on the Donkey's Ears and it was completely dry, as was the Mctech
Arete area. Once we topped out on the route we encountered 15-20 cms
of snow on shady aspects making for a slow descent down the ridge to
the Crescent/Eastpost col. Snow in between the slippery boulders is
hiding large holes. Despite the warmer temps (+15 in the pm) the snow
wasn't going anywhere fast on cooler aspects.
A look over to Snowpatch, Bugaboo, Pigeon, and the Howsers from the
top and one thing is clear, they are possibly out of commission for
the rest of the season, with winter conditions existing on all but the
most solar aspects. The Bugaboo/Snowpatch col has had a few small
slides down it in the last few days but looks to be in decent shape.
I talked to one party who tried to climb Pigeon 2 days ago via the
West Ridge and they stopped at the base of the route saying there was
over 30cms on everything. One other solo climber managed to get to
the technical pitches on the Kain route of Bugaboo Spire. He felt that
he almost broke his legs a dozen times with the slippery rock and was
in crampons the entire way.
There is still good climbing to be had on the lower, sunny spires,
just keep in mind that you might want to rappel the route or bring a
little extra gear for descents (ice/axe and perhaps crampons) if they
are on shady aspects. On a positive note, the spires certainly are not
crowded right now!
Steve Holeczi
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.