What started out as a late start from Revelstoke, for a casual day on Uto, ended up being a beautiful day (by ourselves)on Sir Donald yesterday. We turned back on the summit block due to some threatening cloud formation to the west, but enjoyed good conditions up to there. More lingering snow than my other experiences on the NW, but totally climbable. Pretty much clear to the summit block. A bit white above that. Would expect to find a few slow sections along the final traverse to the summit??
Campground is essentially still under full snow cover and an ice axe was comforting in several places along the route, including the lower portion of the bolted descent. West face bypass was doable yesterday with only an ice axe, but had a few snow patch sections that were a little bit entertaining. Passable but not yet recommended. With an overnight freeze you’d need crampons and it would be a bit sporty!
Of note, on the drive home to Revelstoke we observed four notable natural slab avalanches to size 2.5 – 3.0 from NW aspects directly below ridge crest. Three were cornice triggered, one (the largest) did not appear to be. Snowpack in the alpine, north quadrant still definitely deserves some serious respect until the temps cool down.
Paul Norrie
Mountain Guide