[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary issued Oct. 30, 2008.

ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued October 30th, 2008.

 

A fine fall week in the Rockies. Cold nights and pleasant days in the sun have set us up for good fall walking down low in the sun, ice climbing up high in the shade and skiing well, you can't win em all.  

 

Waterfall climbing is definitely happening on some North faces around treeline and above. Reports and photos from the East slope of the Rockies are generally very positive and inspiring. It is only late October, so mentions of occasional bad gear, thin ice and running water shouldn't surprise anyone. To quote a report from yesterday "The first pitch of the Terminator looked like it was ready to fall down and was making a few nasty sounds-" Lots of route reports mention no snow and that is a very good thing.  If you are feeling solid, brave and have a rack of rock gear, stubbies and talent-things could be good. To paraphrase Abe Lincoln. "Climbers who like that sort of thing will find these routes to be the sort of thing they like."

 

Glacier travel continues to suffer the early winter insecurities of weak, hard to read bridges. Add in the thin to nonexistent snowpack down low, the grey weather forecast for the Columbias and the idea of getting some early season skiing in at Rogers Pass or the Wapta seems like a really poor idea. 

 

If the forecast is right it could be a fine last weekend to climb some south facing rock on the East slope of the Rockies. It has probably been a bit too warm for secure low elevation ice skating.

 

Finally, it is always worth watching what your neighborhood snowpack is doing at this time of year. Terrain that already has snowcover is likely to have some weak, nasty layers just above the ground for a good part of the winter. These layers MAY come back to haunt us(it is Halloween) at certain time during the winter and spring. Terrain that is snow free at present will at least start the winter without this basal weakness. I would assume that snowfree terrain is only at low elevations in the high peaks of Columbias and along the Rockies divide. The snow line seems to be a bit higher on the east slopes of the Rockies and through the lower peaks of the Southern Monashees, Selkirks and Purcells.

 

Let it snow.

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] Little Bobby Onsight, Bow Valley Ice

Climbed 'Little Bobby Onsight' with Tim H. today.  Route is in reasonably good shape, however the second pitch requires a lot of short ice screws, some of which probably offer more cerebral protection than actual holding power in the thin ice.

 

We climbed pitch 1 on the far left side, good ice to an old bolted anchor, 45m. 

Pitch 2 traversed right onto the steeper thin ice and then up to a decent ice anchor on the far right, 60m+. 

Pitch 3 traversed a rock band to the left ice line and up to the top ice anchor, 50m.  (We rappelled down the same way)

 

The approach was a comfortable 2.5hrs.  We went directly up the creek after using the Bow Valley Rock approach description to get into the drainage.  Start hiking at #20 Wilson Way.
 

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
IFMGA Mountain Guide
http://www.flickr.com/photos/conradjanzenphotos

[MCR] Twisted Sister, Bow Valley Ice

Climbed Twisted Sister today with Tom Wolfe.  The route is in good shape, dry rock on the first pitch, thin ice on the lower angled pitches and thick solid ice on the upper pitch.  We used quite a few short screws as well as a couple of pitons and rock gear to 0.75".  Some of the fixed anchors are showing their age, but backups or ice options do exist.  A little over two hours for the approach and no avalanche hazard on the route at this time.  A beautiful day to be out in the hills. 
 

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
IFMGA Mountain Guide
http://www.flickr.com/photos/conradjanzenphotos

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary issued Oct. 23rd, 2008

ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued Oct. 23rd, 2008.

 

Very little change in the mountains in the past week with one exception. Even though it was a bit warmer this week than last, it has been cool enough for climbable ice to form in the alpine in a few places. Stanley headwall was still wet and thin last weekend but as that is a serious icebox it should be improving. (Improving into steep, thin  ice and mixed climbs:). Ranger Ck has climbable ice and almost no snow. David Thompson highway corridor sounds very snow and ice free. There is more ice forming by the minute somewhere but expect a chance of getting skunked and keep a wary eye on the flowing water, the temperatures and how well the ice is stuck to the stone.

 

Snow avalanches are still most likely restricted to gullies and lee features at treeline and above in the Rockies. The wind has been hammering the snow in the open as usual. Snowline is much more firmly established in the Columbias. A recent report from a lovely Glacier park warden went something like this "Still 10cm at the pass, disappearing to either side.  Snowline is firmly down to 1300 meters, with places like MacDonald W Shoulder looking very white.  Saw some solar sluffs from terrain above NRC to size 1, but running far downstream."    

 

Glacier travel has not improved at all. Bridges may be slightly easier to see but have not gained any strength.

 

Skiing is still a desperate act, even in the Columbias.

 

Check out the first avalanche bulletin of the season from the good folks at Glacier Park. See link below.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/psb/index_f.asp?oqava_bulletin_id=8116

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] (MCR} Bow Summit and David Thompson Country Drive By Obs - Oct 19, 2009

Hey all

If you missed the guides ball in Lake Louise on Saturday, you missed one
heck of a party with folks up until they shut down all the bars. A half
dozen new ACMG full guides got their pin including two more women. Awesome.
Richard and Louis Guy of Calgary were inducted as honorary members of the
ACC. Well deserved honours all round.

But I digress... On to conditions:

Driving home over Bow Summit there was some relatively new snow alongside
the road, looking to be about 5 to 10 cm likely from the Friday evening rain
/ snow event. Still a long way before being skiable for my new skis and some
evidence of wind action along gullies with the usually early season cross
loading having begun already. Unfortunately, some of the cold clear nights
will just facet out the precious white powder before long... In fact, it has
likely already happened.

Everybody seems to be talking about caution in these thin faceted wind
loaded features as a prime topic when discussing ice climbs and the itch to
get out and ski. Everything I saw along the road makes me agree.

Passing Waterfowl Lakes I noticed a lot of drips forming up and dreams of
frozen popsicles danced through my head. Ice in this area should be coming
along nicely but I didn't get a good enough view to mention specifics.
General impression is that there is a good start in the offing. In a couple
of weeks things should be starting to get in shape for the skilled and bold
among us to start laying picks to ice. Some may be ready already. Just keep
those facets and slabs in mind.

Conversely, I had to cry when driving through David Thompson Country. As is
common in this area so much of the year it is bone dry. There is absolutely
NO ice even close to being formed once you get any distance east of
Saskatchewan Crossing. It is in super dry autumn conditions with most
aspects having essentially no snow on the ground. That is bad news for those
climbs that needs some snow above to melt onto the cliffs below.

Even 570 and Two O'clock Falls, both of which are spring fed, are not even
thick enough to call anemic. They are several weeks away from even starting
to form. Best guess would be late November or early December for anything in
this area unless we get a change in weather. No ice forming on Nothing But
the Breast, rather a tiny trickle of water. Didn't see in the gullies like
Kitty Hawk but don't hold your breath! Nothing else in the area showed any
promise for early season ascents. Need more winter weather.

Until then the David Thompson looked like excellent hiking and scrambling
and Lake Abraham is nearly full to the brim, which is a gorgeous sight to
see. Expect some snow or icy bits on shaded trails especially at higher
elevations. Everything with a solar aspect was pretty much green and brown
and grey.

Sounds like the Columbia Mountains got a fair amount of precipitation while
I was driving in the rain and snow and fog from Revelstoke to Lake Louise on
Friday night (Oct. 17).

I am going to cool my jets for a little while yet and let things get into
better shape, including me!

Cyril Shokoples
ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.rescuedynamics.ca

_______________________________________________
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] ANOTHER correction

OK I'm losing it. I meant LONE RANGER's second pitch is WI4. Definitely.

And that's the last correction I'm sending, my apologies folks.

Tom Wolfe
ASG/AAG
_______________________________________________
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] Chalice and the Blade correction

Oops, correction: Chalice and the Blade 2nd pitch is *WI4*. Definitely.

And not just because I'm not a better ice climber than I was last March.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
ASG/AAG
_______________________________________________
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] Ranger Ck

Sunday -- R&D, fat and plastic, good screws and in good shape for the
grade (WI4)

Today (Wed) -- Lone Ranger, Chalice and the Blade - both in WI4 condition,
Lone Ranger is a little stiff for the grade (1st pitch WI3+,40m, 2nd pitch
WI3,60m). C&B a little soft for the grade even on hardest line. Both fat
and plastic with good screws.

Not much snow yet (10 cm?) but deep drifting in gullies and lee aspects.
We were not concerned about avalanche hazard today with the current
conditions on these climbs, but a good dump or two could change things.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
ASG/AAG
_______________________________________________
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] Early Season Avalanche Message

The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides, The Canadian Avalanche Centre, Parks Canada, Kananaskis Country, and Alpine Club of Canada have teamed up this fall to offer some basic public education regarding early season avalanche conditions.  It seems that there are close calls or accidents almost every year as we charge out of the gate early looking for ice or snow.

The attached brochure will be distributed via local outlets with the intention of spreading the message to keep your eyes wide open in the early season.  Its a unique time of year - some of the best conditions, and some of the worst. You will probably see a a few of our stories in the newspapers too.  Please pass on this message among your friends.

Its timely - ice is forming in the Rockies, and the last I checked there was close to 70 cm of settled snow at treeline in Rogers Pass.

Lets have a great start to the winter!

Grant Statham
Mountain Guide

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for October 16th, 2008.

ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued October 16th, 2008.

 

We are well into autumn. In the mountains it has been generally COLD the past week. Generally light snow has fallen to and remained at around 2000m along the divide in the Rockies. In the Columbia's there was more snow on average. At 1905 meters on Mt. Fidelity, on the west side of Rogers Pass, there is approx 50 cms of settled snow on the ground. I am going to go out on a limb here and speculate that it may be a bit slippery on Mt. Sir Donald.

 

Glacier travel continues to be the autumn gamble. I would imagine that the odd piece of benign looking glaciated terrain that feels very casual in the early summer would be fairly terrifying right now. Probe, probe and then probe some more.

 

Rock climbs are pretty white around Canmore. Perhaps Yamnuska and other south facing cliffs would be fine with a late start and a FAST!!! team. Otherwise, it has been cold till mid morning and the only heat has been from the radiation. The rock is staying cold without the radiation and this isn't likely to change for awhile.(Spring?) The nights are very long, very cold and probably very lonely up high right now. Bataan? At least you would get warm hiking.

 

The ICE? That is the only useful question right now. Certainly it is likely to be very thin in the dry ranges and below treeline. In the alpine and closer to the divide of the Rockies there is likely to be some "climbable" pitches.

There are 2 big problems to consider if you are dumb enough to October ice climbing.

 

1.Forget the guidebook grades. They will likely be thin, hard and REALLY difficult to protect. Bring rock gear, especially pins and assume any pitches you scope will be way harder than they look. And, Yes, no matter how much you THOUGHT about ice climbing over the summer, you really haven't gotten any better at it yet.

 

2. Nasty little early season avalanches. There has been a sad trend of early season avalanche fatalities over the past few years. There is very little snow in the Rockies, but, I am guessing that any gully with climbable ice right now also has a big drift above to feed it and possibly a big cone at the base. Do not forget that these early season drifts are wild cards. None of us have any clear idea of the snow stability in those isolated drifts right now!  All we do know is that the consequences of going for a ride there are likely to be fatal. Belay, retreat, reconsider. 

 

Skiing? Hah, maybe in some desperate little patch in the Columbias. Patience, a long winter awaits. Check out the new film "The Fine Line" and make some plans. Winter is coming.

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide  

 

 

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued October 9th, 2008

 

ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued October 9th, 2008.

 

A beautiful, cold day in the mountains. The snow from the past 48hrs varies from 5 to 20cms along the continental divide of the Rockies and throughout the Columbias. There were reports of more significant snow in the columbias over the past weekend also. -10 degrees Celsius at Skoki and -6 in Lake Louise and Canmore this morning. Brrrr!!!

 

No significant wind reported anywhere in the parks today. However, there was signs of drifting so there was probably wind during the storm yesterday.

 

There has just been enough snow and probably enough wind to form scattered slabs in the alpine. With the lack of detailed observations, simplicity may be the best approach for this weekend. Avoid the big fat-looking white places!! Remember that the consequences of an early season ride in an avalanche can be especially nasty. Being buried is bad enough but with all the rocks and trees not padded yet, a world of hurt awaits!!

 

Lots of ice is forming but a wily observer saw nothing climbable in the Bow Headwall, Lake Louise or Rundle area.The alpine is the only hope, but again fresh windslabs and cornices are a concern on the approach slopes and especially in any gullies.

 

Glacier travel is just getting trickier with each little tinkle of snow. There is enough recent storm snow to hide the crevasses again without any meaningful gain in bridging strength.

 

Castle, Louis, Bugaboo spires etc are all freshly snow covered. South faces may be climbable on steep rock in a couple of days but the cool temps mean it will be a slow process and there will be some lovely verglas along the way. North facing rock is guaranteed greasy for at least a few days if not months.

 

It looks like a beautiful weekend to be out in the mountains. Pick your objectives very carefully as the alpine is rough, slippery, white and cold and the nights are getting to be very long.  Still, the right project could be a great last adventure before winter becomes the reality.

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

 

[MCR] Athabasca AA Col / Icefields

I just spent the past couple of days guiding in the Columbia Icefields.

Sunday -- Athabasca via AA Col - about 10 cm new snow with strong SW winds
throughout the day. This brings the total storm snow to 12-15 cm since
Friday. Good travel. The schrund is easily crossed but still thinly
bridged, and we belayed over it going up and down (good ice screws with a
little digging). Storm snow was bonding well to the old surface -- the
moist snow Jordy described in his last post is now a frozen/facetted
breakable temperature crust under the storm snow that made for good steps
approaching the col and good, secure plunge stepping descending.
Windloading and some cracking in the storm snow at ridgetops. Lots of
sluffing could be heard throughout the day from Andromeda's gullies. +5 C
at the trailhead at 5:45am, freezing level at about 2800m, cooling off
towards evening. Strong downflow winds noted as we descended.

Monday -- Wilcox Pk - Cold, clear night, -2C at the campground at 5am and
a dusting of new snow to valley bottom. This made for slippery hiking this
morning. Things melted fairly quickly when the sun finally came out
mid-morning and by the early afternoon the rock was mostly dry. Still
moderate to strong SW winds as well as some sluffing off of Snowdome and
Andromeda's N faces. Cold with a mix of sun and cloud throughout the day.
3C at the campground at 2pm but felt warm in sheltered areas in the sun.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
ACMG AAG/ASG
_______________________________________________
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] Lake O'Hara

0 degrees celsius, calm and 2cms snow overnight at 2000m around Lake O'Hara. Peaks are snowcovered from 2500m up but nothing looks really plastered except the big slopes like Lefroy, Glacier and the West face of Hungabee. Grassi ridge is still dry. No signs of any recent avalanche activity visible but it was a bit cloudy and grey for really confident observations. No really fat water ice anywhere in sight but lots of thin dribbles everywhere above 2800m.

 

Conditions around Lake Louise appear to be similar.

 

Buses have stopped running so if you like a long walk it could be a wonderful wilderness experience at O'Hara by wednesday when the lodge is completely shut down.

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

laristan@telus.net

[MCR] Icefields Conditions October 1-3

Myself and four other mountain guides were at the Columbia Icefields for the past 3 days with a large group of university students.  In addition to practicing on the North Glacier of Athabasca, we climbed A2 (via the Boundary Glacier) and Athabasca (via the AA Col).  Travel conditions were excellent.  Above 2600m there is 10-30 cm of newer snow over a carrying crust, and a further 30 cm of snow to the summer ice.  The latest snow is generally moist due to this week’s warm temps, and it is bonding well to the crust, but we still avoided the ‘Normal’ ramp route on Athabasca in light of the recent natural and older climber triggered activity on the ramp.  Plus 6 degrees most mornings at the Icefields campground meant not much of a freeze up high, but still good travel conditions.  No new avalanche activity, however there was a number of large serac falls from the south sides of Andromeda and Snowdome. 

 

We wore crampons from the AA Glacier to the summit of Athabasca, with rain turning to snow and poor visibility on Oct 3^rd.  Good steps in the snow gullies leading to the Athabasca side of the AA Col, and no slab formation noted.  We found good ice for anchors under about 40 cm of snow when descending from the AA Col.

 

Jordy Shepherd

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Rockies: Narao

Up the lefthand Narao gully today. Below 2700 m conditions are mostly hard summer neve, above that elevation there is about 35 cm of recent snow overlying the neve. This new snow was held together by a few thin crusts on this NE aspect, with some hot temps this snow would fall apart quite rapidly. Although it was warmer than we hoped (minimal overnight freeze) it seemed cold enough with no rockfall or avalanches noted.

From below, this gully looks like it has a rockband in the middle but one can connect the couloir the entire way via a hidden finger of snow.

A fun 2 hour climb with a 3 hour approach and a 4 hour descent!

Erica Roles

Asst Rock Guide

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary issued October 2nd , 2008

ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued October 2nd, 2008

 

It has been a lovely week in the Mountains. The warm weather has helped settle the snow a bit in most places, but winter still rules above 3000m's.

 

Glacier travel is mostly pretty good but as is often the case in the fall, crevasse are poorly bridged and may be difficult to read, especially in shady places.

 

Rock climbing is still good on the east slope of the Rockies and lower elevations in the Columbias. Above 2800m expect snow anywhere shady and maybe some verglas after the heat wave.

 

Alpine ice could be coming around quite nicely. Cooler temps for the weekend could help tighten up some of the water ice and keep the rockfall fairly quiet. 

 

Classic alpine routes such as Victoria, Sir Donald, Edith Cavell and everything in the Bugaboos would take a fairly solid and speedy team to do them comfortably in a day. The snow will slow people down and the days are getting mighty short. It would be a long cold night in an unplanned bivy in early October.

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide