Bubble Rap blues/Silk Tassels
To add to Barry Blanchard's earlier MCR.
I was guiding in parallel to Barry this morning and proceeded the late starting party on Silk Tassels. I made my lead up Bubble rap blues and set a line on Silk Tassels so both my seconds could climb at the same time.
The route Bubble rap blues was much harder than the WI4+ given in the book. The route was fragile but had secure shallow sticks and while the climbing required focus, the run out was within reason while the route was in the shade. The route's first section, would likely be a huge gamble in the sun and not just for the terrain above!
The upper part had pleasant mushrooms with adequate gear.
A single pin with a #1 Camelot (one could fit a few) behind the small trees make for a good anchor at the top of the route.
We got to the car just a little after 10:00.
Like Barry suggested; i think that in general, early starts with early returns are a good idea overall at the moment and this true across the range, especially on sun affected aspects. I would further urge climbers to not become complacent in light of the current trend of "lower" avalanche hazard ratings, even a small sluff can significantly "assault" a climber!
On another note the coffee shop/general store is now open again and its in fine conditions...plenty of good stuff and a must stop over for lunch! (early lunch)
Cheers
Patrick Delaney
ACMG Alpine Guide
403 688 6003
"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."
Albert Einstein