ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued September 11th, 2008.
Autumn/Winter seems to be here in the alpine. As usual, snow amounts and elevations vary greatly between aspects, elevations and ranges. However, it is safe to assume there may be sufficient snow for avalanching above 3000m everywhere and lower on north aspects close to the divide in all ranges. There have been scattered reports of weak layers within the recent storm snow. There is nowhere near enough observers in the mountains right now to verify this but it would be very wise to assume most big snow slopes in the alpine are suspect. If we get a warm weekend as forecasted, wet sloughs are also going to be a concern.
Glacier travel is well into the tricky autumn season now. On Wednesday I was walking around small crevasses I am totally familiar with. I knew they were only covered by approx. 20cms of snow and I could not see them at all. This is definitely the season to be carrying a short probe or a long ice axe on the glacier to avoid nasty surprises.
There seems to be a little less snow in the Columbias than the Rockies as of Wednesday. However, temperatures everywhere have been COLD out of the sun. 0 degrees
C at the O'Hara parking lot at 1600hrs yesterday! Snow was not melting out of the sun down to 2500m yesterday between Moraine Lake and Lake O'Hara. I think it is safe to assume there is NO dry alpine rock right now close to the divide.
Lots of alpine water ice forming. Keep in mind it is fresh and ephemeral in most places and the white stuff may have the consistency and strength of cold shaving cream.
East of the divide, routes like Castle mtn and Louis are mostly dry, but there is precip in the forecast for Friday.
It looks like it could be a beautiful weekend to be in the mountains. Choose your route with care and assume you may be moving a bit slowly between trailbreaking, snowed up rock and probing for crevasses.
Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide