Temple are plastered in new snow. The Columbia Icefields area also received a significant dump of fresh snow - although amounts may taper further to the north, as less rain fell in Japer on than in southern areas. The eastern end of the Bow Valley also received snow, but again less than the divide, and down to about 2400 meters.

Reports are limited, but areas in Rogers Pass and the Bugaboos appear to have received a bit less snow than the central Rockies. Estimates range from 10-20cm in Glacier Park and the Bugaboos. The snow fell to treeline elevations in all areas, but has been steadily melting upwards on Thursday and this melting trend should continue. Expect snowline at about 2700 meters, lower on north aspects.

All of this means the dry alpine rock climbing is done for now, especially on shaded routes. South aspects should melt quickly, as the weekend forecast calls for blue sky and valley bottom temps in the mid 20s. Expect wet rock climbing and morning verglass over the rocks. Areas to the east and west of the Continental Divide will offer the driest rock - Ha Ling Peak and the East End of Mt. Rundle near Canmore are free of snow and drying fast.

Glacier travel has become more complicated, as just days ago the ice was bare and crevasses visible. This has changed. Be wary of thin bridges across crevasses and ensure you use some kind of pole to probe your way through any crevassed areas.

25 cm is enough snow to create a slab avalanche hazard on the higher elevation mountaineering routes, particularly when drifted by the wind. Be wary of recently developed windslabs in leeward areas (N Glacier route on Athabasca, for example). This condition should stabilize rapidly with the warm temperatures this weekend.

It looks like a glorious weekend ahead. Trees in the valley bottoms show a hint of yellow, todays temperatures were cool, while the mountains were white and glistening in the sunshine. The waning days of a beautiful summer are upon us  enjoy!

Grant Statham
Mountain Guide

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_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Glacier Park Conditions - August 31

Snowline down to 8000 ft / 2400 m in Glacier Park and the Revelstoke area this
morning (August 31st). Seems to be less snow than guides are reporting seeing
in the Rockies, estimating 5-10 cm.

With a clear and warm weather forecast through the weekend, Tupper and Uto
should dry out enough to climb. Sir Donald may dry out enough as well, but if
not, the SW ridge on Uto is a worthwhile alternative.

Jordy Shepherd
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Mt Stanley NF

Climbed the N face on Stanley yesterday from a bivy just below the
glacier that lys directly below the route. Gained the glacier via
morraine/ridge climbers left. Interesting glacier travel with some front
pointing up crevasse walls, after the initial trough we favoured the
climbers left hand side of things until an uninterupted ramp led to the
snow cone below the route. Bergshrund on the route quite straight
forward. Ice screw anchors all the way with the exception of one
t-slot/picket anchor mid route. A strange 10cm thick solid ice crust
overlying 2cm of air overlying the true iceface for the last 100m. North
ridge descent dry and fine, no crampons after the small summit ice
slope. Winter up there today, I'm sure, with all the snow overnight.

Happy trails

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Neil Colgan

Same story as Marco. At the icefields on the weekend. Excellent conditions
and excellent conditions yesterday going up to to Neil Colgan and Fay area.
Instant winter overnight with about 15 cm of snow and more coming. Snow
line down to almost Moraine lake.

Marc Ledwidge
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Assiniboine August 27 to 30/06

Just got back from Mt. Assiniboine today.   I climbed it on the 28th with a guest in perfect conditions once again.  No need for Ice Ax or crampons.   However today a different story!  On the way down the Gmoser highway snowed quite heavy at times.   The snow line was all the way down to  Assiniboine lodge.   Sure looked like winter out!

Marco Delesalle
Mountain Guide

[MCR] Mt. Edith Cavell - East Ridge

East Ridge of Mt Edith Cavell is in great shape as of yesterday.  The lower snow/ice gullies can be passed on rock on the left.  An ice axe is still neccessary for a few short sections near the summit.  Most parties used crampons as well to keep things simple.  West ridge descent is bare and dry, runners were nice to have for the trail out.

 

Conrad Janzen

ACMG Ski & Asst Alpine Guide

A person should have wings to carry them where their dreams go, but sometimes a pair of skis makes a good substitute. -Hans Gmoser-

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[MCR] Athabasca

Climbed Silverhorn yesterday with good conditions.  Anywhere from 5 to 40 cms of new snow on top of good ice.  New snow was hiding several small holes mid way up route.  It was 6 degrees in the parking lot at 4 a.m. and stayed cool until around 11 when the sun popped out of the clouds.  North face looked to be in good shape with one party on it

 

Cheers

 

Mike Stuart   

Assistant Alpine guide 

[MCR] Wapta Icefield Aug 20-25

The firn line is way up around 8500-9000 ft. Travel is good with ankle
top penetration at most. Some dodging and weaving around exposed
crevasses.

Happy trails

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Victoria

Climbed Mt. Victoria from the Abbot Pass hut (Aug. 25), Excellent Cond. Once again.   Everything well frozen.  From the last storm, most of the new snow has melted away, some verglass in the lower sections, but easy to get around.  At 3300 meters was -3.0 at about 08:00.  

Lefroy looked in good shape as well.

Marco
ACMG Mountain Guide

[MCR] Mountain Conditions Summary. Aug 24, 2006

Conditions for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains.

In general the mountains are in excellent condition for Alpine climbing. A
series of storms mid-week brought some fresh snow and verglass to the upper
reaches of the main ranges of the Rockies and this has not yet all melted.
Expect some lingering fresh snow and icy rock especially on northerly
aspects. This snow was not reported in the interior ranges. The snow/ice
routes are in reasonable shape with a little soft snow over hard ice. As
this year is one of the driest anyone has ever seen, the glaciers are
melting back and exposing lots of loose rock. Rockfall is a real concern.
Route travel times may need to be increased on some routes due to the
slower nature of climbing on rock or talus where there is normally snow.The
bergshrunds are gaping and in some cases have made route access very
difficult if not impossible. The forecast for the weekend is showing
promise with a ridge of high pressure building in and mainly clear skies
expected for the southern parts of BC and Alberta. Start early and enjoy
the freeze.

Brad White
UIAGM Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] East Ridge of Temple

Climbed the East Ridge of Temple with a guest yesterday.  Excellent conditions and dry (the gullies of the Black Towers are bone dry).  Need crampons for the summit Icefield.  Instead of going up the the gully in Black Towers, I went up to the ridge above the Sphinx Face and climbed the ridge to the snow field from there - quite good climbing up to 5.7.  Beware not to trust all pitons that you see, I replaced some that I was able to pull out.

Okay weather for most part, but snowed quite heavily near the summit.

Cheers,

Marco Delesalle
Mountain Guide

[MCR] Further notes to Sir Donald..

Climbed the route yesterday and as Jordy mentioned, it is a very busy place. 

With respect to the west face rappel route, there are a couple of things to keep in mind..

One is to consider descending back down the ridge to the col if people are still high on the route.  Once you start the rappels you are in the rockfall zone until well off of the face and down the scree.  There are numerous large blocks that are easily knocked off by the rope or tired feet high on the ridge.  We witnessed massive rockfall crash down the rap line from the upper ridge and at the time there were seven parties descending.  The other thing is that just about all of the raps are full 25 meters - if using a 50 meter rope tie knots!  Getting to the last set of ring bolts just above the scree (on the white slab) is more than 25 meters.  Be careful.

 

Cheers   

 

Mike Stuart
ACMG Assistant Alpine Guide
E: m_stuart@telus.net

[MCR] Mount Sir Donald and North Terminal Peak August 18-20

Climbed Terminal Peak on August 18^th, up the trail to Perley Rock, around the south side of North Terminal Peak onto the Illecillewaet Glacier, and up a short snow/ice face and then a scramble up the west ridge of North Terminal Peak.  Crampons were nice to have on the lower part of the Glacier approach where it has bared off to ice.  The bergschrund is getting large at the base of the 100m, 40 degree snow/ice face, but there is still an easy, safe crossing point, climber’s left of center.  Very nice views, and the summit provides a rarely seen angle of the south/west side of Sir Donald and the Vaux Glacier.  12 hours car to car at a leisurely pace.

 

Hiked to the lower bivy site Below Sir Donald/Uto on August 19^th.  Climbed Sir Donald via the NW Ridge on August 20^th, descending via the summit block by-pass on the west face and then the bolted rappel line.  Sir Donald is very dry, and excellent condition.  There were at least twenty climbers on the ridge on Sunday August 20^th.  Busy place.

 

Jordy Shepherd

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] Grand Sentinel approach hazards

My wife Deb and I savoured the delights of the Grand Sentinel for the
first time today.

Our guide book suggests that the best approach to the Grand Sentinel is
by contouring high and into the notch to the left of the spire, crossing
several gullies that from a distance look innocent...

Right now this is a very dangerous way to get there as it brings you
directly in the path of some very active rockfall from the small, steep,
rubbly, hidden icefields on the north side of Pinnacle peak. Throughout
our visit to the area there was regular rockfall down these gullies, on
average once every 5 minutes with huge chunks careening across the
"faint trail" that the guide book mentions.

One strategy that reduces exposure on the approach is to continue down
the well beaten path along the valley bottom until you're directly below
the Grand Sentinel spire (and well past the last of the gullies
threatening the approach), then hike directly up below the spire, and
continue pressed up against the (climber's) left side of the spire and
into the notch. This is still a little ugly but seemed to keep us clear
of the worst of it all.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
AAG

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Ipsoot Mt. Coast Mountains

Took a couple of clients up the N glacier of Ipsoot Mt today.  Flew in to unmarked lake at 6000' and walked up the glacier to a P/U at 8200'.  The firn line started at 6700'.  Two sections after the firn needed lots of probing with the top going near some big sags (this is on the middle and most obvious route).

Good step kicking in late summer snow above 7000'.

 

Dave Sarkany

Ski Guide 

[MCR] Mountain conditions summary August 17, 2006

Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains, August
17th, 2006.

Conditions are typical of mid-August with generally excellent dry conditions
on most aspects and elevations in both the Rockies and the Columbias. High
elevation north facing routes may still have some residual snow or verglas
but this is going fast.

In the Rockies overnight temperatures at elevation are below freezing and
any remaining snow is hard in the early morning. The dirty ice conditions
of a couple of weeks ago on north faces seems to have been healed by the
precipitation events since then. Routes such as Athabasca & Fay north
faces and Lefroy are in good but icy condition. In the Columbias, the temps
have been warmer and snow has been barely freezing overnight. Rock routes
at Rogers Pass and in the Bugaboos are in very good shape. The
Bugaboo-Snowpatch bergshrund is still passable but it is icy and subject to
rockfall once it warms up.

This is the high season for alpine climbing. Even the mosquitoes have been
staying away.

Marc Ledwidge
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Fay

Darek Glowacki and I had a group in the Neil Colgan area Aug 14-16. Up
the Perren, Fay via the centre ice bulge and west ridge, down the
Schiesser.

Good travel on the glacier, most problem crevasses are visible and
avoidable. Good bridge over the schrund on the centre ice bulge route.
The west ridge schrund seems impassable on the normal line (shown in
Selected Alpine Climbs), we went up the ice face to the west (right) of
this and the schrund was bridged well there. The rubbly peaklet you
have to traverse over to climb the west ridge is no different than the
climbing on the rest of the route.

The backside descent still looked doable.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Assiniboine & Temple

Climbed Assiniboine on Thursday Aug 10 under poor visability that never saw the ceiling rise above the top of the 3rd class section below the Black Band.
The N Ridge was completely snow & ice free and although the rock was wet this did not detract from the friction on the mostly horizontal edges.

Overnight the snowline dropped down to about 8800 ft. (just below the Hind hut).  The whole Assiniboine area was hit quite hard with significant snowfall amounts. On Friday the temp at 1:30pm was only 7C at the Lodge with on and off rain throughout the day which may have meant more snow up high.

Sunday Aug 13 on the SW ridge of Temple it seemed the boot top snow Mark had spoken of from Sat. had settled out to 10-15cm in drifted areas only.  These drifts were quite critical on the descent as the ascent trail (last 600 ft. to summit) was getting hard and slick with traffic and even icy in sections.  Icy verglass had formed on the rock slabs below snowline but this was avoidable with proper route finding.

Cheers, Shaun King Asst. Alpine/Ski Guide

[MCR] Slim Creek, Southern Chilcotins

I spent the last week in the head waters of the Slim Creek area.  The road to the TLH's fuel cache is now barely drivable for a loaded 7p van - it would be no problem for higher clearance vehicles.  Lots of melt this summer has left glaciers looking more like early September - lots of exposed ice.  The snow line came down to 2300m during the 3 storms that crossed the region while I was there. The bugs low down where nicely tamed by the colder Wx!

It seems that no other operators are in the area this summer and this has resulted in a renewed abundance of animal life and sign.

If you are planning to cross Slim Creek on the cable (by Baldwin's cabin) take a pulley or extra carabiner to ride the line as the present system is wearing through and getting untrustable. 

 

Dave Sarkany

Ski Guide

[MCR] Temple

An awesome day on Temple normal route today, clouds dodging around the
peaks, warm, no wind. Snow in the past 24 hrs, a skiff in the meadows
but boot top on the summit ridge with drifts up to shin deep. Settling
and melting today but the next few cold mornings expect verglas on the
cliffs and slick snow on the packed trail from the crowds, crampons
might be an option.

Fay is snowy again after looking grey and icy a few days ago when I was
on the Grand Sentinel. Don't expect it to look inviting for too long
with a return to clear skies and warm temps.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Bugaboos - Aug 10

I was chased out of the Bugaboos by rain on Thursday, Aug 10. Climbed Pigeon on the 9th and all was good except the Bugaboo/Snowpatch col which is getting a bit ugly.

Good snow walking to the bergshrund, good bridge to cross on right (for now), then icy with gravel and 10 cm of slush on top. Not bad if frozen but certainly ugly later in the day with parties underneath. Lots of rockfall with the gravel, and it was unpleasant worrying about all the other people around. Crampons essential. Rapelling neccessary if you are uncomfortable downclimbing 40 degree ice.

Bugs is very busy right now, the hut is full to capacity and there are 25+ tents at Applebee campground. Maybe less today since it was raining and possibly snowing up high?

Grant Statham
Mountain Guide

[MCR] Mountain Conditions Summary - Aug 10

Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains, August 10th, 2006.

Conditions are still generally good for midsummer in the mountains.

Rain last night has made things slick but freezing levels appeared to be above 3000m in the Lake O'Hara area at least. Last week's snow has melted and frozen at most elevations and aspects. However, there has been reports of significant avalanches at the icefields so it still needs watching on high north faces.

Glacier travel is generally good as last weeks snow has settled but wet weak snow bridges could be a problem with a cloudy weekend forecast in some places.

North facing ice routes seem to vary from bare ice to good hard old snow. Alpine rock routes will be good as soon as the recent rain dries off.

Given the present conditions and the weather forecast, rockfall, lightning and wet snow will be the main things to fret about this weekend.

Keep your eyes wide open and your feet on the ground.

Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide

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_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] North Glacier/ Boundary Glacier

These are some conditions valid as of the 10th of august.

North Glacier is devoid of snow up to the Boundary Athabasca Col. The
terrain appears to be getting steeper with every subsequent visit.

The North Face appeared to be in good shape not too much visible rock fall.
The last summer snow cycle had plastered the face before the 6th but was
gone yesterday. The ramp route looked in good shape also with the its
companion the silverhorn almost free of snow.

Boundary glacier from The col of the ridge on athabasca looked like a mess.
Rock and mud in several locations with very few "easy options" Traveling the
Left route brings one into rather large crevasses" The middle is rather
complicated and dirty the upper traverse below the wall has some snow ( no
visible tracks) but a new and rather large cerac is now looking down on the
chaos below. Overall Boundary glacier was not very appealing.

Patrick Delaney
ASS Alpine guide

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_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] West Coast Conditons Summary - Aug 10, 2006

West Coast Mountain Conditions Summary for Aug 10, 2006 The hot dry summer has been recently interrupted by marginally cooler temps and wet weather. All the precip has been falling as rain below 3000m. Most guides are now finding seasonal snow has pretty much disappeared, which means that you will most likely encounter ice and harder firn snow on snow faces and glaciers - more like September conditions than August. Exactly how hard? - depends on the overnight temps and cloud cover. It seems that most snow slopes of any steepness now require crampons in the AM. Afternoon descents on softer snow require good judgement, however hidden ice runnels and ice patches just underneath the snow can surprise descenders without crampons, and test your self arrest skills in a hurry. Due to glacial melting, rockfall hazard is becoming a problem. Rocks that have been carefully held in place by glaciers for centuries are now being exposed to the effects of gravity. And the effects can be surprising. Although we may not be in the same league as the Alps in Europe (where large sections of mountain are calving off on the Eiger - see msn.com), refrigerators and TV sets have been seen tumbling down regularly in some areas - couliors, gullys, and some snow faces. Keep a eye out for fresh evidence, which usually indicates the hazard areas, and avoid travel in these areas while the heat of summer is here. Glacier snowbridges are sagging and collapsing everywhere with afternoon warming. Keep in mind...The uptrack you were following from the party 2 or 3 days ago might not be the best one for today. This is especially true in high traffic areas such as Mt. Baker where plodding parties with their heads down mindlessly follow an old track over a sagging snowbridge, rather than use their own good mountain sense, and forge a new trail which avoids the sag. Pretty much all alpine rock routes are long since free of snow on the South Coast, however getting on to some routes is becoming very challenging due to glacier melt back and impassable schrunds. This is especially true in the Tantalus Range - N side of Alpha, and routes on Tantalus. Be prepared for some intricate schrund crossings followed by challenging rock climbing on slippery glacier polished granite (with loose rock), just to access the start of a route! Squamish Chief Dihedral rock routes are now all entirely open, with young Peregrine Falcons having mostly fled their nests (thus facilitating BC Parks to open the corners). Looks like a hot and dry weekend coming up. Keep your head up, and the sharp points down. Brian Gould ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] Assiniboine, Lunette

Grant C and I climbed Lunette and Assiniboine via their SW faces
yesterday, Aug 7. The peaks are pretty much bone dry with the exception
of a large snowpatch on Assiniboine which may be used to bypass some
rubbly climbing (watch for rockfall in the afternoon), and on the
summit ridge of Assiniboine.

The access and approach information in Corbett's 11'ers book is good. I
found it hard to follow the description for the climbing but to be
fair, it is difficult to describe a route through choss like there is
to be found on this side of Assiniboine. There are lots of cairns and
flagging tape to help out with the routefinding though.

I can't say that I can recommend these routes. There is a lot of gravel
up there.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Mt. Bryce south face.

August 6 Climbed SE face of Mt. Bryce via south couloir  from the reg. Bivi in the moraines.  With a midnight start had excellent conditions (excellent freeze)  right to the summit of Bryce.  The temperature at 0530 a.m (on the summit) was about –5 with a light wind from the west.  A beautiful sun rise!

When we arrived at the Bivi site on the 5 of August, there was two groups who have left for the summit at 0800 A.m, they got back at 1600 hrs with there tail between there legs because of the warm temperatures.  Judging by the amount of debris and extremely deep runnels in the south Couloir, I would say that they got away LUCKY!  

Be safe out there!

Marco Delesalle
ACMG Mountain Guide

[MCR] Mt Victoria

Hello,

 

 Climbed the Se ridge of Victoria from the Abbot hut on August 7th. It was a beautiful day with warm temperatures, a light west wind and good company. The route is in great shape right now with alot of dry rock. We were able to put the crampons on at the first snow crossing, and kept them on for the rest of the route, to safely deal with icy patches.

 

On the West Face descent, there is a great rappel/lower station about 60meters down from the ridge, it is highlighted by a red cordlette on a cairn. Right now 60 meters from the station gets you onto the snow/ice, this may change with drying conditions. 

 

The bergshrund crossing seems best at the far descender's right where it can be avoided, it is quite deep and serious in places. Huber ledges trail is quite well marked, and if followed properly leads to a station with a 25meter rappel. Don't forget to check the integrity of the slings on these mountain stations and they are regulary chewed through!  

 

Enjoy the Rockies classics!

 

Andrew Langsford

 

ACMG Assistant Alpine/Ski Guide

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[MCR] Sir Donald

Enjoyed a beautiful day on the NW ridge of Sir Donald yesterday.  The route is in good condition, with only a little bit of last week’s snow and verglass lingering on the summit block.  Contrary to local ‘word on the street’, the ‘west face bypass’ descent option is in great shape and currently does not require either and ice axe or crampons.  Definitely a time saver on descent when conditions are dry.

 

The bolted descent route is set up well, but definitely requires a 50m rope.  Several people have recently chosen to climb with a shorter rope, hoping to scramble the difference between stations.  Not a good option!  Better to carry the extra 10-15m of rope on the way up than to come up short on the way down.  Be careful in the dihedral portion of the rap line if there are parties above you, as the potential for climber triggered rock fall could definitely be an issue.

 

Cheers,

Paul Norrie

ACMG Mountain Guide

 

   

[MCR] Rockfall

 

I felt it worth mentioning two BIG rockfall events I saw in the Rockies this week. 

 

The first was July 30th around 2500m on an east aspect out of a limestone face between Mts. Schaeffer and Biddle and was easily the biggest I have ever seen. It really looked like a big serac fall. I will take a wild guess and say it started as a 150 cubic meter chunk. Lots of refrigerator sized pieces flying far out of the dust cloud. Ouch! 

 

The second was a huge volley off the NW face of Ringrose on August 5th- I would guess over 50 big blocks hit the glacier HARD. It looked like a quartzite event but we couldn't see where it started.

 

With the heat still on, there will be more to come from all over the ranges before things cool down and get frozen in place again. Yipes!

 

Larry Stanier

Mountain Guide  

[MCR] Mt.Aberdeen

Climbed Aberdeen today Saturday Aug 5. Temperatures were cold with 2 degrees in the Lake Louise campground @ 3am, -1 at the toe of the glacier @ 630am and 6 degrees @ the summit @ 1130am. The lower glacier was in good shape but the upper slope above the bergshrund was rock hard ice with a 4 cm ice sheild over top that smashed away to get good screws underneath in the old black ice. There was 4 cm of new snow above 2700 meters that was bonded well to the old surface but quick to ball up crampons when exposed to the sun. We decided to descend down into Paradise valley as the rock fall was quite active with any sun exposure on the glacier.

 

take care

 

Andrew Langsford

 

Asst Alpine/ski guide

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[MCR] Lake Ohara

Hi Everyone

I just spent a week in the O’hara area with an ACC crew July 29- Aug 5th. Snowed above 2400 meters every day except today.

-3 at the Abbott this morning.

MT Victoria has 5-10 cm’s of new snow but still travels well with crampons on all day.

MT Lefroy is in good shape for the moment with abalokov’s at 60meter intervals for the upper 6 pitches of the main right line.

The route up MT Odaray has changed in the past few years and it is possible to skirt under the glacier until you can easily climb a short (15m) ice pitch and then head to the col between the main summit and “little Odaray” to the west.

Jim G

  

[MCR] Mt Bryce South Face

Tom H and I climbed the South Face of Bryce on Thursday Aug 3,
summitting the Main and Central peaks.

Conditions were good, with 5-10 cm of recent storm snow frozen atop the
old surfaces making for good cramponing in the early morning. These old
surfaces varied from good firn snow to rock embedded ice in the lower
couloir. On the south face of the Main Summit block it was the storm
snow atop firn the entire way. On the Central Peak the west ridge was
slow going with several cm of recent snow on the rocks making travel
slippery. It took over 2 hours to climb this ridge, more than twice the
length of time it normally does. Wherever it was snow travel though the
going was quite fast.

We were lucky with the weather, a clear night gave a good freeze and
cloud moving in later in the day kept things cool for the descent
(although the footing was not nearly as secure for our descent due to
some warming having occurred). There is a lot of fresh snow in the
couloir and the cliffs above it, when it warms up it will be a war zone
in there with rockfall and avalanches likely. If you go, have a plan
for staying out of the couloir in the afternoon. You could either put
in a high camp on the glacial plateau and descend early in the morning
after your summit climbs, or wait until evening and descend after it
cools in the couloir. Also, the s face of the summit block is prone to
rapid heating. The east ridge of the main peak is another option but it
is more problematic to climb with the knife edge snow arete near the
top.

Overnight Aug 3 and the morning of Aug 4 the weather turned very bad
again, with major rain and snow events in this area. The mountains were
white down to 2500m. I would say the NE Ridge is out for the time
being, the S Face could still be good if temperatures are cold. This
snow seemed very spotty on the drive home, with varying amounts noticed
in different areas, even on adjacent mountains.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Alps-mid season conditions

It has been a warm dry summer so far. Glaciers receeding fast and much rockfall from any snow/ice faces which have rock on them from low elevation to high elevation ones i.e: Aig Ronde, N Face Eiger, etc. The recent widespread NW Low affecting all central and pre Alps regions has cooled temps significantly and brought 20-40cm a fresh moist snow. Isotherme or freezing level dropped to 2500M in most alpine centers. Some loading has been observed. This puts most rock ridges/spires out of condition for a few days and the snow will melt off fast in the first sunny days. Expect rockfall during this melt.

 

Conditions:

Chamonix Region: Generally very good conditions. All spires and rock faces good. Beware of afternoon build up and thunder. Caution on known melting perma-frost objectives: Dru, North Faces of higher Argentiere area. Mt. Blanc in excellent shape with double track making passing easy on narrow ridge. Cosmic approach now better due to a large serac fall and new trail. Gouter route good except for continuous rockfall during the short exposure accross the gully leading to the Gouter ridge. Expect heavy traffic! Upper Dome du Gouter crevace bridges getting weaker. Albert 1st hut area in excellent condition for warm up/teaching climbs.

 

Zermatt Region: Matterhorn and Zenitrothorn rock routes out of condition for a few days but will be back in perfect shape soon. Matterhorn is quite good this season with crampons needed only in the upper 1/4 of the route. Beware of the Zermatt guides pushing and shoving, jockeying for position, it is better to just let them pass you, they think they own the mountain!

 

Bernese Oberland Grindelwald:

Eiger: North and West faces in very poor conditions. Mittellegi ridge in excellent condition. This season this ridge to the top of the Eiger is free of any snow. Descent is via the connecter ridge to the Monche and then Jungfrau Joch train station. Expect the descent to be longer and a bit harder than the ridge! Hut to summit 3-4 hours, down 3-5 hours. From Eismeer station take last exit door and walk on to glacier. Rapell anchor missing for gully descent to approach Mittellegi hut.

 

Saas Fee: Heavier snow accumulation here. Rock ridges and rock faces out of condition for a few days. Most mountains are in excellent condition. Weissmeiss from Hoosass hut is nor reccomended. Saw fresh serac fall had swept the track. Also a new 25 meter steeper ice wall has formed higher up allready causing casualties. Mory Hut area and glacier in excellent shape for training/teaching climbs.

 

Aosta: Grand Paradisio ridge from Vitorio Emanuel and Chabod route good but not normal route as it is icy with rockfall.

 

Do not hesitate to contact me for specific info, Happy trail, Eric

Eric Dumerac/ Rocky Mountain Vertical

ACMG Aspirant mountain guide, CAA Level II, CSIA Level II ski instructor at your service

France: +33 (0) 6 78 15 45 23 Canada: 403-609-1564

 

[MCR] Little Yoho (Stanley Mitchell)

Aug 1-3 in the Little Yoho (Stanley Mitchell) area. A total of about 5
cm of recent snow has made travel on the ice pleasant. Cloudy conditions
with frequent brief thundershowers persisted during our visit. Overnight
freezes and excellent travel & bridging on the glaciers. We climbed Mt
McArthur from the north, which (briefly) requires crampons on ice to 50
degrees if you wish to avoid the heinous rock. If you get it quick we
chopped 40 deep steps for the climbing pleasure of the army cadets! :)

The glacier below the Presidents appears to be in good condition with
good steps in the new snow.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Mountain Conditions report for the Coast Mountains fro Aug 03

Mountain conditions report for the coast mountains as
of August 3/06.
Conditions on the coast right now are very good.
Cooler temperatures have made for better overnight
freezes and generally better travel on the glaciers. A
good amount of the winter snow still remains on
glaciers above 7500ft. Above this elevation most
crevasses still have a fair bit of snow bridging them,
but sags are starting to show. Below this point ice
and crevasses have begun to show up more. The toes of
many glacier are showing the rapid recession from the
past few years and there are many places with very
loose rocks and new icefalls. Cation should be taken
in these newly exposed areas.
Alpine rock routes are in excellent condition. The
forecast is for continued sun and slightly cooler
temperatures than the past few weeks, so get out
there.
Craig McGee
Mountain guide

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_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Bugaboos Conditions, August 3rd, 2006

Spent August 1st-3rd in the Bugaboos.  Temperature were gradually getting warmer over the last couple days and the recent snowfall was slowly melting off. 

 

Routes on Bugaboo, Snowpatch and the Crescent area are all dry and good climbing though there was still a little snow in the chimneys on the NE ridge of Bugaboo yesterday.  Bring your long johns if you are not in the sun!  Some snow still remains on the N aspects of Pigeon Spire but the W ridge is in good shape.  N side of the Howsers was still snowy

 

Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col is still mostly snow travel with just a few short sections getting icy.  The bergshrund is still easy to pass with careful travel. Good freezes overnight made crampons a necessity on any steep snow.

 

We watched a lot of people travel across the glaciers to Pigeon Spire unroped over the last few days and then yesterday we saw one person fall into a crevasse.  The crevasse had no indications of having a weak snow bridge from the our vantage point and was not far from the main trail.  Fortunately they were roped up and the climber was back on the surface in a few moments.  I think the take home message was to rope up for any of the glacier travel in the Bugaboos whether a trail exists or not.

 

Have a great trip!

Conrad Janzen

ACMG Ski & Asst. Alpine Guide

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[MCR] Mountain condtions summary for August 3, 2006

Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountain

issued August 3rd, 2006.

Winter came to visit in the alpine this week. Reports vary from different
regions but, generally 5 to 20 cms. of snow seems to have fallen above
3000m. The snow is sticking well to ice, neve and, unfortunately, to some
rock faces. Nil avalanches reported but there is definitely enough snow and
wind around to create slabs in some features.

Alpine ice faces have mostly benefited from the snow and there could be some
good climbing conditions this weekend on faces such as Fay and Lefroy.
Again, watch for loaded pockets of fresh snow.

Alpine rock routes and ridges are in really variable condition for now. Some
routes are plastered and other have dried off already.

Glacier travel conditions have taken a slight turn for the worse. The new
snow has not settled at all as of Thursday pm. Therefore, crevasses are in
some places covered with new snow that has not yet sagged but has no
strength to carry a person. Expect to stick a leg in a crevasse and maybe
more.

It is raining and hailing here at Lake OHara at 7pm on Thursday and there is
more precipitation forecast for Friday. Expect conditions to change again
before the weekend. There is talk of a sunny weekend so at least get out and
enjoy the view of these snowy hills.

Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Huber

Climbed Huber today after a blustery high bivy on the Huber Ledges.
Freeze overnight, excellent snow conditions on the route and on the
glacier, not too many crevasses yet. Only a few cm of fresh snow from
the recent weather and it was not an issue on this route but lots of
snow on all the rock routes, they are out of condition for the time
being. The gully from Huber Glacier to Victoria is partially melted out
but probably still passable. Several parties apparently were turned
back from Victoria yesterday due to poor weather and snowy conditions.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Bugaboo update

Hi All,
Snowed down to about 2500m in the Bugs on the 30th and stayed cold
yesterday. Only about 5-10cm fell on the east side of the range and there
are reports of up to 20cm in the East Creek Basin. It is a nicer day out
this morning but still quite cool...

Cheers,
Marc Piché