[MCR] N Cascades; Torment - Forbidden traverse.

I just returned from a recreational trip to North Cascades National park. The condition of the alpine glaciers were very good at this time. A clear sky left a touch of verglas , and the snow stayed hard until mid morning. There wasn't any exposed ice along the route . The bergshrounds were easy to cross. Very light southerly winds throughout the day.

Paul Berntsen
Mtn guide
_______________________________________________
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] Mt Rogers, Rogers Pass, July 29-31, 2010

Spent the last couple nights at the Hermit campground and climbed Mt Rogers, Grant and Fleming Peaks yesterday with a 79 year old guest....I hope I am still climbing that well when I reach his age.

 

Excellent conditions for cramponing up the Swiss Glacier to the Rogers-Grant col in the morning.  Bergschrunds are becoming visible but easily passed on snow.  Crampons were also used on some ice on the North side of the the start to Swiss Peaks traverse.  Dry rock on Grant and Fleming Peaks and good steps without crampons back down from the Rogers-Grant col mid afternoon. 

 

The Swiss-Truda col also looked in decent shape with a bit of ice showing down low then snow to the top.  Tupper is dry and in good shape.

 

Lots of smoke in the air this morning which might affect overnight freezes in the days to come.
 

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.conradjanzenguiding.com

[MCR] Assiniboine Conditions

At Assiniboine from July 28-30. Thundershowery conditions however they did not hamper activities much and were restricted to the later afternoon. Climbed the NE ridge on July 30. Quite dry to the grey bands particularly if you stay to the easterly side of the ridge. Thru the grey and red bands there are patches of snow and some ice runnels that are avoidable and shrinking fast in the warm weather, but do make the climbing a bit trickier than usual. The ridge above the red bands is mostly dry. The summit ridge is snow-covered with large cornices which are just starting to cleave and require a large margin. We did not use crampons on the climb. Of note: I hand pulled and re-placed several pitons on the fixed stations so beware – otherwise most of the fixed “tat” is reasonable with either quicklinks or biners on them. The Gmoser Highway has one snowpatch which requires climbing for 20m near the start otherwise it is dry. The Hind Hut is quite clean and in good shape – thanks to the Renner Family.

 

Happy Camping

 

James Blench

 

 

James Blench

www.jamesblench.ca

(403)678-2576 home

(403) 678-7822 cell

 

[MCR] Rockies, attempt on the ENE ridge of Mt Temple

Guided an attempt on the eastnortheast ridge of Mt Temple yesterday, July 29th. This route is also known as the "Squashed Bones" first ascent by  fellow ACMG guides Josh Briggs and Rob Owens, August 2001(A route description on page 132 of the 2002 Canadian Alpine Journal). We got chased off by rain showers, and the threat of a thunderstorm, from about halfway up the mountain, and 3/4s of the way up the 5th class quartzite climbing -that climbing being quite good for the alpine in the Rockies. We descended by making a long traverse on a rubble ledge into the Sphinx face where we downclimbed on snow and more rubble ledges. We made one rappel at the bottom of the face. One briefcase sized rock bounded down out to our right while we were there.

The final corner on the Greenwood/Jones has water running down it, otherwise the route looks dry enough. The Greenwood/Locke has wet streaks on, and around, it; and several of the ledges are still holding snow, especially the last big horizontal one on the route.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard

Mountain Guide

www.barryblanchard.ca

www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 29th, 2010

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 29th, 2010 ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains Issued July 29th, 2010. It is a pleasure to say that conditions are generally REALLY GOOD right now. Moderate alpine climbs on snow and ice and the classic ridges are all in good shape given a good freeze or a snow free route. Alpine rock climbing conditions from the Bugaboos to the Northern Selkirks and on all of the moderate elevation Rockies routes are excellent. Many of the big snow and ice faces and glaciers above 3000m still have excellent snow coverage. Probably the biggest concern during this heatwave is snow-melt generated rockfall and triggering small wet slides. Terrain with lots of rocks and thin or variable snow patches are the features to be well away from when things are warm. As Mark mentioned last week, features like the standard routes on Hungabee and Mt. Alberta are probably really scary when it is warm and need more time to come into shape. I would be reluctant to recommend any of the big remote Rockies North Face rock routes like Alberta and North Twin(for many reasons:) but mainly I think it would be a long walk when it is quite possible they still may be snowy or at least wet and dropping rocks at a great rate. Mixed routes like the Grand Central Couloir, Andromeda Strain and the North Face of Edith Cavell are a really bad idea at present. Even if you think you are moving really, really fast. Areas with deeper snowpacks should be fairly straightforward to assess. If you are sinking in, you probably shouldn't be there. If that is the case, assume cornices are stressing, crevasse bridges are weakening and wet sloughs may be next. I would work pretty hard to keep from spending time on or below any big cornices right now. There is still a bunch of them left and a bunch of those are going to fail in the next week or two. Weather generally looks pretty good but thunder has been booming all over the front ranges. Anywhere this next week you should be keeping a weather eye out for more fast approaching storms, especially at places where you ratchet up the commitment. Even those nice, new, light and sexy climbing duds won't cut it when it is blowing slush sideways and the lightning is oh, so terrifying. Keep all those caveats in mind and it doesn't get much better than this. It is a treat to have so many fine routes in fine shape. Get up early and get after it! Larry Stanier ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
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] South Chilcotin Ranges (eastern ranges of South Coast Mountains) - July 23-27, 2010

Forwarded for Laurent Mingo
ACMG Hiking Guide

South Chilcotin Ranges (eastern ranges of the South Coast Mountains).

Just back from a 5 day-loop in the South Chilcotin, where we backpacked through part of Big Creek and Spruce Lake Provincial Park. We traveled from Relay Creek trailhead, through Relay, Big, and Tosh Creek drainages, through Iron Pass, and back via Grant Creek, Elbow Pass and Ridge, and Little Paradise valley. Mix of trails, game trails, ridge rambling, in terrain ranging from river valleys to alpine. As in other areas of the South Coast, there is still a lot of snow. Within this NE corner of the South Chilcotin Mountains ( generally north Warner Ridge) is where the least snow will be encountered leading to excellent traveling conditions. 

Of note:

• River crossings: None were a problem, however, runners or adequate river crossing shoes are a must, don't expect to hop your way across with dry feet. And no flip-flops or any other shoe that flies off your feet with the current. Big Creek on route to Elbow pass required a bit of scouting, but if one crosses ~ 75m upstream from where the trail reaches the shore, this is no problem.
• Wildlife: Many wildlife signs and sightings from moose (rooming high alpine)  to bighorn sheep, and grizzlies. On this note, we had previous report from a grizzly sow with one cub roaming the slopes of Dil-Dil plateau above the Graveyard Cabin. We saw an adult bear and cub, which we think are the previously spotted pair on the east slopes of the plateau above our camp. So keep and eye for these guys, and make sure you are being heard as you travel in high vegetation, rolling terrain, and along creeks. Similarly, we spotted a large grizzly on the lush north slopes of Tosh Creek near Powell Pass about 150 m above the trail, which required us to alter course before being seen. In short, when approaching open terrain, keep and eye on the distance to spot animals before they see you, then alter your direction of travel accordingly. More chance to see wildlife, and safer. Binocs are a must for this.
• Snow travel: Still good with very little post holing. Great for quickly loosing elevation on descents.
• Very buggy down low, especially along Big Creek out of Lorna Lake. Ok on the ridges.
• Thanks to horse operators for clearing the trails in the area, as we found that most of dead trees and branches that were on the way had been recently cleared where we traveled.

Laurent Mingo,
Hiking/Backpacking Guide
www.adventerra.ca

--  Peter Tucker ACMG Executive Director ed@acmg.ca tel: 403-949-3587F mobile: 403-689-4324 

[MCR] N Cascades; Mt Baker

A persistent 12 knot westerly wind. kept things feeling cold on Mt Baker yesterday. The glacier is in good condition, more like mid-June conditions with only a few crevasses starting to open up. The icefall on Colfax peak, spews ice debris onto the climbers trail on the Colman glacier route. Crevasses are starting to open up in this area as well, which is sure to add to the hazard as the season goes on. (The area I am referring to is in the centre of the attached photo)

Despite a clear night, the snow stayed soft, but the foot pen was minimal. We only used crampons for the descent off the summit. All in all the conditions were excellent for travelling.

Paul Berntsen
Mtn Guide

[MCR] Sir Donald

I just got back from guiding Sir Donald. Lots of traffic on Sir Donald these days with the nice weather. The route is mainly dry except for one patch of snow near the top that you can't avoid, but it is short. The bypass ledges to avoid the summit block still has snow and some ice near the top, everyone is going that way and seems to work. I chose not to because I felt I couldn't guided it safely. I came back down the same way. Another few days of nice weather the By pass will be snow free.

Play safe,

Marco Delesalle
Mountain Guide
www.greatdividemountaineering.com

_______________________________________________
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] Brewer's Buttress - Castle Mountain

Climbed Brewer's Buttress on Castle Mountain today.
 
The route is in excellent mid-summer condition. There is water available in the normal spot (in the gully just before traversing to the hut) and it looks like this could last for a little while due to some snow patchs in the gully above. There are a few small snow patchs along the summit ridge, but they are all avoidable. There is also some snow in the bottom of the descent gully, but if you stick to the standard descent and make use of the rappel stations, the snow is not an issue.
 
Have fun!

Jeremy Mackenzie
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide 
jeremymackenzie@hotmail.com

[MCR] East Ridge Temple

Had a great day on the East Ridge of Temple on July 26. The traverse below
Black Towers is still mostly snow. Snow was still firm at 10:30 am, but
expect it to be sloppy by early afternoon. Exit gully dry except for top
third which is a mix of snow and ice. Summit glacier was hard neve on the
north aspects and ankle deep soft snow on the south aspects.

Cheers,

Brian Webster
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
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] Lefroy and Victoria Conditions

Up to Abbots Pass area over the 24-26^th. Overnight lows were a balmy plus 6 degrees leaving a temporary but adequate overnight recovery of the snowpack. Lefroy on the 25^th provided us with boot top steps and we were able to short rope most of the way but did run out a couple of pitches on the upper sections where it was icy. The snow on west aspects was still in good shape by 10am when we returned to the hut. Victoria the next day was another story and despite a 4am start the east facing slopes had minimal freeze overnight even with clear skies. By 7am most slopes of east to south aspects had deteriorated to the point that we were concerned with point releases. The descent down to the Huber glacier is quite straight forward at the moment; and the snow in the gulleys  on the west aspect was still firm at 12pm. Huber glacier is in great conditions and the Huber ledges descent was free of any snow.

 

Have a great summer!

 

James Blench

www.jamesblench.ca

(403)678-2576 home

(403) 678-7822 cell

 

[MCR] Rockies: Tsar/Alexandra

Banging around in the Wild West End the past few days. We climbed Mt Tsar on July 24, flipped over to Rice Brook on July 25 and today (July 26)  climbed Mt Alexandra with an afternoon finish across the Whiterose Traverse.

Excellent summer conditions although we found an annoying breakable crust/postholing combination above 3000 m on west aspects on both Tsar and Alexandra. Good firm snow everywhere else. If you have crevasses at the firn line (about 2600 m in the Alexandra area) the bridges/plugs are a bit suspect.

No avalanches and minimal rockfall were noted. Lots of icefalls though including 3 size 4's off the north face of Bush Mountain today.

It's high summer out there. Bring the bug dope and sunscreen.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

www.alpinism.com

[MCR] Icefields/Diadem

Kirsten and I just returned from 5 days up at the icefields parkway with 6 women. We had a mixture of weather and conditions. On Monday (July 19th) it rained hard most of the morning and cleared off late afternoon. Tuesday morning was clear and plus 5 at 2:30am at the Athabasca parking with a very good freeze on the glacier. We climbed the North face bypass and the Silverhorn on Athabasca. The Silverhorn schrund is starting to open up, as is the North Face, but the Bypass schrund is easily passed climbers left. Of note was a size 3 icefall from the seracs just right of the Hourglass, that left a huge pile of debris on the bench below the North face. A scary sight, that must have occurred only a couple days prior.

On Wednesday (July 22) we hiked in to the Wooley/Diadem bivy site in the rain. The next morning, despite mixed conditions, we were able to climb Diadem without an overnight freeze. We were down by noon, but this still felt too late to be coming down. There is more hazard on Wooley and Daidem then the book suggests, with serac exposure and acres of rockfall and cornice failure potential as you cross climbers left towards the top of the upper glacier. The sun hits this face very early and an early start is crucial. Nonetheless a beautiful area to visit!

Sarah Hueniken
ACMG Alpine Guide

_______________________________________________
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] Neil Colgan Hut area.

Just returned from 5 days up at the Neil Colgan Hut.
 
We approached via the Schiesser Ledges and descended via the Perren approach.
Both Approaches have some snow and we found good use for it both on the approach and descent. We witnessed many cornice failures during our approach and the debris at the bottom serves as a reminder to stay on the the trail. Don't get pulled over into the gullies in search of water there is water in the "moat feature" to the left of the glacier at the top of the ledges approach.
I spotted a water bottle on a rock just under some massive headache potential, its not worth it!
On another note and as temps get hotter...the Perren approach currently has plenty of water safely accessible on its path however the top climbing section after the chain will soon get wet.
 
During our stay we sampled many of the peaks in the valley of Ten and ascended them via snow, even Bowlen! Due to their close proximity to the hut it was never hard to climb several in a day.
 
Our most significant ascent was possibly the W ridge of fay still in good condition..the other two gullies to the left all suffer from similar but varying degrees of cornice hazard and issues crossing the bergschrund. The Roth/Kallen had a particularly soft snow issue to cross its lower crux and i elected to take a pass yesterday and move on to the West ridge. A recreational party did however make it over sometime after we made it back down from our route. Take care not to start too late especially with overhead hazard!
 
The Glaciers are in relatively good shape but the shallower snow pack of the fay glacier is melting fast. The current trail to the hut will need some redirecting soon. A ski pole without basket should be enough to probe to ice if you chose to redirect your line!
 
Finally take care when using the rap line on the Perren the second rap is about 34m and ends over steepish snow. Some down climbing on rock is needed to get to the snow. 

Cheers
 
Patrick Delaney
ACMG Alpine Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

 

[MCR] Rockies, Louise Group, Mt Victoria SE Ridge

Jeff MacPherson and I paid a visit to Mt Victoria today via the South
East ridge.

Temps at Lake Louise at 0330 were 6C with a warm downdraft from the
Plain of Six. The Fuhrmann Ledges were dry and generally in good
shape with a fairly good freeze overnight (at this elevation at
least) providing excellent cramponing in firm snow up the final few
hundred meters to Abbot Hut. The west face of Lefroy looked in snowy
condition, with extensive wet sluffing down the Normal Route in the
last 24hrs or so. Temps at the hut at 0700 were 9C and we encountered
very strong westerly gusting winds, though with no noticeable snow
transport. Conditions high on the SE ridge looked as described in
recent reports (i.e. spicy with lots of snow arete climbing) however
we found all of the initial snow slopes isothermic down as much as
1m. Temps at 0930 at ~3200m were 13C under intense bluebird skies and
with highly unsupportive snow, so we turned tail at the rock step
before the Sickle and were very happy to be off the slopes and back
at the hut by 1030 when the snow had lost all cohesiveness.

Descending to Lake Oesa, there was still extensive snow in the
skier's left gully, but the snow in the standard right-side gully can
be avoided. Streams are pumping and mozzies are plentiful.

Carl Johnston
RG

Jeff MacPherson
ARG/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] Beatty Col to North Kananaskis Pass

Finished up a 21-day Outward Bound youth course today. Three days ago we travelled over Beatty Col from Three Isle Lake into Le Roy Creek. The north side of the col is in decent shape with a few remnant snow patches. We had soft conditions on the snow but hard boots and an ice axe and perhaps crampons would be recommended especially if you travel early in the day. We descended at around noon time and there was no rockfall.

This is a beautiful albeit adventurous way of travelling between the passes. Excellent trout fishing at Maude Lake right now.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
AAG/SG
Outward Bound Canada
www.outwardbound.ca

[MCR] Rockies, A2

Guided A2 via the Boundary Glacier on July 19th. The route is in good
shape, of note was four calvings of the serac in the centre of the
picture below. It boomed away when we were well above it, but was
interesting to see on our descent. I was glad that we'd hugged the
climber's right (north) side of the glacier.

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Rockies, Mt Lefroy, Mt Victoria South Summit

Guided Mt Lefroy from Abbot Pass on July 22nd, the route is about as
good as it gets -good step kicking all the way to within a couple of
ropelengths from the top, then there are a few ice strips and
patches. Watched a determined recreational party, we'll call them Big
Jim and his sidekick, Wayne, go to the top of Victoria via the South
Ridge that day. They were gunning for Huber, and the ledges, and I
can only assume that they were Victorious (gotta love that pun!).

July 23rd my guest and I climbed to the South Summit of Victoria
(just before the Sickle). Snow and ice patches make the route a bit
of a chore right now but it will only get better with the forecasted
heat, as Lefroy gets icier. Amazing brockenspectre on Victoria that day:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brocken_spectre

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
UIAGM/IFMGA Mountain Guide
http://www.barryblanchard.ca
http://www.yamnuska.com
barryb3@telus.net
1 403 609 4615
cell 1 403 609 1321

[MCR] Cavell Road Open

Not sure how far this information was passed on through the networks
but the Cavell road is now open. the Cavell meadows is still closed
due to snow but the climbing routes on Cavell are open to climbers.

However the east ridge of Cavell still looks very snowy! Maybe the
hot weather will change things over the next week but from the town
site Cavell still looks very white.
I have heard of no rumors of any parties up there yet.

Peter Amann

Peter Amann
Mountain Guide
pamann@incentre.net

_______________________________________________
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] Sir Donald and Uto

July 18 to 20th I climbed Uto Peak in Rogers Pass, however here is couple photos that I took of Sir Donald.  

Uto Peak was mainly dry with some snow patches that were easily bypassed.  

The Lower camp site was still covered in snow, with couple dry areas  for the tents.  In the morning I used crampons all the way to the ledge that leads to the col.

Cheers,

Marco Delesalle

 Mountain Guide

www.greatdividemountaineering.com

L1010793

 

L1010797

 

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 22, 2010

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 22, 2010 Both the Rocky and Columbia Mountains are transitioning into excellent summer conditions. Reports from all areas show that travel conditions are generally good and most standard routes are snow free where they need to be. The exception to this would be the highest elevation rock routes where there may still be too much snow for efficient or safe climbing. Places I would be thinking about going right now are lower to mid-elevation rock climbs and most classic mountaineering objectives. Glacier and snow travel is generally very good although there are reports of some postholing, especially in thinner snowpack areas (places with about 1 meter of snowpack). Most "normal" objectives in the Bugaboos, Rogers Pass, the Bow Valley and elsewhere in the Rockies are being climbed. Places I would cautiously poke my nose at (being prepared to say "no") are some of the high rock peaks such as Sir Donald, the Howser Towers and Temple East Ridge. Alberta, Hungabee and other peaks of that nature are almost certainly still out and I would avoid them. Even a route like Victoria S Ridge is spicy right now and only experienced climbers need apply. The forecast is for more settled and warmer weather starting this weekend. This will create the normal summer hazards: rockfall, loose snow avalanches, afternoon lightning storms and plenty of other climbers knocking things down on your head. The way to avoid all these issues are early starts. It is pretty hard to start too early when climbing! Mark Klassen ACMG Mountain Guide
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] Purcell Mountains - NE Ridge Bugaboo Spire

Hi Folks

Climbed the NE ridge on Bugaboo on Tuesday July 20. Ran into snow and ice on
the upper pitches making things more difficult than anticipated on the
easier pitches. Bypassed one section via a difficult 5.8/5.9 crack as some
of the easy 4th class climbing was covered in verglas.

Used crampons on the way up as we had a pretty good freeze.

Two young hard core dudes from Salt Lake ran up the thing in excellent time
the same day taking many of the harder variations (5.8/5.9) which avoid the
snow. I would wait a bit before doing the route if you want it to be more
'normal' as opposed to quite a bit more challenging.

On the descent down the Kain I rappelled a couple of additional times
compared to normal due to snow / ice. No problem really but just ate up some
more time. We chose to downclimb the snow from the Bugaboo / Snowpatch col
where two parties coming off the Kain route behind us chose to rappel.
Either way goes if you are competent on steeper snow. We put our crampons on
for the descent which was helpful in our case.

Cyril Shokoples MG
Rescue Dynamics
http://www.rescuedynamics.ca
http://www.rescuedynamics.com

_______________________________________________
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 Louise Group, Mount Aberdeen

Headed up Mount Aberdeen today. A very good freeze made cramponing up to the initial ice tongue fast. The bergschrund is holding in there, with a supported ramp crossing over it. The forecasted warm weather could change this in the next week. The upper face leading to the Haddo-Aberdeen col still has 40-80cm of supportive snow overlying the ice, so digging was required for ice anchors. The descent down the SW bowl into Paradise Valley had snow patches to 2500m, making the descent more pleasant.
 
Chris Gooliaff
ASG / ARG
 
 

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[MCR] Mt. Sir Donald - Rogers Pass - Selkirk Mtns. July 20/2010

I had an inquiry regarding conditions on Sir Donald – I was up Avalanche crest today and had a peek at the N. Side of the NW ridge of Sir Donald.

 

The ridge crest looks snow free but once on the North side there is still snow on the  ledges. Upper West face bypass still In snow condition. I couldn’t see the approach slopes to the Sir Donald Uto col, but I would expect to still encounter snow crossing on the upper moraines.

 

Weather wise we saw some buildup of clouds and some isolated showers floating about this afternoon but no thunder boomers so far.

 

One other comment, the winged vampires (otherwise known as mosquitoes) ,became rather prevalent once we reached upper treeline (about 6500ft.) – so you may want to consider some bug protection.

 

I hope that helps anyone planning a trip there in the near future – of course with this heat things are changing daily.  

 

Cheers,

Scott Davis,

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] Mount Joffre / Petain Glacier

This is a relay message from Tom Wolfe who is currently in the field:

Laurie Skreslet and I have been leading two patrols of Outward Bound youth courses in K-Country the past two weeks. We travelled in the Picklejar--Mist--Sheep--Elbow region on the first week, finding many snow pockets on NE slopes starting at treeline. Mist ridge still had old remnant cornices most of the way--good for refilling the water bottles.
This past week was spent in the Aster Lake area. My group travelled over Elk Pass and the Petain Glacier to Upper Kananaskis Lake. We hunkered down for two days below the Petain Glacier weathing a wild storm with strong N winds that left up to 10 cm of storm snow in the alpine (July 12-13). Travel over Petain Glacier was good with 5-10 cm foot penetration and >125cm snow pack.
We climbed Mt. Joffre en route via a direct line on the North Face, finding excellent travel with good steps on slopes up to 47 degrees. Good ice screws down 50-80 cm and good T-slots. 7 pitches to summit slopes through the rock band.
Travel down from Aster involved crossing several steep icy snow slopes--ice axes and hard boots definitely recommended.
This week we're continuing from our camp at Point Campground north to exit over the French Glacier to Mud Lakes.

Tom Wolfe
AAG/SG ACMG
_______________________________________________
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] Bugboo Conditions

Just back from 4 days in the Bugaboos and Kain hut area. Overall snowpack seems average for mid July. Patchy snows in the moraines just above the hut and more or less continuous snow cover just a bit higher than the Applebee elevation. The Applebee camp site is mostly free of snow and as of July 18 the food bins and hanging racks were not completely installed. Numerous cornice releases were noted on north aspects above 2500m and they did not trigger any deeper releases on the slopes below. Pretty much all of the “usual” routes are getting climbed despite a bit of snow here and there but not really hampering progress. Glacier travel was quite good with well bridged crevasses and about 5cm of boot penetration. Crampons would be useful on the mornings of a freeze however we did not use them over 4 days of travel Bugaboo/Snowpatch col is in good shape and several crevasses are just beginning to be visible although at this stage are well bridged. West Ridge of Pigeon is mostly dry with some snow near the final summit; for our group we did not require crampons. The South and Central Howsers still have large cornices; nothing exceptional for this time of year but something to consider on the descents of the Becky Chouinard etc.

 

Happy Climbing

James Blench ACMG/UIAGM

 

 

James Blench

www.jamesblench.ca

(403)678-2576 home

(403) 678-7822 cell

 

[MCR] Western Wapta- Mt Des Poilus July 14-17

We spent a few days in the Waterfall valley/ Mt Des Poilus area from July 14-17.  Generally reasonable weather with lots of overcast and threatening skies.  Severall thunder showers over the 4 days, but no  significant precipitation.  We expected to find more storm snow from earlier in the week, but in this location, it hadnt really accumulated too much or had already melted off.  Conditions on the Des Poilus glacier are in transition, with thin moist snow cover below 8000' (40cm or less).  Between 8000 and 9000', glacier coverage was good, and a pretty good freeze on the night of the 15 made excellent travel.  Above 9000', the snowpack was more of a spring snowpack than a mid summer.  The snowpack depth was at least 180cm at 9700', perhaps a fat spot but definately good coverage at that elevation.  Very few crevasses are showing.  The downside is that it is a very isothermal snowpack (moist all the way through), but not really consolodated into good firm summer snow.  Foot penetration was boot top to almost knee deep above 9000' at 0730am on the 16.  We were turned around at the bergshrund at 9700' which crosses the entire glacier.  It is currently totally covered, but sagging, and in the several spots we attempted to cross we were punching into the abyss.  Perhaps after another week or 2 of warm weather, the bergschurnd will open up more and any bridges across will be more obvious.  Overall, conditions on the Wapta were good if you got a good freeze and an early start.  Other guides in the area over the radio were reporting good conditions on Mt Mcarthur, and Mt Rhonda.

Cheers

Jeff Honig, Mountain Guide

[MCR] Rockies - Jasper Park Front Ranges

Hi All

Just finished nine days of rock climbing and 'swimming lessons' in Jasper
Park. During this period a couple of Monsoon days of rain and snow had us
holed up indoors while the snow line crept down to almost the valley floor.
Rumours of upwards of 15cm of new snow at Marmot Basin are likely true and I
would not have been surprised to hear reports of 20cm or more of snow along
the divide.

The aftermath of this storm has the rivers and creeks swollen with low lying
areas flooded in isolated locations. Best to check with the Park info office
for specific information on trail conditions. An example of the issues that
you may encounter is the high water and flooding on the Overlander trail
approach to CR5A and Meisner's Ridge (CR3). The creek flowing between these
two peaks is a torrent right now. Let it be for now.

The divide still has plenty of snow on anything higher. The Cavell road is
still closed until the end of the month. Edith Cavell is looking VERY snowy
at the moment and I would have left it alone for a few weeks anyway. Peveril
Peak still has more snow on it than you would expect for mid June (never
mind mid July). We didn't climb it this week even though it was on our list.

Pyramid Mountain looks like you can get up there now without hitting much
snow. Consider an ice axe just in case since I am basing this comment on a
look from the road rather than a recent ascent.

Climbed the Arch a week ago and all of the belay / rappel stations are in
fine shape. It should be dry again by now.

The Front Ranges have been recovering well after the snowfall and the
farther east you go the drier things look. We climbed the Guide's Route and
Mountaineer's Route on Morro where the rain has cleaned out some gullies but
left piles of loose scree stacked on top of some pitches where you have to
be super cautious topping out to avoid letting loose a volley of pebbles and
stones on your poor second. Otherwise these two routes are good to go.

The rest of the Colin Range looks pretty good with some snow still lingering
on peaks on the more southern part of the range. Oldman Mtn (Roche Bonhomme)
will be dry very soon. Colin and Hawk look good to go.

Esplanade and Gargoyle are now dry again on the south aspects and Roche de
Smet will look dry soon as well.

Some snow lingers on Roche Jacques and Cinquefoil but you should be able to
deal with that as it dries out over the next few days.

The routes on Roche Miette are all getting back to normal summer condition
with the scramble looking like it is dry (from a distance). Expect some
extra rockfall due to the recent rain having moved scree around.

Hidden Valley is as you would expect in July. We climbed here extensively
before and after the rain and it was essentially none the worse for wear
with the exception of some erosion on the trails from the deluge. 'Alaska
Bob' had many of the stones removed from the upper gulley, which was a bit
of an improvement.

We climbed both the Chimney (N ridge) and W face Diagonal routes on Roche a
Perdrix both yesterday and the day before. The Diagonal route had some
redistribution of stones during the rainfall but the route is generally in
normal condition. The Chimney Route has some rockfall concern in the very
upper gulley but this is somewhat to be expected. If you do the route in the
near future you may want to bring a small wrench to tighten the bolts on the
rappel hangers on several of the stations. Otherwise it is dry.

The E side scramble / descent route on Perdrix is a bit muddy and the snow
in the gullies is all but gone with some lingering patches. Bring hiking
poles for the descent! There is still water trickling down the bottom of the
gullies for refilling your bottles.

I expect the Ogre Canyon road will be a nightmare for a few days yet as it
always turns into a rutted up bog after rainfall like we just had.

That's all we can think of for now. Enjoy the return to more seasonable
conditions as summer begins anew.

Cheers

Cyril Shokoples MG
Jeremy Mackenzie MG
And the crew of the ACC Rock Solid Leadership Course
http://www.rescuedynamics.ca
http://www.rescuedynamics.com

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_______________________________________________
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] Bugaboos

Hello,

I have just returned from a great trip in the Bugaboos (July 13-16). We walked in on the 13th during the tail end of the recent storm which deposited up to 10cm of fresh snow in the spires. The 14th dawned with sunny skies and the snow melted quickly. We climbed on the Crescent Towers and found warm dry rock. Another guided party climbed the Kain route on Bugaboo and reported 10cm of new snow up high that had melted by the time they had made their descent. On the 15th we climbed the NE ridge on Bugaboo spire and found great conditions. There is a fair bit more snow from the col to the start of the 5.8 pitch that would be exciting if the snow was hard and you had decided to leave your crampons behind. Only a minor amount of snow was found in the chimneys but nothing that slowed you down. The B/S col is in excellent condition with snow from top to bottom.

Over all great conditions in there right now!!

Jesse de Montigny
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
ACMG Ski and Assistant Alpine Guide

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[MCR] Squamish - Birds of Prey - hang fire

Wednesday, I was climbing in the same vicinity of Birds of Prey on Slhanay (formerly known as 'the squaw') and some folks who were on that route reported knocking off a 200lbs block off of the route. Sorry I do not know more details, but I am pretty sure its above the 2nd pitch. They also said there was still a bunch of hang fire left. 

Its a busy weekend in Squamish with the festival, hopefully there will be no further incidents.

jen

jennifer olson

acmg/ifmga mountain guide

[MCR] Grassi Lakes Climbing Routes re-opened

The two routes that Conservation Officers had closed down in the Graceland area near Grassi Lakes have been re-opened as the Owls have moved on.

 

Mike Koppang

Public Safety Specialist

Kananaskis Country, AB

 

 

[MCR] Rockies Mt. Victoria, July 16th.

Climbed Victoria from Abbotts today. Decent freeze overnight and good sportry snow climbing to the main summit. LOTS of knife edge, snow arete climbing. Not lots of cornices but still some steep sidehilling around the ones that are or may be there. Not a good place for wearing bell- bottom pants or learning how to walk on crampons. 

 

Great conditions on Huber Glacier and huber ledges. It is a way better time to be climbing Huber and or Victoria from the Huber side.

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

laristan@telus.net

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 15, 2010

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 15, 2010 This week has had a variety of condition and weather changes. The start of the week had very warm temps and sunny skies that made most snow and ice routes unreasonable, even with early starts. Following the hot temps we had a solid day or two of rain, which in the alpine and more northern reaches this precipitation fell as snow. The last 24 hours it is back to mostly sunny skies and warmer temps again. The past storm seems to have affected the Icefields and Jasper area the most. Snow was still at treeline today in Jasper and in the alpine, 20-30cms of new snow and much more in windloaded areas could be found. Several avalanches were witnessed both in Jasper and in the Icefields, one being off the Silverhorn on Athabasca. Although the Lake Louise area and Lake O'Hara seem to have recovered from the storm, one should still expect new snow up high and attention paid to windloading and solar warming. The Bugaboos seem to be having a late start this summer. Good rock climbing can be found on the Crescent towers. Pigeon has been climbed (although with snow and ice patches), but no word if Bugaboo has been attempted yet. Travel on the glaciers and the Bugaboo/Snowpatch col is good. Snow was falling at the hut on Tuesday and it seemed like winter had arrived again with the storm. Alpine rock routes in the area such as Louis, Castle and Wiwaxy are dry and are seeing attention. Views of Assiniboine show it to still be snowy. Snow routes like Lefroy and Huber are seeing good travel conditions, but S Victoria may still be a bit adventurous especially after the new snow. With the recent snow, anticipated warm temps and sunny skies this weekend, early starts will be key. Enjoy the good weather window as it looks like it may be short lived! Have a great weekend, Sarah Hueniken ACMG Alpine Guide
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] Rockies: Stanley: Kahl Route

Climbed the Kahl Route on Stanley today, July 15.

No evidence of recent snow in this area, it looks like the storm earlier this week passed to the north of Lake Louise and to the east of Banff.

The route is in as good condition as I've ever seen it. Generally firm snow from the glacier tongue to the summit, even with a temperature of +8* in the moraines at 2 AM. An early start is key, things soften rapidly as soon as the sun hits the face (this occurred at about 5.45 AM today).

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

www.alpinism.com

[MCR] Bugaboo's

Hi,
Climbed the West Ridge of Pigeon on Sunday with 2 guests. Encountered some snow after the first summit which could be passed to the right with care (this should melt off pretty quick with some warm weather). Lots of snow on north side below final summit requiring step kicking and cutting. An ice lens on the slab on the 2nd rap needs to be treated with caution as to not dis-lodge it onto people below.
Travel on the glaciers were good and the rock routes in the Crescent basin were generally dry and good to go.
Cheers,
Steve Blagbrough
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
 

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[MCR] Colombia Icefields

Last two days here have been stormy since the last post yesterday by Richard. Snowing non-stop since noon yesterday, the 12th, and the toe of the Athabasca glacier has 10cm+ of settled storm snow. Who knows how much is up higher?
Visibility has been very limited and the winds have been variable.
Lots of rockfall heard on the morrains and a couple of point release avalanches observed close to the Hilda area!
Good times

Fridjon Thorleifsson
SG/ARG

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[MCR] Battle Brook, Selkirk Mountains, July 1-10, 2010

Spent the last 10 days in Battle Brook working with Lilla Molnar and Roger Laurilla at the ACC General Mountaineering Camp.  We climbed Mt Wheeler and Mt Purity on July 1st in good conditions,  then spent the majority of the following week exploring a variety of peaks on the Van Horne Neve.

 

After a three days of rain and fog from July 2nd to 5th, we had five days of blue skies and hot weather to finish the week.  About 20-50cm of fresh snow fell above 2400m during the storm.  During the following hot days this snow mostly melted away and sluffed out, but the warm temperatures kept us off of steep terrain up high due to continued concern for wet snow avalanches and rockfall hazards.  Creek crossings are also getting quite interesting with the hot temps.

 

Travel was good on lower elevation snow and glaciers and on lower angle terrain up to 2800m.  Above this we were punching in to the knee while breaking trail.  Though the snow is melting rapidly, lots of snow remains up on the icefields providing good bridging on the glaciers.  With a better freeze and an early start conditions would improve very quickly.

 

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.conradjanzenguiding.com

[MCR] Bugaboos

Hiked out of the Bugaboos on the 10th of July. The 5 days of sunny
weather melted the snow fast, however, there is still lots of snow
above the hut. Applebee campground is still under snow. Snow travel
is quite good, despite no true freezes overnight in the latter part of
the week. Boot top with the occasional full post hole next to a rock.

The Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col is in fine shape, with snow to the top and
good boot steps. The Bergschrund is just beginning to show a slight
sag on the left side, but is still fully bridged. Observed the usual
rockfall off the lower sections of the Kain Route into the col in the
afternoon, but otherwise very quiet and calm in the col.

We climbed the SE Ridge of Eastpost, Lion's Way, the Buckingham Route
(Enjoyable Way) on Snowpatch and a Whipping Post - Crescent ridge
climb on our last day. All were in great shape. The rock climbing on
Crescent Towers and Spire is in great shape. Anything too steep to
hold a lot of snow on the bigger spires (e.g. Sunshine Crack,
Buckingham route, etc) are ready to go although may be damp in places.

The Kain Route was climbed last week, although it was very snowy. The
West Ridge of Pigeon was not climbed, despite the fine weather, as it
is very snowy still.

Abby Watkins
ACMG Alpine Guide, Asst. Ski Guide
_______________________________________________
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] Rockies/ Lyells July 6-9

I just got out from 4 days up at the Lyell Hut and climbing the Lyell Peaks. There was up to 40cm of new snow on the storm that ended Monday. The warm temperatures have settled the snow rapidly. There were quite a few wet snow avalanches on Tuesday from solar aspects. The warm temperatures have prevented a good freeze. The crust was supporting in the morning above 3000m; below it was boot top post holing. Once the sun hit the crust deteriorated rapidly. Yesterday climbed the northe ridge of Walter (Lyell 4) and descend the South ridge. Excellent conditions with firm snow on the ridge, we were back at the hut by 11 am. The crux  rock pitch is dry with a snow bulge to exit at the top. There are some large cornices on the ridge and I wouldn't want to be there any later in the day.
We saw tracks going up the north glacier on Mt Forbes. They appear to just stop part way up the glacier but that may just be were the post holing ended.

Larry Dolecki 

Mountain Guide

www.icefall.ca

 

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[MCR] yak peak, Coquihalla Pass ( hwy 5)

Hi Folks,

Yak Peak was climbed today via the Yak Check route. The route was dry and in fine shape.  There was some snow on the backside of the summit which was mitigated one 60m rappel, the rest of the descent was dry and easy going.

Enjoy yourselves,

Andrew Langsford

IFMGA / ACMG Mountain Guide 

www.alpinemountainexperience.ca 

[MCR] Abbotts Pass and Columbia Icefields

Spent the last week out of Abbotts Pass and the Columbia Icefields, There`s been a lot of great posts on these already, just adding a few more observations to the mix.

 

As Grant Statham mentioned in his post on Mount Lefroy was in great shape for us, we climbed it the same day he and Danielle did.  We also took a look up Mount Victoria and found much better snow conditions than I would have expected. We climbed from the hut to a point on the ridge where the initial steepness lays back and where you actually begin to traverse more consistently to the north along the ridgetop. We turned back due to very strong winds. Without the wind though, what I could see of the ridge looked great – two good overnight freezes in a row made the travel on the snow fast and made me feel a lot better about moving through some of the steeper sections. Maybe not a good choice this week with the uber warm weather we’re getting but next time the overnight temps dip back below zero and things tighten up again I bet it would be good to go.

 

At the ice fields we climbed Athabasca via the AA Col, had good supportive travel above 2800m. up and down despite it being +9*C in the parking lot at 0130hrs. At the end of the day we also noted two huge point release/slough avalanches that came off the Silverhorn directly overhead of the ramp route. One of them came from the dead centre of the face where there didn’t appear to be any rocks, shallow spots, or any other of the usual features that might produce something like that – there was however a party on the route that day and I half wondered if it could have been triggered by them...? Not much for debris below and looked to be only the surface that released but maybe something to think about if you’re traveling in the terrain below, or choosing your line on the Silverhorn on an ascent.

 

Ciao fer now, and have fun out there!

 

 

Mike Trehearne

Assistant Alpine Guide

m_trehearne@hotmail.com

 

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 08, 2010

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 08, 2010 Today was hot everywhere in the Rocky and Columbia mountains and it looks like these temperatures will persist through the weekend. The last few hot days have melted a lot of snow in the alpine but, very winter like conditions persist on the high peaks. The hot temperatures have created numerous hazards on most aspects with many wet snow avalanches and cornices failures occurring by mid morning on East and South aspects and persisting into the afternoon on the West faces. Along with the heat and snow melt also comes a significant amount of rockfall as the mountains shed their winter coat. All that said, conditions are very good on lots of routes and improving very fast on others. West and North facing snow and ice routes are getting good freezes overnight but only last until mid day before becoming soft while East and South facing routes haven't been freezing very well and are wet, deep trail breaking by early in the AM. Yam, EEOR, Louis, Castle...are mostly dry and seeing lots of ascents and, with early starts, Aberdeen, Lefroy, Athabasca and many peaks on the Wapta are also getting some attention. The Bugaboos are slowly drying out and many of the West and South facing routes are seeing traffic including the West Ridge of Pigeon and the Kain Route on Bugaboos Spire. Routes like the NE Ridge of Bugaboo and Becky-Chouinard will need a fair bit more hot weather. In Rogers Pass, west ridge of Tupper and Macdonald have seen some ascents but it sounds like Sir Donald and Uto still need some more hot days to dry them out. Have a great weekend. Marc Piché ACMG Mountain Guide
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] mt Tupper

Climbed the West ridge of Mt. Tupper today with Konrad Schieber.  The route is in excellent shape.  The trail is dry to the Hermit Meadows with good travel on snow to the ridge.  The ridge is completely dry of snow.  Mt Sir Donald looks like it needs a bit of time yet as it's still pretty snowy on the upper half.

James Vickers

ACMG

 

[MCR] Rockies, Mt Collier, July 7th.

Good conditions on Collier North Glacier today. Mostly clear night, dry bushwhack, some verglas below glacier. Good to excellent snow travel. Glacier is just starting to show a big ice patch on the 35 degree snout, but we had snow all the way to summit ridge.

Cornices and snow aretes along the summit ridge made it "engaging". We triggered a big, wet nasty cornice from the Collier ridge in the midday heat that spewed out onto the Upper Victoria Glacier. Lots of big wet sluffs off the face of Victoria.

Great conditions as long as you handle the early starts and the need to MOVE!!

Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
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] Climbing routes on Mt. Louis

I forgot to comment on the climbing routes in my recent posting with photos of the descent.  The Kain route and Gmoser route look dry and good to go.  Homage to the Spider looks wet and drippy with significant snow on the big ledge at the end of the technical difficulties.  If the weather forecast is correct, a week or more  of high pressure should hopefully bring that route into shape.

 

Marc Ledwidge

ACMG/UIAGM Mountain Guide

 

[MCR] Mt. Sir Douglas

Made an attempt on the SE face route today with fellow guide and friend P.Hungr.   We found up to 35cm of windpressed snow 2500m and above. We traveled up the lower slopes below the couloir and easily crossed the multiple schrunds before turning around at 0830. Large cornices still threaten the SE face and things were warming up too quickly for our liking.

No melt freeze apparant. Crevasses still well covered, no sagging.

If the warm forecast holds true for the next few days, I would not want to be on this route.

Kristopher Irwin
A.C.M.G.  Assistant Alpine Guide
Banff, Alberta

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[MCR] Jasper/ Columbia Icefields - A2 conditions

Hi Folks

Climbed A2 yesterday with two rope teams from the ACC Calgary Section. Had a
poor freeze overnight with overcast and warm conditions. Went up via
Boundary Glacier. No recent tracks on this side except some tracks from
folks who climbed the ice apron and descended without summitting. A party
had summitted A2 the day before via the North Glacier on Athabasca.

Snow on the lower glacier had not set up at all. At about 2500m, just past
the bottleneck on the glacier on climbers right, we encountered a surface
crust which eventually became somewhat supportive unless you were over
100kg. The crust became thicker (5cm) and more supportive with elevation. We
were blessed with cold and windy conditions with about 1 - 2cm of new snow
falling during the day. If the sun had come out the snow conditions would
have been ugly.

There was no evidence of fresh windslabs on any of the terrain we were
travelling on but there is still a tonne of snow hanging in the gullies on
the NE slopes of Athabasca. If you are coming over from the North Glacier
side and traversing under these slopes the potential for avalanches with
daytime heating and solar radiation is still VERY real.

Coverage on the crevasses was generally good but the crust had already
started to break done by 10:30AM despite the thick cloud, snow and cold
wind. The UV was still making its presence known. We had some post holing on
the way down but it was manageable and I would have to say we got lucky with
the cold weather as the going was occasionally tedious but never brutal.
With a good freeze it would be quite good.

On the way down we had a couple of folks put a leg in a couple of crevasses
at about 2500 - 2600m. The crevasse situation is still readily manageable
with diligence and careful routefinding.

The ice Apron between A2 / A3 is still predominantly snow covered but in the
past two days a substantial amount of snow has melted off exposing two
growing patches of ice.

We spent the day at Parkers ridge on Saturday (the day before) where there
is still lots of snow for skills practice as noted by others in earlier
posts. Of note was a large group of 20 - 30 from a Calgary ski club who
reported quite reasonable ski conditions on the upper slopes with better
skiing on Friday than Saturday. Lack of overnight freeze made for sloppier
ski conditions on Saturday.

If you are going to head out skiing, best do it soon as the forecast for
next week is for temperatures to SOAR into the high 20s or even 30 degrees.
The sudden rise in temperatures should make for some exciting avalanche and
rockfall activity given all of the snow still sitting around.

Driving back through Jasper I noted that the climbs in the Fryatt Valley
plus Peveril Peak and Mt Edith Cavell were still holding lots of snow. The
Cavell road is still closed until the end of July.

Eastern slopes rock climbs like Colin, Meisner's, CR5A, Perdrix, Bedson,
Ashlar's were all bare and dry with no new snow evident.

Stay Cool

Cyril Shokoples MG
http://www.rescuedynamics.ca
http://www.rescuedynamics.com

_______________________________________________
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] EEOR'S TAIL ADJUSTMENT!

The following is intended to bring some clarification and adjustment to my MCR regarding Castle Mountain and EEOR's TAIL that I posted on the 2^nd.
 
Recently at least two parties have been confused by a line of bolts and new belay bolts found at the top of the second pitch of EEORs TAIL. On the 1^st , do to rock fall, a climber suffered broken bones and was treated at the Canmore hospital. The climbers unfortunately off route climbed some 20m right of EEOR's TAIL. The off route line attempted has a clear and visible white fixed rope. This line is very loose and has been attempted, possibly climbed, as a direct start to Anasinusdephobia (page 384 of bow valley rock)!
 
For EEOR's TAIL simply follow the guidebook information and get to the base of the route.
Either follow the guide book description avoiding the Overhanging groove/loose chimney with fixed rope!
Alternatively, identify the black single belay bolt! This bolt is right off the ground and below a small roof. Hard to miss if your in the correct general area! Climb the line of THREE bolts found on the slab to the left and up to the base of a pillar, some gear and a FOURTH bolt lead you to the original "first bolted" belay stance, it was retro-bolted along with all other stations on the route last year. Continue following guide book descriptions.
I hope this adds some clarification.
 
Cheers
Patrick Delaney
ACMG ALPINE GUIDE
www.rockymountainguiding.com
www.yamnuska.com

 

 

[MCR] bow peyto and out

Just a few notes to add to Nick's Wapta notes. A group of us spent
July 1-4 going from Bow to Peyto and out. Climbed Olive on July 2.
Good coverage and travel with more snow than usual. Good travel from
Bow to Peyto on the 3rd, climbed Mt Thompson en route. Still a lot of
snow on Thompson, I have climbed Mt Thompson on the same day for
about 10 years with this year being the most coverage. Still big
cornices on summit ridge!!
The lower Peyto glacier seemed about normal.
From the hut we used access by the glacier hole access south of
hut, traversing high to the rock piles under Habel peak,and Weather
station to get to the ramp on the Peyto tongue. Good travel....ice
started where it flattens out.
No freeze on the 4th with rain over night and most of the way out. No
signs of any new activity but some sluffing on steep aspects. Weather
over the 4 days was unsettled, Coldest day was the 3rd.

Peter Amann

Peter Amann
Mountain Guide
pamann@incentre.net

[MCR] Bugaboos, Cobalt Lake and a Grizzly Bear

Chris and I were just in the Bugaboo area for July 2 and 3.

We hiked in, in the rain July 2, which deposited up to 30cm of snow in the area. July 3 we climbed Eastpost Spire, NW ridge and then hiked out via Cobalt lake. We had a 20cm foot pen with occasional post holing. Temperatures ranged from + 2 - 10 ºC under very cloudy skies with occasional light rain and lots of low hanging clouds. We had an encounter with a grizzly bear inbetween cobalt lake and black forest ridge.

Here is a photo from yesterday at Appleby campground where there is a metre of snow.

here is a link to the video with the grizzly:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qGBc-85DMI

for more photos of conditions, check out www.climberpassionate.com

jennifer olson

acmg/ifmga mountain guide

[MCR] Icefields Parkway

Spent 3 days in the Columbia Icefields area. Parkers Ridge is still holding enough snow for snow school, self arrests and a nice snow lip for crevasse rescue. Climbed A2 on Friday up the Boundary "ice" tongue.  It was completely snow and perfect crampon travel after an evening of cold temps.  The ice below was anywhere from 6 inches to over 12 inches under the snow.  Travel to A2 on the glacier from this side can often be complicated but with the high snow pack right now it was very straightforward both to A2 and over to the Boundary/Athabasca col.  The path that can be taken now will obviously change as the summer progresses. The final stretch of glacier on the North Glacier off Boundary, is ice. Climbed Silverhorn on Athabasca on Saturday in what felt like winter conditions.  Again travel on the glacier was very straightforward right now with cooler temps keeping you on top of the snow.  The Silverhorn was decent steps as mentioned before by Paddy, with some windslab and breakable ice crust sections down lower, and minimal front pointing.  Ice anchors could be made up the entire route with a bit of digging. The descent down the AA col was in good shape with plenty of snow coverage but could be hazardous in sunny warm conditions.  A great deal of ascents on Athabasca, A2 and Andomeda this weekend! Sarah Hueniken Alpine Guide