September 10, 2009
The last seven days can be characterized by rain, snow above treeline, and
generally cool temperatures. Most of the snow has now melted off in the
front ranges (east of Banff) which will make for good rock climbing
conditions in this area. In Lake Louise and the Wapta, 10-15 cm of snow
accumulated, but the snowline has now retreated to 8500 feet on shady
aspects, and to around 10,000 feet on sunny aspects.The Bugaboos and Rogers
Pass reported 10 to 30 cm of snow above 7000 feet, but again the sunny
aspects are drying off quickly. Watch out for isolated wind slabs at upper
elevations where the snow has drifted in.
The forecast through to the middle of next week is sunny with warm days and
cool nights. With this type of forecast the alpine conditions should be
ideal. Expect good freezes at night and stable warm weather during the day.
The snowline should continue to retreat up the mountain, but north faces
likely will hold the snow at higher elevations. Be aware that melting snow
during the heat of the day will make the rock wet and increase the rock
fall hazard.
The other hazard to be extra aware of is weak snow bridges on the glaciers.
Many of the crevasses will be covered over by the recent storm snow, but
the bridging strength of this new snow will be minimal. Lots of probing and
conservative route finding is in order on the glaciers for this time of
year.
Remember that the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting
colder. Pack a headlamp, an extra coat and have a great week.
Brian Webster
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.