[MCR] Mt Alberta

I climbed Mt Alberta yesterday (July 30) via the Japanese route. 

The Sunwapta ford is easier than I expected, although there are many channels none of them are more than knee deep, even late this afternoon on our return trip.

The route itself is in prime condition. There is snow over the worst of the scree to get to the low bivy (2950m), good kick stepping in the afternoon of the 29th (although we used crampons) and frozen hard this morning in descent. No running water near the bivy but lots of snow to melt, and that should be the case for a while yet.

From the bivy you have to cross this same snow patch for a couple of hundred meters but then you can leave the crampons and ice axes behind. There are a few snow patches on the scree terrace below the upper wall but these can be easily bypassed. The pitched climbing above is dry, there is trickle of water in the Japanese Gully and a bit of snow and ice high in the gully that is nowhere near the route. The summit ridge is entirely dry, with some old remnant cornices clinging to the lee side.

This morning a cold front rolled through, low cloud and a dusting of snow above 2800m. This had melted by the time we crossed Wooley Shoulder, but the peak was still a bit damp. The weather was worse around Alberta today than it was around the other Icefields peaks, but it seemed to clearing a bit late in the day.

The NE ridge was climbed July 29 and was reportedly in good conditions. Between that party and ours we put a bunch of new sling on several of the raps but whoever goes next could bring a bit more and do the same.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Mt Victoria/ Lefroy

Climbed Mt Victoria yesterday from abbot pass.  +9 at 0500 at pass.  Excellent conditions on the route, with crampons and axe necessary, but only for short section over the sickle.  Mt Lefroy, on the other hand, appears in extremely poor condition, with bare black ice, running water, exposed rock and gravel, and constant rockfall.  2 out of the 3 usual ice/ snow gullies are not continuous ice, and the 3^rd regular gully on the right, is not far behind as far as melting away.  Along with many other ice/ mixed routes in the rockies, extreme caution should be used when selecting a route of this nature with the current conditions of extreme melt, retreating permafrost, and high rockfall probability. 

Cheers

Jeff

 

Jeff Honig

Mountain Guide

Alpine Addictions

Box 1106

Revelstoke BC

V0E2S0

(250)837-2215 (home)

(240)837-1333 (cell)

jeff@alpineaddictions.com

 

[MCR] Edith Cavell

Climbed the route yesterday.  Good conditions right now with crampons used only for the snowpatch leading up to the base of the ridge

(bivy site).  Summit ridge has lots of ice on it but it's easily avoidable staying on the rocks to the left.  The odd patch of snow on the ridge itself but the climbing line is dry.  Expect bad bugs...

 

Cheers

 

 

Mike Stuart
Assistant Alpine Guide

[MCR] Jasper Park Conditions Update - July 29

A lot of snow has melted in the past few weeks. Expect bare ice and rock on a
lot of the routes in the Jasper area. Warm nights have been contributing to
the snowmelt.

Recent avalanche activity was noted on a Warden patrol in the Mt. Albera area,
with slab avalanches to size 2.5, and 1 meter deep crowns. Numerous isothermal
point releases and lots of rockfall were also observed. The Japanese Route is
still pretty wet and snowy, and is reported to not be in very good climbing
shape yet.

A recent report from the north face of Mt. Athabasca confirms Barry Blanchard's
thoughts from last winter: the crux rock/mixed terrain at the base of the exit
gully is now a few body lengths, and should probably be considered to be more
like a 5.8 rating. The fixed pitons are still there, but as the runout is more
lengthy, it would be good to bring a few nuts and a selection of pitons with a
hammer to augment the fixed pins. It would also be a good idea to place good
ice protection before launching onto the rock.

Skyladder is a mess of dirty ice and lots of rock/mud showing, and is not
recommended. Wait for good snow in the fall or next spring. Lots of crevasses
starting to show on the north glacier on Mt. Athabasca, and there have been
reports of climbers stepping through thin bridges near the ramp route.

The east ridge of Edith Cavell had upwards of 6 parties on it yesterday.
Reports indicate firm snow on the approach to the col, where crampons were
helpful. There is some snow in the gully that you cross at the top of the
first step, and crampons were not required there due to the warm nights but
that will change if we get a good freeze. After that, the ridge is reported to
be dry, and you can easily avoid the cornice and snow on the summit ridge by
staying on dry rock.

Rock routes like Pevril Peak, Meisner Ridge, and Mount Colin are in ultra-dry
condition (bring lots of water!).

Just a reminder that Jasper Park is presently in extreme fire danger, and any
sparks (cigarettes, campfires etc) have a high probablility of becoming a very
large forest fire. Don't be the one to make the front page of the papers!

Jordy Shepherd
Alpine Specialist, Jasper Park
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 Louis

Climbed the Cain route on Mount Louis yesterday in very hot dry conditions.
The route is in good shape but there are a lot of off route tat stations
indicating epics. There are a couple of two bolt rap stations on the ridge
just before the gully descent onto the south face that seem to be confusing
parties. The bolts on many of the rap chains on the descent are loose so
if you are heading up it would be a good idea to take a small crescent
wrench.

Brad White
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] Edith Cavell Conditions - Jasper Park - July 27

I haven't climbed the east ridge of Cavell this year, nor have I heard any
reports yet. I took a photo of the east ridge from Lost Boys crag yesterday
(attached). It looks like the bulk of the snow is gone from the ridge, and the
summit ridge is still snowy. It looks to be in climbing shape, with an axe,
crampons, and watching out for cornices on the summit ridge.

Jordy Shepherd
Mountain Guide

[MCR] Test2

test2

[MCR] Test

test

[MCR] Mountain Conditions Summary for July 26, 2007

Another week of hot weather has continued the melt in the alpine and alpine
conditions are generally good throughout the Rockies and Columbias.

Cool overnight temperatures this week allowed for good crust formation and
crampon travel in the early mornings was excellent. The snow line is about
2600 metres and the snow is generally well consolidated above this. Alpine
routes in the Rockies such as the North Faces of Athabasca and Fay, the
East Ridge of Temple and the Victoria traverse were all described as in
good to excellent condition with an early start. By afternoon the snow was
becoming weak and postholing was common. Thinner snow and ice routes such
as the west face of Lefroy and the Skyladder on Andromeda are described as
having melted into unpleasant black runnels with a mix of rock and ice and
the threat of rockfall. There is little information from the higher peaks,
but a second hand report of a near miss from an avalanche on Robson that
nearly wiped out a camp on the Dome suggests that avalanching may still be
an issue at the highest elevations. A large icefall from the seracs on the
Balfour High col covered a few hundred metres of tracks. The creeks coming
from the glaciers are still roaring and fording on approach may be an
issue.

In the Columbias, climbers in the Bugaboos, Rogers Pass and the Adamants
all reported good conditions with similar concerns. Travel on thicker snow
and ice was good while thin steep areas are beginning to become problematic
with ice and exposed rock. The bergshrunds are beginning to gape and in
some places making access difficult. Generally crevasses at the lower
elevations are not too much of an issue yet. The Bugaboo Road is reported
as passable and Mt Sir Donald is in great shape.

The forecast heading into the weekend is calling for more hot weather with
the chance of afternoon thundershowers. It may be a good weekend to pick
off that plumb from your list. Get an early start and remember the
potential for rockfall from areas that are still melting out. Plan to be
sipping a cold refreshment before the afternoon cloud build up.

All rock climbs are in good shape but with temps in the thirties and
relative humidities in the teens shade and water will be your biggest
concerns.

Brad White
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. Temple East Ridge

Climbed the route today and it is in good condition.  We crossed one small snow patch traversing up to the Black Towers and there is still a snow band about 50 feet wide with a moat all the way across the base of the black band.  Step kicking though this snow was very good with firm half foot penetration.  There is still a little bit of snow in the exit gully but it is easily avoided.  The summit ridge is starting to get icy but good travelling.  If this heat wave continues, the crevasses that have to be negotiated could be problematic later in August.

 

Marc Ledwidge

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Mt Fay, Central Ice Bulge (July 25)

Climbed the Central Ice Bulge on the north face of Mt Fay today (July 25). Approached via the Perren Route yesterday which is snow free except for an awkward snow moat at the base of the 5th class quartzite climbing. The glacier is losing snow coverage fast as the firn line creeps up hill. The main crevasse areas are easy to negotiate.

 

Cooler temps and clear skies promoted a solid overnight freeze. We were pleasantly surprised to find the bergshrund well bridged with re-frozen debris. Good alpine ice on the face with a 2cm of soft recrystalized surface ice overlying the permanent blue ice. Only a small bit of old cornice remaining on the far right of the top-out. Start as early as possible because by 7am a few sun warmed rocks were beginning to clatter down.

 

The west ridge is bone dry making for quick travel. The bergshrund at the base of the short ice face leading to the ridge is easily passable (going up or down).

 

The Roth-Kallen is a dirt chute complete with gaping shrund. Definitely should be avoided.

 

Crampons were used for the stream crossing at the end of Moraine Lake yesterday and today. The logs are slightly submerged and tres greasy. Crampons and a trekking pole makes this a non-issue.

 

Sean Isaac

Assistant Alpine Guide

[MCR] test2

test2

[MCR] Adamants

Just came out from a week in the Adamants. Excellent
travel conditions on the glaciers, however we did
observe over 4 feet of snow melt in just 5 days, so
things are changing fast.
Travel over the Blackfrier/ Adamant col is quite
difficult on the east side because of a large
Bershrund. I imagine in a weeks or so it will be
almost impassable or at least, very difficult.
All rock routes are free of snow and are dry, even on
North Asp.
Of note:
We climbed the west buttress of the horn and found
that the first two pitches of the second tower are
horrifically loose and one or two #4 BD camalots are
usefull for the first of these.
Also if climbing the the North face of W Blackfrier
bring an adjustable wrench to put the hangers on as
they are not standard 3/8 bolts, but rather Petzle
self drives.
Craig McGee, MG

Craig McGee, ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
102-4369 Main St. Suite #337
Whistler BC
Canada
V0N 1B4
cell 604 902 0296
Home 604 892 2259

____________________________________________________________________________________
Need a vacation? Get great deals
to amazing places on Yahoo! Travel.
http://travel.yahoo.com/
_______________________________________________
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] Downie, NW ridge

Downie, NW ridge.
Amazingly this beautiful peak dosn't get climbed
much. Its only just over an hour to the parking area
from Revelstoke and one of the most aesthetic peaks
around. Its almost like the Canadian Matterhorn. The
NW ridge has over 1200m of 5th class ridge climbing
and 2000m of elevation gain from car to summit.
Approach up the west side of the creek is quite easy
with Dons well marked trail. Allow around 2.5 Hrs
from the car to the base of the route.
The guide book is a bit vague on the route so I'll try
to elaborate as its quite complex to follow the
correct way in the start.
After scrambling up from the left on old moraines and
snow gain the base of the true ridge were it
overhangs. Rope up and climb two 1.5 pitches up to the
small tree island to the right of the ridge crest.
>From here you want to continue up the broad, shallow
gully straight above. This gully is easy to spot as
its the contact zone between limestone and
marble/quartzite? It parallels the ridge crest around
80m to the right (south).
4 or so pitches in the 5.5-5.7 range will bring you to
a spot were the gully opens up to more of a face. The
first ascent kept on climbing up the face paralleling
the ridge crest for another 300-400m and then joined
the ridge. Instead at this transition we headed out
left (north) directly onto the limestone and to the
ridge crest on a blocky, loose ,ledge system (5.8
ish). Ofter this point the route is obvious, just
climb the remaining 900m to the summit!
Descent is straight forward however you will want a
light axe or at least mountain boots as the snow
slopes get up top 45 degrees in steepness near the
bottom. Near the bottom you want to regain the same
treed knob and do 1.5 rappels to gain the base of the
ridge.

Contrary to what the guidebooks says about the rock
being excellent, I would say that most of the route is
quite loose and serious with only a few solid pitches.
Great care has to be taken to to pull off to much
loose rock.
We used a double rack of cams from finger size to 3
inches and a single set of nuts.
Retreat would be quite difficult from high on the
ridge so good weather is a must.
Overall I would recommend the route to anyone who has
component skills on loose limestone and is looking for
an excellent, long day out in the mountains.
Craig McGee, Mountain Guide

Craig McGee, ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
102-4369 Main St. Suite #337
Whistler BC
Canada
V0N 1B4
cell 604 902 0296
Home 604 892 2259

____________________________________________________________________________________
Get the Yahoo! toolbar and be alerted to new email wherever you're surfing.
http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/index.php
_______________________________________________
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 Road OPEN-ish

I hope this is the last one!

The road is open but you can expect delays up to 5 hours until mid week as they still need to replace a few culverts.  It should be passable most of the time but they will have to close it temporarily at least two more times to get the job done.  There are a few rough spots but most cars should be able to make through with some careful driving.  The main issue is rocks sticking out high enough to damage the oil pan on low clearance vehicles.

Cheers,
Marc Piché
Mountain Guide

[MCR] Victoria S Ridge

Adding to Lilla's post, I climbed the S Ridge of Vic yesterday, July 20. The entire ridge is dry except for the sickle, which was soft enough to kick steps in for the most part although we did use crampons there. Although we had a fair bit of sun it was cold all day, +1 at 4 am and with a max of only +7 during the day.

Lefroy is dirtyish ice in the upper half. Climbable but not terribly inviting.

This morning at Abbott's it was whiteout, strong west wind, +3 and horizontal rain. Beautiful afternoon on Rundle Ridge though!

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

[MCR] sir sandford hourglass

to add to my previous post,

 

 We also got a close look at the hourglass on our descent and saw that it had a large 'shrund, dirty ice and a fair bit of water running on it. Made us happy that we bypassed it on fun rock climbing.

 

Andrew

Public Mountain Conditions Report <mcr@informalex.org> wrote:

Just back from a week in the Sir Sandford group with Jim Gudjonson and 3 clients. 

 

On July 16th we climbed Sir Sandford from a high camp on the west side of the col at 8300ft. We did a variation of the NW ridge bypassing the hourglass to the right (south). This was done by continuing on the sandy traverse ledge beyond slabs to a broken area with 2 distinct Quartz dykes. 2 pitches up to 5.4 gains ledges that lead to the glacier. Care should be taken to not traverse too far right and expose yourself to the serac hazard. The rest of the route was in fine shape.

 

 We also got on NE ridge of Citadel, East ridge of Silvertip and did the traverse of Palisade ridge from Palisade Pass to the cairn Hut. All routes were in great shape with high rivers being the only inconvenience.

 

Lots of fuel in the Great Cairn hut but no mouse proof container.

 

Enjoy them Hills,

 

Andrew Langsford

 

Asst. Ski/Alpine Guide

---

All new Yahoo! Mail -

---

Get a sneak peak at messages with a handy reading pane._______________________________________________
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.

---

All new Yahoo! Mail

---

Get news delivered. Enjoy RSS feeds right on your Mail page.

[MCR] Sir Sandford group

Just back from a week in the Sir Sandford group with Jim Gudjonson and 3 clients. 

 

On July 16th we climbed Sir Sandford from a high camp on the west side of the col at 8300ft. We did a variation of the NW ridge bypassing the hourglass to the right (south). This was done by continuing on the sandy traverse ledge beyond slabs to a broken area with 2 distinct Quartz dykes. 2 pitches up to 5.4 gains ledges that lead to the glacier. Care should be taken to not traverse too far right and expose yourself to the serac hazard. The rest of the route was in fine shape.

 

 We also got on NE ridge of Citadel, East ridge of Silvertip and did the traverse of Palisade ridge from Palisade Pass to the cairn Hut. All routes were in great shape with high rivers being the only inconvenience.

 

Lots of fuel in the Great Cairn hut but no mouse proof container.

 

Enjoy them Hills,

 

Andrew Langsford

 

Asst. Ski/Alpine Guide

---

All new Yahoo! Mail -

---

Get a sneak peak at messages with a handy reading pane.

test for autoarchiving #1

Test auto archive #1

[MCR] test again

test again

[MCR] another test

test

[MCR] test

test

Welcome to the "MCR" mailing list

Welcome to the MCR@informalex.org mailing list! aka the Public
Mountain Conditions Report, or MCR for short.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY.

The information provided in the Mountain Conditions Report consists of
field observations made by professional guides who are members of the
Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. We endeavour to provide a
weekly synopsis every Thursday evening or Friday morning which
summarizes general conditions. All reports and synopses are prepared
and submitted on a volunteer basis and the ACMG provides
administrative and technical support to make public presentation of
this information possible. The goal of making this information
available to the public is to assist recreational mountaineers in
planning their trips and aid the process of making reasonable,
informed decisions when in the field.

This product is in the early stages of development. In the interests
of providing information to the public, we are releasing this as a
beta version which we know can be improved. We expect the Mountain
Conditions Report to evolve in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Your feedback and comments on how to make the MCR more useful and
easier to use are welcome. Send your ideas to the ACMG Executive
Director: ed@acmg.ca.

To learn more about the ACMG, go to www.acmg.ca.To find professional
guides and instructors who are members of the Association of Canadian
Mountain Guides and available for hire, visit: www.acmgguides.com.
DISCLAIMER

Climbing and mountaineering are dangerous. It is impossible to
eliminate all risks. The information provided by the Mountain
Conditions Report alone is no guarantee that safety will be increased.
Ensure you have adequate training and experience before attempting any
objective.

Reports and synopses of the Mountain Conditions Report are not
verified. Observations and opinions presented here are those of the
person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no
responsibility for errors, omissions, or or lapses in continuity that
may exist in the information.

USING THE MOUNTAIN CONDITIONS REPORT INFORMATION

Conditions will differ greatly over time and space; due to the
variable nature of mountain weather and terrain you should expect and
look for signs that things are worse or perhaps better than indicated
in the reports presented here. In some cases conditions will change
very quickly (in a matter or minutes or hours). It is also possible
to find significant variation over relatively small distances
(sometimes just a few metres). Do not use the information provided by
the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or
making decisions in the field. Above all, stay within your limits and
use common sense.

To post to this list, send your email to:

mcr@informalex.org

General information about the mailing list is at:

http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/mcr

If you ever want to unsubscribe or change your options (eg, switch to
or from digest mode, change your password, etc.), visit your
subscription page at:

http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/options/mcr/archive%40informalex.org

You can also make such adjustments via email by sending a message to:

MCR-request@informalex.org

with the word `help' in the subject or body (don't include the
quotes), and you will get back a message with instructions.

You must know your password to change your options (including changing
the password, itself) or to unsubscribe. It is:

imodumin

Normally, Mailman will remind you of your informalex.org mailing list
passwords once every month, although you can disable this if you
prefer. This reminder will also include instructions on how to
unsubscribe or change your account options. There is also a button on
your options page that will email your current password to you.

[MCR] This is a test

This is a test

TESTFINAL3

TESTFINAL3

testfinal2

Testfinal2

test2

Test2

test