ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Archive: November 2007

Friday, November 30, 2007

[MCR] Monashee Mountains

Here is some info from the Monashee Mountains @ 30 min. west of Revelstoke and 30 km. North of the Trans Canada highway from Nov.30/07.

I spent the day with several other guides poking around this part of the Monashees as we prepared to teach an ACMG Guide Training course and thought this may be useful information for people skiing close to this area (such as Gorge Ck. etc.)

Profiles showed a range of snowpack depth between 200cm. at 1900m. and 100cm. once you got down to 1400m.

We found surface hoar crystals and large new snow crystals on the surface and the November 24th interface was down @ 35-40cm. and we saw everything from large preserved new snow crystals (5-6mm) - some surface hoar (5mm.) and a suncrust at this interface. Deeper down we found a crust that had a weak layer below it @ 40cm. from the ground

The Novemeber 24th layer reacted to shovel compression tests in the easy to moderate range - but due to the lack of cohesion in the snow it did not react to ski cutting other than some cracking here and there. The deeper crust produced hard results below the crust. Even though it didn't react to ski cutting we had little confidence in it and skiied quite conservatively (remember we are a bunch of old guides and want to keep it that way).

Temps were cold (-20 Celsius) under clear skies with no real wind.

No recent avalanche activity other than loose snow sluffs out of steeper terrain - some old slabs @ 30-40cm. thick are visible, they look as though they occured during the last storm event.

All that is about to change if the forecast weather even comes close to what they are calling for in terms of snowfall and warming temperatures - so keep alert as the next storm hits as we are likely to see a fairly extensive avalanche cycle associated with it.

Scott Davis

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Guinness gulley

Went to climb Bourgeau right - From the parking lot the first pitch appeared not to be touching. Bourgeau Left looked fat. Instead we decided to climb
Guinness in field , the cold temps and extremely hard ice drove as off. The first pitch was thin ( 10 cm screws for the first 15 meters) and I a hard time placing screws. They weren’t biting. Quite a shock to the system considering that I was in Mexico 4 days ago.

Regards,

Marco Delesalle
Mountain Guide

[MCR] UrsHole

We climbed Urs' Hole on Cascade Mountain (Banff) yesterday.

Generally a bit on the thin side, especially at the top outs of the steps, with a few of the short pillars being thin ice straws with water flowing beneath. Probably a bit more difficult than the guidebook grade. We saw the upper portion of the direct finish and it looked in but we didn't see the lower part of that pitch.

There also were several pools with thin ice on the walking sections and between the two of us we had 3 bootfuls of water by the end of the day.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Rogan's Gulley and Cascade

Climbed Rogan's Gulley today with Carl Johnston. The route is in good shape with a good amount of ice on the small steps in the middle. There was a few parties on Cascade today that reported wet conditions on the lower pitches. The upper section of the route looked to be in reasonable condition. There is no snow on the ledges so keep this in mind when thinking of the distance and speed ice will travel from parties above. The sunny aspect was appreciated today and most likely will be tomorrow as well.

Jesse de Montigny

ACMG Ski Guide

ACMG Assistant Alpine Guide

Thursday, November 29, 2007

[MCR] Spray River Falls

Climbed it yesterday with Cory Richards. Water running on the whole
climb and it is getting bigger. Water can be avoided in most places,
but we made a couple of steps through the drips. Crux pillar is
challenging, more so than latter when its bigger and picked out.

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.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

[MCR] Mixed Master

Climbed on Mixed Master today with Jesse de Montigny and Mike
Trehearn. The first pitch was thin (especially the first step) and a
bit detached requiring a delicate technique. Good hooks could be
found and good screws required some searching, short screws and load
limiting runners were an asset. The ice improved after the first ten
meters and the 5.8 rock traverse was dry providing good climbing on
solid holds. The M4 pitch above this was mostly powder snow over
rock. We did not climb the last two pitches as pitch 6 was not the
'easy snow slope' described in the book, but a thin vein of hollow,
detached ice on rock slab with no chance for protection. Unfortunate,
as the final pitched looked to be in classic shape. Of note, pitch
lengths are a bit off in the book - pitch 1 is upwards of 55m (not
50m) and pitch 4 is also 55m (not 40m). We felt the rappel station in
the gully (the 4th rappel from the top) could be improved as it is
currently an old 1/4 inch bolt and an old, very rusty knifeblade.

Jason Billing
ARG
_______________________________________________
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.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

[MCR] Red Man Soars

Climbed Red Man Soars today with Tom Gruber. The route is in good shape, we used gear to a number 1 Camelot including a few pins. Whiteman's looked like it had been climbed in the last couple of days, however the first pitch looks to be quite hard compared to other years I have seen it.

Jesse de Montigny

ACMG Ski Guide

ACMG Assistant Alpine Guide

[MCR] Weeping Wall Right Side

Climbed about 100m of the Right Weeping Wall yesterday. Retreated
from a piton and nut anchor right side and bottom of the steepest
curtain. Lots of water flowing with the climbing line dripping. Good
climbing up to that point.

Overall the lower wall has about half of its usual ice volume. The
upper wall looks well formed with numerous routes possible.

Happy trails

Monday, November 26, 2007

[MCR] Pointless Gulley

Climbed Pointless gulley on November 25th. It is in good shape (although a bit brittle) and takes good ice screws. There is no ice at the top of the first pitch for an anchor so bring a few pins. The approach is a bit of a slog through unconsolidated snow...skis not recommended after you leave the approach trail to the Bow Hut.

Jesse de Montigny

ACMG Ski Guide

ACMG Assistant Alpine Guide

[MCR] Professors/Rogan's Gulley/Cacade

We walked in to Professors this morning. The first pitch was quite wet on
the left side. We tried to get up the right side of the column, but it was
very chandeliered, placements were very weak and protection almost
impossible to get.

We walked around to the second pitch to find better ice quality but
streaming with water over the entire pitch. We bailed out at that point and
drove over to Rogan's gully.

The first pitch is dry and thin, but very climbable. It appeared to have
been climbed several times ahead of us. 10cm stubies and load limiting
runners are required to protect the pitch. Everything above the first pitch
was in good shape with very dry ice. Two climbers came down from the final
pitch and said it was not in great shape.

Cascade was climbed by at least 2 parties today. From our observation below
the climb it was grey in colour at the crux pitch and was far from fat,
blue and thick. I would 'suspect' that it would be detached in places. The
climb will need another couple of weeks to reach it's normal mid winter
condition.

Aaron Beardmore
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.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

[MCR] Rogers Pass - Connaught, Asulkan

Spent the weekend in Rogers Pass skiing in the Connaught valley on Saturday and Asulkan drainage on Sunday.

Percent of drainage observed/visibility: Saturday: 30%, 500-1500m in snow and fog; Sunday 85%, 2-3 km in mist and flat light.

Avalanches: None observed except for sluffing in steep terrain.

Weather: On Saturday it snowed hard all day with moderate west winds that were transporting snow, max of -8. On Sunday there had been 15 cm of low density snow in the previous 24 hours and it was calm in the Asulkan valley, although reports indicated continued moderate westerlies in Connaught. Continued cool temps.

Snowpack: Generally about 40 cm of unconsolidated snow on the surface overlying a hard base. Some weaker "facetty" decomposed crystals about 35 cm down, above the harder snow. In Connaught there was an instability noted in this weak layer (compression test moderate, 11 hits, sudden planar). This instability was not found in the Asulkan. Some localised soft wind slabs were noted on the surface in Connaught but not in the Asulkan.

Terrain considerations/use: We skied runs at a treeline elevation both days, avoiding upper elevations due to poor visibility and the concern of wind slabs. In Connaught we avoided convexities on the crossloaded ridges that are a hallmark of that valley. The more protected basins were untouched by the wind. Asulkan had far less wind effect and we skied a steep moraine line. Excellent skiing both days.

Danger ratings for Sunday afternoon: Alpine was not observed but suspect Moderate. Treeline Moderate. Below Treeline Low.

Rogers Pass is approximately 800 km southeast of Kitwanga.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

mark@alpinism.com

www.alpinism.com

403-760-3337

Saturday, November 24, 2007

[MCR] spearhead traverse

Out yesterday on the Spearhead traverse. Excellent
early season ski conditions.
On average there was around 125 to 175 cms on the
glaciers. Only the top 15 cms were soft with a firm
snowpack below, this made for excellent travel. On the
whole traverse we only saw ski tracks on the closest
mountains to the resorts! After a week of clear
weather!

Conditions on the glaciers are looking great this
year, there are very few expose crevasses on most of
the glaciers. Of exception is a large Bergshrund
(crevasses) that spans almost the whole north face of
Tremor Mountain, all the way to the col. While probing
over the hole we found that there was 120cms of dens
snow. I'm still not sure if the good looking
conditions on the glacier are due to the large
previous years snowpack and cool summer or if the
crevasses are still there and are only lightly covered
due to the high winds, moderate temps and recent
snowfall. Because of this I think it would still be
prudent to be careful on glaciers that you did not get
a good look at this summer. Remember to practice good
glacier travel techniques, such as probing to find out
the depth of snowpack in your area and to carry a rope
in areas you not sure of.
Also of note was the growth of the Surface Hoar below
treeline, in many places its over 15mm now. This will
be a layer to watch for after it snows.
Have fun...and get out there the skiing is great!
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 604 935 0077

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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] spearhead traverse

Craig McGee, ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
102-4369 Main St. Suite #337
Whistler BC
Canada
V0N 1B4
cell 604 902 0296
Home 604 935 0077

[MCR] spearhead traverse

Craig McGee, ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
102-4369 Main St. Suite #337
Whistler BC
Canada
V0N 1B4
cell 604 902 0296
Home 604 935 0077

____________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page.
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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] Polar Circus

Up on Polar Circus on Thursday and found the lower part of the route to be thin in spots (top outs on the steps) but overall pretty good for end of November. The Pencil is in, albeit barely. I could put my arms around it at the bottom (didn't climb it). The snow slope was blown free in some spots and had up to 45cms in others. Awkward walking over the frozen scree/rock that is usually snow covered. The pitch after the slope was very wet and hard to get good gear (ice lenses). The Ribbon pitch was plastic.

We turned around at the base of the last pitch after 2 fairly good sized rocks fell out of a roof above the pitch on the right hand side. The sun was quite warm and there weren't any clouds all day.

Cheers

Mike Stuart

Alpine Guide

[MCR] Rundle ice

Climbed Proffessor's yesterday. Climbable but definetly not the midseason fat grade 3 pegboard. On friday pitch 1, 2 and 4 were straws with chandeliers hanging off them. It will get easier with some traffic but there was some steep insecure pulling with bad feet, bad tools and awkward gear. Sporty!

Christmas Present looked fairly fat and Shampoo Planet and Ten Years After were all in but thin. Sea of Vapours looked climbable but the traverse from Postscriptum was dry. Cascade needs a bunch more cold days.

On Tuesday Parallel Falls was good on the left to a cracking pillar and the right hand had snowed-up rock slabs on pitch 2.. Still very thin. Terrible travelling in that area of K-Country. Not enough snow for skiis but enough weak snow to make for poor walking.

Larry Stanier

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Bourgeau Left/Field Climbs

Nov 22 - Climbed Bourgeau Left and experienced surprisingly good
conditions. Though the last few nights had dipped close to -20, the
ice was damp and plastic the whole way up. First pitch is a bit thin
at the bottom, but did not sound dangerously hollow and took 13cm
screws. The final pitch was steep, but featured with some good rests.
The flow is not very wide right now, this made it impossible to get
to the fixed rock station out right before the final 40m, don't plan
on belaying there until if fills out. Of note, the sun was warm and
screws melting out was a concern. The difference between a screw
placed in a shady corner and one placed in the sun was like night and
day. Bring long screws and look for the shaded grooves. There was
around 15cm of low density snow on the approach and immediately above
the route.

Nov 21 - Drove to Field to have a look at the climbs there. Twisted
is in as a pure ice line, Super Bok is in (though it's hard to see
the 'rock arch' pitch), Homebrew is also in. Pilsner is touching on
the right via a thin pillar, but the mixed routes would be in good
shape, Carlsberg is formed but looks like it needs to fatten up just
a little to be inviting. Guinness Gully is all there, but while
climbing the first (thin) pitch the ice was very brittle, fracturing
off in large plates so I came down after a few meters. Best to let it
fatten up, or for it to warm up a bit as not to destroy the pitch for
future parties. Around 10cm of low density snow below Guinness Gully.

Cheers,
Jason Billing
ARG
_______________________________________________
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.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

[MCR] Ghost ice

On Wed. we climbed the Hooker and the Candle Stick Maker. The roads were pleasantly snow free, not even drifts in the valley bottom. We were even able to drive several hundreds metres up the hill on the west side before the road got too icy. At least 1 or 2 other parties had been in before judging by the footprints and the ice.

Ice on these 2 routes was cold and hard, making for difficult screw placements. The first pitch on CSM was mostly vertical with a small overlap to overcome. Perhaps WI5+. The 2nd pitch was brittle enough to warrant a good sheltered belay which we found by way of a small ice cave up a few metres on the right.

Hidden Dragon was well formed with some wetter looking ice, and the Joker was fat.

The Big Drip was in full form.

Cheers,
Shaun King
Alpine Guide

[MCR] Blackcomb backcountry.

Out for a tour yesterday (Nov 21st) off the back of
Blackcomb.
Excellent ski conditions with little wind effect and
great coverage above 6500ft. I have never seen
Spearman Glacier with such good coverage at this time
of year. Almost all of the Crevasses are covered and
there are no large gaping Bershrunds at the bottom of
"Don't swill".
The rest of the surrounding peaks and glaciers look to
be in fine early shape as well.
Below 6500ft the coverage is quite a bit less than
normal and great care should be taken so that you
don't spent the the rest of the month in the hospital
getting stitched up. Also of note below 7000ft and
especially below 6000ft there is a-lot of Surface hoar
that is building (up to 1cm!) This will be a layer to
remember when the new snow starts to come this
weekend.

Have Fun. 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 604 935 0077

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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] Blackcomb backcountry.

Have Fun. 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 604 935 0077

[MCR] Blackcomb backcountry.

Have Fun. 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 604 935 0077

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

[MCR] Cayoosh, Duffey Lake road

We had a romp up towards Cayoosh mountain yesterday. At the parking lot there was roughly 40cm of snow and at ridge top somewhere around 80cm. The upper road was a little more free of alder but neither was too bad. ROCK SKIS are a must.

We noticed a lot of wind effect (previous to the last snowfall) and were quite thankful of it. Although the there was boot top penetration the only good skiing we found was in cross loaded features where there was up to a meter of snow. Anywhere else it was impossible to avoid rock or shrubbery.

A thin rain crust at the parking lot disappeared before we reached the cabin. A compression test at tree line on a northerly cross loaded slope unevenly sheared with moderate results. The top 15cm of southerly slopes got a little soft with the afternoon sun. In the cut blocks there was 2cm surface hoar but it had only grown to about 4mm at tree line.

At tree line we skied it like it was GOOD stability and below treeline it appeared GOOD as well but we didn't come across any slope that had reached the threshold snow-cover to produce an avalanche. We didn't get into the alpine.

Conny Amelunxen
MG

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[MCR] Marble Canyon, Kootney Ntl Park

On Nov 19 we ran a couple of quick laps on the pillar that forms in Marble Canyon. It was climbable but would be a very committing lead, and not just because of the anorexic ice. The creek has not frozen over yet and while we were there an ice dam broke up the way sending a surge that raised the water level by at least two feet. Had we been belaying from the bottom the belayer would have been washed out to sea.

Several of the mixed climbs in there look ready to go, and in fact some are quite plump. I would recommend waiting a while however until the creek does freeze over.

Conny Amelunxen
Mountain Guide

> Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:08:09 -0800
> To: mcr@informalex.org
> From: mcr@informalex.org
> Subject: [MCR] wapta Nov 14-18th
>
>
> Up ski touring on the Wapta with a group last week.
>
> Skied from the road all the way to Bow hut with not too much problem in the
> canyon.
>
> The entire bowl with the seracs above the final slope to bow hut had avalanched
> as a very healthy size 3 some days prior. This slide was roughly 500m wide and
> ran at least 500m, well past where skiers cross the valley. The debris would
> have easily buried a large group. Numerous other slabs observed that day and
> the next, mostly on lee slopes.
>
> Skied only on the icefield itself between Bow and Peyto huts and ascended no
> peaks due to poor visibility, highly variable snowpack depth, and moderate to
> high south west winds most of the week.
>
> Snowpack on the icefield ranged from 2m to 30cms with bare ice. Average
> snowpack at 8-9,000ft is around 150 cms. Rounding the corner up to St. Nicholas
> on the north side was patchy bare ice with very large crevasses. That in
> conjunction with poor weather made turning around a good idea.
>
> Great skiing on the slopes above Bow Hut with 10cms of low density snow.
>
> It will be tempting with good weather ahead to venture into the alpine but the
> potential is very real, especially near ridge top, lee aspects for skier
> triggered slabs from all the wind last week. Keep in mind the variable snowpack
> depths this early in the season, it all looks the same on the surface.
>
> Cheers
> Steve Holeczi
> Alpine Guide, Assistant Ski 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.

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Monday, November 19, 2007

[MCR] wapta Nov 14-18th

Up ski touring on the Wapta with a group last week.

Skied from the road all the way to Bow hut with not too much problem in the
canyon.

The entire bowl with the seracs above the final slope to bow hut had avalanched
as a very healthy size 3 some days prior. This slide was roughly 500m wide and
ran at least 500m, well past where skiers cross the valley. The debris would
have easily buried a large group. Numerous other slabs observed that day and
the next, mostly on lee slopes.

Skied only on the icefield itself between Bow and Peyto huts and ascended no
peaks due to poor visibility, highly variable snowpack depth, and moderate to
high south west winds most of the week.

Snowpack on the icefield ranged from 2m to 30cms with bare ice. Average
snowpack at 8-9,000ft is around 150 cms. Rounding the corner up to St. Nicholas
on the north side was patchy bare ice with very large crevasses. That in
conjunction with poor weather made turning around a good idea.

Great skiing on the slopes above Bow Hut with 10cms of low density snow.

It will be tempting with good weather ahead to venture into the alpine but the
potential is very real, especially near ridge top, lee aspects for skier
triggered slabs from all the wind last week. Keep in mind the variable snowpack
depths this early in the season, it all looks the same on the surface.

Cheers
Steve Holeczi
Alpine Guide, Assistant Ski 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.

Friday, November 16, 2007

[MCR] Stanley Headwall (Nov 15)

Climbed at the Thriller Cave at the end of Stanley Headwall yesterday
(on Nov 15). About 10cm of new snow overnight in the parking lot.
Walking is still definitely the travel mode of choice. There is about
20-30cm of snow on the trail and scree making for awkward stumbling
but not enough to ski. Temperatures were mild (just below 0 C) making
for nice soft ice. In general, it is good early season ice conditions
for Stanley. The following is a quick summation of how various routes
looked from right to left:

French Reality: Completely formed but couldn't tell if the first pitch
is thin ice or just snow on slabs.
Dawn of the Dead: This rarely formed route is in.
Nightmare of Wolfe St: Looks to be in excellent shape.
Monsieur Hulot: Can't see any ice on the lower mixed pitches
Acid Howl: Not there.
Uniform Queen: Looks thin.
Suffer Machine: Fat, might even touch down...
Fiasco: Formed but thin.
General Malaise: Formed but thin.
Nemesis: Formed and has been climbed.
Sinus Gully: Fat.
Thriller: Fat, plus lots of good ice on the other Killer Cave mixed
routes.

Sean Isaac
Assistant Alpine Guide

Sunday, November 11, 2007

[MCR] K-Country - Amadeus

We climbed Amadeus this morning via the right hand rock traverse. The rock is is generally free of snow and ice and we used cams and nuts up to yellow (#2) Camalot to protect it. The pin that protects the “belly flop” move is not really pretty but you can place a bunch of stuff right before it. The ice is in solid but slightly airy condition, good screws are possible but sometimes require a little extra cleaning to find consistent ice.

Marc Piché
Mountain Guide

Saturday, November 10, 2007

[MCR] Murchison Falls and K-Country

For those itching to get out,

Nov 7 - Murchison Falls was in good shape, see Jesse's post. Cosmic Messenger and other routes in that drainage looked healthy.

Nov 8 - Hiked into Parallel Falls in K-country. Both routes were all there, though young ice, with much water flowing underneath. The sun was out in full force, warming the detached ice and the (big) terrain above these routes, so we turned tail and ran away. A cold snap and a cloudy day would be essential to look at these routes again. Already, pockets of knee deep, moist snow have gathered on the slope below. For those interested, a much shorter approach is to park at Burstall Pass parking lot. A few minutes from the car where the hiking trail turns left up a small hill, go straight and follow snowshoe trails (some signs) to the drainage leading up left to the climbs. Just over an hour of walking as compared to the 2.5hrs as described in the book.

R&D looked like it is missing the first 10m of ice, bring rock gear, stubbies and a humble attitude. Chalice and the Blade has fallen down, but Thin Universe looks to be in classic shape.

Have patience, and don't be afraid to say no and return another day.

Jason Billing

ARG

[MCR] Shades of Beauty/Polar Circus

Hello

Climbed the bottom pitches of Polar Circus on Wednesday with Geoff Ruttan. We bailed just before the pencil as the ice was melting quickly from the high temperatures (+6). The lower steps were gone when we walked down around 11AM. Moved over to Shades of Beauty which was in pretty good shape (best thing I've seen this year so far..). Solid screws on every pitch. Rick Blak Memorial route looks to be in good shape as well.

Seems like a very slow start for the "regulars".... have faith....

Cheers

Mike Stuart

Alpine Guide

Friday, November 9, 2007

[MCR] Ice Conditions

A few more observations to add to the sparse amount coming in.

Nov 6th - Climbed the Christmas present. Not much new info to give from the previous posts. There was however a fair amount of water still running so it may fatten up with the right conditions.

Nov 7th - Had a look at Haffner Creek. The ice is starting to show up but if it starts to get climbed there might not be much left later on. I would give it a miss for now.

Nov 9th - Climbed all but the last pitch of Murchison's. It is in pretty good shape when you look at what the Bow Valley looks like....good screws and you are unlikely to hit any rock. There is a fair amount of flowing water coming from the last pitch, which with a windy day like we had today can soak you quickly! Not much snow anywhere in this bowl to worry about.

The first few pitches of Virtual Reality look good but the huge hanging dagger is scary looking.

As a side note the skiing at Bow Summit looks bleak to none existent with around 30cm of snow on the ground.

Have a good and safe weekend!

Jesse de Montigny

ACMG Ski Guide

ACMG Assistant Alpine Guide

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for Nov. 8th, 2007.

ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 8th, 2007

It has been another warm, windy and mostly dry week in the Rockies. We have had very little information coming in from guides in the field. This could have something to do with the generally terrible skiing and climbing conditions. As a gross generalization ice climbing conditions have deteriorated in the past week. The avalanche hazard has increased, the temperatures have melted a lot of ice and there is snow on the rock at mid elevations and above. You can probably take a wild guess as to what all that wind and warm temperatures have done to the skiing. The temperatures are forecasted to drop a little over the weekend so there is still ice in the future.

Conditions are slowly improving in the Columbias but it is still the same early season problems. It is probably precipitating in the Columbias as you read this. For more detailed information, go to the Glacier National Park avalanche bulletin.

Banff and Glacier National Parks are now producing bulletins. I strongly encourage you to use these excellent products. If you have any plans for travel in avalanche terrain in these parks, read them throughout the season. This will help you develop a clearer picture of the conditions as they evolve over the winter and allow you to make better decisions when you are in the terrain.

The Canadian Avalanche Center will begin producing their public avalanche bulletins next week. Therefore, this will be the last ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the season. We shall start with the summaries again in late spring when the CAC stops producing bulletins. As with the parks bulletins I strongly encourage you to make full use of the CAC's fabulous product. ACMG guides will still be posting MCR's from their travels to supplement the Parks and CAC's regular bulletins.

Thank You for tuning in to our reports and for all the great feedback we have had. Have a fun and safe winter!

Larry Stanier

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Selkirk Mountains - Rogers Pass - Bruins Pass Nov.8-07

The last system left 10cm. in the Connaught Ck. valley bottom and 15-20cms. new snow above treeline.

Sunny skies and mild temps resulted in some snowballing (and suncrust formation) off steeper south-southwest facing slopes – otherwise the snow was dry and loose on the surface with little wind effect from the last storm observed in the area.

No recent avalanches observed and ski cuts did not produce any results.

In tests the snowpack in this area appeared well bonded to the crust down 60-80cms. from the surface.

The 10cms of snow in the valley bottom has transformed an icy deadly bobsled track into reasonable skiing.

Looks like more precip on the way and this afternoon’s darkening skies have produced light rain in Revelstoke this evening.

Cheers,

Scott Davis

Mountain Guide

Sunday, November 4, 2007

[MCR] Rogers Pass - Balu Pass - Nov.4/07 Ski conditions

What a change 48 hrs can make.

Saturdays storm triggered a good size avalanche cycle off Mt Cheops (N. Aspect) into Connaught Ck., quite a few of which ran to the end of their fans, one healthy class 3.0 for sure – all the avalanches ran during the warm phase of the storm that occurred on Sat. PM when it rained to 1800m.

Later Saturday night and into Sunday morning, it cooled dramatically forming a variable strength raincrust below 1800m.. Above 1800m I would estimate 30-40cm. storm snow with snowpacks in the Balu area averaging 120cm. almost all of which feels about the same strength until you hit the crust down about 60-80cm.

I saw a couple of shears in the storm snow down 20 and 30 cms. but they didn’t appear reactive to skiers. The snow was not light powder, but more spongy (for lack of a better term) and carvable with fairly shallow ski penetration (which is good at this time of year).

Weather cleared off by late afternoon and it is clear tonight so things should just tighten up even more and I imagine the surface crust will get stronger and may support better tomorrow. Today skiing out the trail (which is right were the raincrust forms) was nothing short of deadly and I can hardly recommend it to anyone. There were quite a few people up there today (at least 20) – I was happy not to find any injured on the track out (me included).

Cheers,

Scott Davis

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Duffy lake snow and ice condition.

Out for a nice Sunday drive along the Duffy lake road.
Looks like the major snow line is around the same
elevation as the Flavele hut, with a bit of snow
lingering down a few hundred feet into the trees. At
around 7000ft things change quite a bit. It looks like
it has been snowing for a while at this elevation. All
the shrunds on the North face of Joffre are gone and
there are two large size 2 or 2.5's out from the north
glacier of Joffree and the North face of Matier. It
also looks like the wind has been quite active at
ridge crest.
It didn't look like good skiing or climbing, both of
which we were up there to do...hence the Sunday drive.
Happy hunting. Craig

Craig McGee, ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
102-4369 Main St. Suite #337
Whistler BC
Canada
V0N 1B4
cell 604 902 0296
Home 604 935 0077

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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.

Friday, November 2, 2007

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary issued Nov. 1, 2007.

ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 1, 2007.

It has been a bit of strange week in the Rockies. Lots of wind, no snow in some areas, intense snow in others and temperatures swinging well to either side of 0.

Skiing is a non event from all accounts in the Rockies. With almost no snow on the ground in most places and lots of wind in the past two days, keeping your skiis safely inside is a good idea in this neighbourhood. Ice climbers have been having a little more luck, but the early season ice probably demands mid season skills and a willingness to operate without ice screws. Almost all routes right now should be assumed to be way harder and more serious than in it's "usual" condition. The past days wind and scattered snow have also build some REAL windslabs in places. Ice climbers need to be thinking hard about the stability on and above their routes. There have been some vague reports of significantly more snow up the Icefields Parkway and along the Continental Divide. We just don't have enough information at this point to make an informed call on the avalanche danger. My trip planning right now certainly starts with the premise that I am not going anywhere without at least being able to see clearly what the conditions look like on and above my proposed route. The routes in the Bow Valley are mainly snow free and the rock is fairly dry so mixed climbing adventures probably get the highest quality rating right now. Bring LOTS of rock gear and an open mind!!!

It also seems to have been a bit of a dull week in the Columbia Mountains. Mt. Fidelity(1905m- west side of Rogers Pass) got 25 cms of snow yesterday and Revelstoke Mountain resort got 10cms. The 25cms of snow at Rogers Pass was observed to be not bonding well to the crust layer below it. This crust was found on a south facing slope but may be the result of warm temperatures rather than just sun and could be found on all aspects. This is probably the main short term concern at Rogers Pass right now. They have had 100mm of precipitation(that is a lot of mixed rain and snow)in the past week and continue to see the odd BIG avalanche come out of the big alpine faces on Mt. Tupper and Mt. MacDonald.(just east of the summit) At Revelstoke they saw only small recent cornice triggered avalanches.

The snowpack in the Columbias is still shallow. 96cms at Fidelity is pretty skinny for this time of year. Reports of travel conditions down low are still mostly negative(Walking, skiing down with skins, way too many rocks and alders etc) If you can get above 2200m and to North aspects you may find some decent skiing but you will either be very clever with the access or paying for it somewhere. The shallow snowpack has a fair bit of strength thanks to all the warmth and rain but the rock and wood are still terrifyingly close by if you fall.

There may be some good late fall alpine climbing to be had somewhere, but it sure isn't in the Selkirks and I bet it is also pretty scary up at the Columbia Icefields.

Everywhere in the summary region sounds a bit warm for the early part of the weekend. This warmth is going to do absolutely nothing good for the early winter recreation quality.

Could be time to drive to Kitwanga!

Larry Stanier

Mountain Guide

Thursday, November 1, 2007

[MCR] Some Bow Valley Ice Climbing Obs

For those of you itching to swing your ice tools here are a few observations from the last several days.

Arterial Spurt was very thin as of 2 days ago with water running below the ice. We decided not to climb it but it may have fattened up slightly.

In the Lougheed area yesterday. Trick or Treat is in but a bit sporting, probably more like grade 5 to 5+. Ariadne's Thread is in with a few thin spots.

A 2 pitch WI3 route to the right of Ariadne's is also in so if you like long walks there is a bit of a reward.

Did a drive by of R & D yesterday and it looked like it would take a few days to get fat enough to be more than a very thin ice solo.

Christmas Present today has a bit of water running under the ice and as Larry mentioned, it is climbable but not really protectable…. thoughtful climbing.

Urs Hole was still running water yesterday.

Seems like a few nice cool nights are still needed to get everything up and running but depending on what you are looking for there is some ice out there especially at higher elevations. Have fun!

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
IFMGA Mountain Guide
403.678.8336(cell)// 403.760.0887(home)

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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