Enjoyed a cragging day at Bear Spirit today (Dec 12) with some friends. The trail in is well packed but very icy in spots making for slippery walking (and embarrassing wipe-outs). The ice up the approach gully is a thin shell with lots of holes in it and running water behind; however, it is short and easy and if all else fails can be avoided by yarding up the fixed rope on the left. It should repair itself once we get some colder temperatures again.
The two main WI4 pillars are touching down and very wet. We also climbed the mixed routes Hocus Pocus, No Love and X-Mass Chopping which all had their "normal" amounts of ice. The other mixed routes (All Canadian Torque, Child Care, Woody, Scratch and Win, Spoiler / Spoiled Rotten) all looked to have plenty of ice on them as well.
Some of the tat around the trees on top are starting to show wear and might need to be replaced soon so bring some extra sling material just in case. It snowed off and on all day and by the time we left over 5cm of fresh snow covered our tracks from the morning.
Sean Isaac
Assistant Alpine Guide