[MCR] "The Fold", Mt Kidd

Climbed "The Fold" on Mt Kidd yesterday.  It is an excellent route and is in great shape, highly recommended! 

 

In terms of route finding...we gained the ridge in one pitch from the left side, starting about 20m above a very short rock step in the approach gully left of the ridge.  Next time I would scramble up to the ridge directly and and follow it up.  From here we stayed more or less on the crest of the ridge until the final 2-3 pitches.  These start where the gully to the right of the ridge pinches off.  From here we ventured right for about 5m (bypassing a blank yellow wall) then back to the ridge and up a crack near the crest to a ledge (55m).  Then we stayed about 10-15m right of the ridge until  below the last short yellow wall (52m).  Finally up the steep yellow flakes to the top (10m) belaying way back on the rap station.  These last couple pitches are quite run out but are on good rock and many variations are possible. 

 

Good fun climbing with only a few fixed pins on the route.  We took a rack from #0.3 - 3.0 Camelots, with doubles from the 0.4-1.0, and a full set of nuts.  We did not need any pitons but a hammer was nice for checking the fixed pins, especially on the final couple pitches, and you may want a few pins just in case.

 

The descent can be done in two raps (25m and 50m) with double ropes, or three raps with a single 70m, but you have to use the hanging station ~12m below the 2nd rap station.  

 

A good adventure on great rock, with warm sunshine and fall colors.  The perfect September day! 
 

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

[MCR] Tonquin Valley trail hikers bridge washed out

I just talked to a friend of mine who is an outfitter who just came
out of the Tonquin.
He said that the bridge at mile 6 where you usually cross to hit the
hikers trail into the Wates Gibson hut, which crosses the Astoria
river has been washed out...
Sounds like all the cribbing is gone as well.

I have confirmed this with the Alpine Club of Canada.

This will mean you either have to go up through the switch backs to
Amethyst Lakes then down again to get to the ACC hut. As well he
mentioned some major rockfall in the boulder field near the
switchbacks which forced him to return to the trail head. (This is
with horses!)

He also said that Cavell Lake is the highest he has ever seen it with
high waters raging at the outlet.
Very interesting for the end of September!

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] Victoria Collier col today

 

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued September 30, 2010

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued September 30, 2010 The major event of note is the torrential rains earlier this week. It resulted in saturation of the ground in many places. A major mudflow blocked the TransCanada Highway in Glacier Park and a section of the Plain of Six Glaciers trail above Lake Louise also washed away. As early as this afternoon, after two days of beautiful fall weather another section of this trail washed out above the Plain of Six Teahouse. With the increased flow from the upper Victoria Glacier, the steep saturated morainal material slumped downhill. This condition should be considered where steep loose ground exists and where there is rock fall potential. This was a very unusual rain event. Consequently, unusual rock fall events should not be a surprise. In the Rockies, below 2800 metres, and on sun exposed slopes, rock routes are mostly dry. Castle and Louis (Kain and Gmoser) are looking good. Along the Divide above this elevation, it is snowy. Although, there have been few reports of snow ascents, some of these routes 'may' be back in shape. Evaluating snow stability well before being in the gun barrel, will be the key. We are approaching the early avalanche season and it is easy to get surprised especially since the dry conditions down low allow easy access to the upper peaks. Routes such as the West Ridge of Fay, the Athabasca North Face Bypass or the SE Ridge of Victoria may be 'doable' but will be fairly involved and require rock climbing in crampons. The short snow slopes on these routes will also require careful evaluation. There are second hand reports of guides climbing Assiniboine over the past 2 days. There may be an update on this by the weekend. In Glacier Park, Tupper has dried off and although the Swiss Peaks retain some snow, ascents there will likely be reasonable. On the Sir Donald side, it is quite wintery. There have been no reports from the Bugaboos, but the higher routes are likely done for this year. The lower stuff in the sun may be OK but that is likely it. The forecast calls for two more days of this beautiful weather. This is the time to enjoy some climbing in the sun and take in the impressive display of fall colours. Marc Ledwidge UIAGM 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] Rogers Pass Mt MacDonald & Cheops Closures

Please be advised that Mt. MacDonald and Mt.Cheops will be closed to the
public on Thursday September 30th for the purpose of removing unexploded
military ordinances ("duds") that were fired as part of Parks Canada's
Avalanche Control Program.

Blasting operations are scheduled to take place on Cheops Mountain and
Mount Macdonald in Glacier National Park on Thursday September 30th, 2010.

Parks Canada staff will be posted near entry points to these areas, and can
provide further information to visitors.

Visitors who do not encounter Parks Canada staff are safe to continue
recreating, but may experience loud noise from the blasts.

Sylvia Forest, Mountain Guide
Specialist, Mountain Safety Programs
Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks

--
Tom Wolfe
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
cell: 403-497-9763
home: 403-678-4997
www.sawback.com

sent via Blackberry
_______________________________________________
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] Columbia Icefields Area

The Icefields received 30 - 40 mm of rain in the last 48 hours right up to
ridgetop. A large wet avalanche (size 3) came down in the rain in the
vicinity of "The Ramp" and ran a long way down the glacier. This is more
typical of the spring season in that area. Use caution when dealing with
wind loaded areas and give the seracs a wide berth. The upper elevations
on Athabasca remain scoured and icy from last weekend's wind. Take the
time to evaluate snow conditions as fluctuating freezing levels may have
created some sneaky laminar layers. Be cautious with new snow on wind
scoured slopes. Travel remains good on the lower mountain, and the snow
line continues to creep higher.

Max Darrah
Alpine Guide
Jasper Visitor Safety Program

_______________________________________________
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] Bass Buttress, Castle Mountain, Banff area

Climbed Bass Buttress yesterday. The route is slightly more involved than Brewer's as all of the belays must be built, or at least require reinforcement. The route is generally dry, with the exception of the last pitch, which is wet and slippery with snow melt. There are some "aider" slings in place at the top of the route. The top of castle has snow patches up to 30cm deep and is quite muddy in places-- a pair of gaiters would be useful for the descent. Lots of water in the gullies at the moment and we heard periodic rockfall throughout the day.

Note that the proper descent for the castle routes has several cairns at the top and initially involves walking down scree on faint trails for a fair way. Rappel stations are in place, lower down, on the west (skiers right) wall and are generally marked by cairns. It is one gully to the west of the (much steeper) gully directly above the hut approach.
---
Josh Briggs
ACMG Ski & Asst. 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, Wapta Icefields.

Hey All,

 

Just back from 5 days on the Wapta.

First half of the trip we spent at the Peyto Hut. On the 21^st when we first arrived there was snow to valley bottom, which had pulled back up to around ~7500ft. or so, on the more solar aspects by the time we’d descended from the Bow Hut yesterday morning. Temperatures were a bit all over the place spanning from -8*C to +8*C during the trip, but mostly on the cooler side. Lots of consistent wind values in the moderate to strong range all week. Snow coverage reached down to the toe of both the Peyto and Bow Glaciers and we found anywhere from 40cm’s to 100cm’s or so overlying the ice up on the Icefield itself. Climbed Mt. Habel (Rhondda N.) and pretty happy to have a track in place that had already set up a bit, otherwise outside the track Boot Pen. was up to about 50cm’s or so in the basin around Peyto Hut. Crossing over towards Bow the heavier wind affect had stiffened up the upper snowpack a bit a made for a bit easier travel, the same for climbing Mt Olive the following day. A bit surprised as to how well bridged the crevasses were up there, only managed to poke my foot through one little guy on the way back to the Bow Hut one night down near the toe of the ice. Boot pen on the way over to Mt. Olive was no more than 40cm’s – and not too spooky with the good bridging. The headwall immediately S/SE of the Bow Hut was spitting off some small point releases yesterday morning probably to go along with a warming trend overnight, but that’s all we saw for avalanche activity all week.

 

Have fun out there!

 

 

Mike Trehearne

ACMG - Assistant Alpine Guide

m_trehearne@hotmail.com

+1.403.679.8080

[MCR] Columbia Icefields Area

Spent the last two days in the Columbia Icefields area with a great group
from the U of A.

Extremely windy and warm conditions on Saturday scoured the upper
elevations and removed much of the spring storm snow. The ridgetop weather
station on Parker Ridge (2100m) showed gusts up to 126 km/h! As a result,
routes like the Skyladder and Silverhorn are showing lots of bare ice. The
North face of Athabasca looks to have good snow in the lower half and icy
conditions up top. Bergschrund is well filled in. Glacier travel is very
good, and the snow line has crept up to about 2600m. All in all, pretty
good fall climbing conditions in the Icefields right now.

Max Darrah
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, Wapta Icefields

Hey All,

 

Just back from 5 days on the Wapta.

First half of the trip we spent at the Peyto Hut. On the 21^st when we first arrived there was snow to valley bottom, which had pulled back up to around ~7500ft. or so, on the more solar aspects by the time we’d descended from the Bow Hut yesterday morning. Temperatures were a bit all over the place spanning from -8*C to +8*C during the trip, but mostly on the cooler side. Lots of consistent wind values in the moderate to strong range all week. Snow coverage reached down to the toe of both the Peyto and Bow Glaciers and we found anywhere from 40cm’s to 100cm’s or so overlying the ice up on the Icefield itself. Climbed Mt. Habel (Rhondda N.) and pretty happy to have a track in place that had already set up a bit, otherwise outside the track Boot Pen. was up to about 50cm’s or so in the basin around Peyto Hut. Crossing over towards Bow the heavier wind affect had stiffened up the upper snowpack a bit a made for a bit easier travel, the same for climbing Mt Olive the following day. A bit surprised as to how well bridged the crevasses were up there, only managed to poke my foot through one little guy on the way back to the Bow Hut one night down near the toe of the ice. Boot pen on the way over to Mt. Olive was no more than 40cm’s – and not too spooky with the good bridging. The headwall immediately S/SE of the Bow Hut was spitting off some small point releases yesterday morning probably to go along with a warming trend overnight, but that’s all we saw for avalanche activity all week.

 

Have fun out there!

 

 

Mike Trehearne

ACMG - Assistant Alpine Guide

m_trehearne@hotmail.com

+1.403.679.8080

 

[MCR] Rockies, Mt Yamnuska, Redshirt

I guided the Redshirt route on Mt Yamnuska today, Sept 25th. Beautiful fall colours are out. All the snow has melted off of the backside, at least as high as Redshirt. Many, many hikers out there today.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard

Mountain Guide

www.barryblanchard.ca

www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Southern Selkirk & Chimney Rock

Hi,

The Valhalla and Kokanee ranges of the southern Selkirk got a pretty good dusting above 2400m early in the week. It is hard to know exactly how much new snow fell but it looked to be upwards of 15cm. Wednesday was clear and warm with temperatures reaching close to 20 Celsius in the valleys, most of the south facing terrain was shedding its snow quickly again. If it doesn't snow too much at higher elevations as this system moves through, chances are that some of the south facing rock routes in this area may come back into shape.

In an effort to climb dry alpine rock, Cam Shute and I decided to head down to Chimney rock and take advantage of the beautiful weather this last Wednesday. This amazing alpine cragging area, just a few hours south Nelson in the Idaho panhandle, has a high concentration of first class splitter cracks on perfect granite. Due to its lower elevation and latitude, the area has not seen any significant snowfall this year yet. This is a very good venue if you are looking at extending your alpine rock climbing season into early fall.  For access and route info, follow this link:

http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/151709/chimney-rock.html

Have a great Fall!

David Lussier

Mountain Guide

www.summitmountainguides.com

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued September 23rd, 2010

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued September 23rd, 2010 Cold, darn cold. The snow still hasn't melted around Lake O'Hara at 2000m and I was rock climbing at lake elevations in my toque and down jacket all day. Winter in the Rockies and Columbias seem to start around 2700m. I haven't seen any recent reports from above 3000m but in most places up high I would be looking for wind slabs and fresh little cornices. Below 3000m it has probably got warm enough yesterday for things to have melt-freezed a bit and be glued in place till the sun comes out. Presently it is cold and grey at O'Hara and raining lightly at Rogers Pass. The recent snowfalls have been wildly variable in depth from all reports so a plan B, C and D could be a really good idea for awhile yet. No word from Jasper and Columbia Icefields but assume it is wintry there too If the sunny forecast pans out, expect some vicious rockfall and wet sloughs when things warm up. Yesterday we didn't seem to get much of a clean out as the air never really warmed up during the day. There is some ice dribbles around in the alpine. Be on them on a grey day or very early and expect thinness and piton-craft. 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] Rockies, traverse of Mt Yamnuska

Guided the Yamnuska Traverse from east to west today. 5-10 cms of snow on the back side that had a crust and was actually good step kicking, but will get icy with more traffic. The front side of the mountain dried off nicely today and is good to go for climbing. We saw a party half way up the route 'Yamabushi', which I hear recently got downgraded to 5.12d so we can all get on it now ... HA!HA!HA!

Saw some fresh black bear tracks halfway up the trail to the east end this morning. Bow hunters are about so wear something bright, and make some noise for the bears, and the bow hunters.

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] O'Hara snow Sept. 21st

Snowed around 5 cm last night, monday, at Lake O'Hara (2000m). As of 8pm tuesday it really hasn't melted! A report from lodge staff of around 20 cm last night on Cathedral Mt. glacier. It is clearing now and above 3000m the big peaks are plastered with snow.

If the forecast is correct, it will be a rockfall and avalanche rodeo tomorrow afternoon. I am going to try and watch-from a distance.


Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
laristan@telus.net

[MCR] Icefields Conditions

Further to Barry’s post of the other day. We climbed A2 on Sept 20 with a Yamnuska group. Probing shows up to 80 cm of accumulated snow on top of the late August neve. wth an estimated 35 cm being the recent storm snow of this past week. I did not find any weaknesses or notice any slabbing in this location. Travel was remarkably good between 8800 and 10000 ft with strong bridges and minimal poking into crevasses although the trail breaking was strenuous. Below 8800 it is a different world with thin weak bridges and enough new snow to make route selection difficult. We did not observe any slab avalanches although there were sizable and quite audible point releases draining the steeper faces, especially during periods of thin cloud when the radiation had more effect.

 

James

 

James Blench

www.jamesblench.ca

(403)678-2576 home

(403) 678-7822 cell

 

[MCR] Apology and Retraction

It has come to our attention that a message sent to Mountain Conditions
Report subscribers last week contained unfortunate language, which some may
have found to be offensive. We have taken steps to remove the post from our
permanent record, and are also looking into the circumstances surrounding
the posting relative to our Code of Conduct. The ACMG believes that the
Mountain Conditions Report is a valuable service to backcountry enthusiasts,
and our goal is to maintain it as professionally as possible. Please
accept our apologies for any offense this may have caused.

Keith Reid - ACMG President
Peter Tucker - ACMG Executive Director

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

_______________________________________________
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 area Sept 20th.

I have not been above 2800m in the past 3-4 days. Up to that elevation I have been pleasantly surprised by how strong and settled the snowpack is. Yesterday coming over Opabin pass the snow on the glacier had a 10-15 cm breakable crust with moist snow underneath it. Awful travelling at that point but it will improve quickly if it cools down. No avalanche concerns there. LOTS of big wet sloughs pouring off the cliffs everywhere.

Today it was much warmer and drier than forecasted. Too damp for rock climbing but the snow line crept up during the day to above 3000m.

I would be eyes wide open if heading above 3000m and would only go if I had cold temperatures and good visibility. I am, at least, not quite as pessimistic about the avalanche hazard as I was a couple of days ago.

Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
laristan@telus.net

[MCR] Rockies, Wilcox Peak, A2

I guided Wilcox Peak on Sept 18th in pretty much dry conditions, but the last couple of days will have changed that to snow covered.

Sept 19th we climbed A2 via the lower north Little Athabasca Glacier. As noted by Rob Owens travel was good for us to about 9500 feet (the Athabasca/Boundary Peak Col). Contouring around the upper Boundary Glacier we started with mid shin penetration and that deepened to knee below the Athabasca/A2 Col, hard work.

Sept 20th, snowing when we left at 2:00 pm. A couple of centimetres accumulated on the toe of the Athabasca Glacier.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard

Mountain Guide

www.barryblanchard.ca

www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Bugaboos and Athabasca Sept 16-19/10

Spent Thursday through Sunday with Josh Briggs and one client looking for some good climbing conditions. With the ominous low pressure weather system affecting the local ranges we had to dig deep and be flexible to find something.

Thursday- Hiked into the Bugaboos, in a light afternoon rain. No snow at the Kain Hut.

Friday- Attempted the Big Hose on East aspect South Howser clad with snowshoes, avalanche beacons, shovels, and probes. -5C at the Bug-snowpatch col at 0700. ~ 30-50 cm of new snow on the way up the col. Several wet slides had already come down from the col the day before with at least 1 x Size 2 point release avalanche. Lots of snow ready to move off the South aspect of Bugaboos and I would expect that on a sunny and/or warm day these wet slides would bring a lot of rock with them. Used snowshoes across the Vowell glacier which were quite beneficial and we were sinking in about 30cm's. At least a meter of autumn snow on the upper Vowell glacier.
The Big Hose itself was packed full of snow and the walls were completely covered in rime. Additional there was a lack of water ice underneath the snow. The climbing was slow due to the digging for protection and cleaning of snow so we rappelled off after 3 pitches. Additionally it had warmed up to -1C by around 1200 and didn't feel like a great place to be if it got above freezing.

Saturday- walked out of the Bugaboos (-1C at the Hut at 0800) with a mix of sun a clouds. Prepositioned at the icefields parkway planning to take advantage of the forecasted -6c and do some ice/mixed climbing for our final day.

Sunday- As it turned out it was just barely freezing in the early morning yesterday. (-2C at 0600 at 2000m). We did manage to climb the Huisman/Isaac route on the A3 buttress of Athabasca 300m, M5. This is the buttress that faces North right above the Snocoach parking area. There was no snow at the parking lot. The lower gully (~200m) had well compacted snow and the climbing went fast. The first of the 3 pitches had water ice and was in classic mixed conditions. The final 2 pitches had a fair amount of loose rock yet to glued into placed by a 'freeze-thaw-refreeze' cycle. We rappelled and down climbed the ridge that makes the left hand (east) skyline of the buttress. This required one 60m rappel off a huge flake/block and then another 60m rappel off a cam and a #10 Hex (hard to find anchor). This final rappel leads to a snow/scree slope above the 'outhouse' on the approach to the northern aspect Mt. Athabasca routes. There was plenty of evidence of wet, loose snow avalanches
to Size 2 at 2800m and below. The weather di not allow us to see the upper part of the mountain.

In general, it seems there is a lot of snow above ~2500m which rapidly declines at lower elevations. At these lower elevations the snow is thin and melts fast when the temps go above 0C or see the sun. There is a lot of rock ready to move along with the thin melting snowpack. Looks like we may get warmer temps the next week and it would be best to stay out from under any of this melting snow.

Cheers,

Rob Owens
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 conditions; Mt. Huber, Castle Mountain, Athabasca, Victoria, avalanche poodle

Just finished an 8 day advanced mountaineering course in the Rockies:

Lake Ohara September 11 & 12; Grassy ridge- dry and good..then. Huber had double pen, shin deep trail breaking. I chose the North face direct line as the NNW and NE lower angled snow lines looked to have good pillows and seemed slabbed up - good decision as we heard about the Japanese guy on Athabasca when we were out. On the descent we took the normal route down, staying within the rocks on the East end of the slope as it was shallower and then traversed into the more supported terrain and compression zone towards the middle of the slope. Though quick field tests did not produce significant results I did not feel that comfortable when we crossed.

September 15 we did Castle Mountain and it was in fine condition. There is new snow on it since this time however and it seems to be sticking. Cold temps at first but then it warmed up and we had a fine day

September 16 we went to do Athabasca, the lower tongue of the North Glacier is pretty much just walking with the new snow on it, about 20 to 30 settled. I was not too keen on avalanche conditions so we just played around on the North glacier.

September 17 we went attempted North summit of Victoria. - 6 at the toe and + 7 at 1 p.m. during a brief intense green house effect during the inversion we were having. Full on white out the whole time. As I was guiding from the back on this advanced course - thank God! It took two strong lads 7 hours to post hole and navigate from the Parking to the Schrund.

HST was 10 cm's, below 2600 Meters there is from 10 - 25 cm's of wet settled snow with a 3cm ice crust down 5. Above the snow pack is now up to 1.5 meters with heavy knee deep trail breaking. The snow between 2600 and 3200 hundred had a high moisture content, was well settled and was homogenous. If we get a real good freeze its gonna be cement. Crevasses were well bridged as was the bergschrund. We abandoned our attempt sticking to a pre-arranged turn around time. Back to the parking in our post holes took 2.5 hours from our high point. Tracks in if anyone wants to venture up there!

Overall I consider it was a good week despite the dismal forecasts as we never got rained or snowed on once! Or avalanched on for that matter. Oh yeah met the Japanese guy who was on Atha b - he stayed at the ACC club house with my guests. He said in his opinion that since the slope had avalanched it was now safe. I told him we hired avalanche poodles. you can hire him at www.iwillbeyour_komakaze_avalanche_poodle.com

Happy trails, see you all at the AGM- be there or be square,

Eric Dumerac - Professional Mountain Guide - IFMGA/ACMG, CAA II ,CSIA II


✆Canada: Canmore 011- 403-609-1564  ✆France: Chamonix +33 6 37 25 85 37

[MCR] Stanley Mitchell area

Just spent a few days guiding for Yamnuska mountain adventures with fellow guides Greg Yavorsky and Richard Howes.
We stayed at the SM Hut on the night of the 17th. We came expecting full winter conditions. We climbed on both the 17th and 18th. On friday the weather was cool "ish" and we never really hand sun. We had some melting verglass and soft ground to travel on with very little precip during the day. There was no snow on any of the trails, snow line being well above tree line.
Overnight on the 17th the sky cleared and temps dropped. By morning everything was frozen still and the skies remained clear the whole day.
Trails we snow free but hard, wood. Bridges slippery, rock was ice covered and snow was just perfect for crampon free travel even on steep ground. We kept our objectives to "scrambling peaks". Our objectives, the Mt Kurr traverse and the Whale back traverse were snow covered and more like alpine objectives than scrambles. Foot pen was mostly boot top with a few breakthrough areas punching to knee depth.
Of note, NF aspects such ad Kurr had significant wind slabs near ridge line and enjoyable yet wild snow features on ridge top. The features made for fun climbing but could of been problematic on more exposed ridges.
We also noted large surface hoar yesterday morning on all aspects. This layer is now being buried, likely our first major layer for the season in this general area.

Old man winter is back...at least for now. But maybe "for now" is just because I still want to be rock climbing.

Patrick Delaney
ACMG Alpine Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
_______________________________________________
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 area, Mt Temple and Valley of the 10 Peaks

Images from this morning in the Larch Valley by Moraine Lake. Temple had quite a bit of snow on the upper mountain, Mt Fay was plastered on the north side, and multiple loose avalanches up to size 2 were rolling off the sun-warmed eastern aspects on the 10 Peaks side. Lots of rockfall was seen and heard from Pinnacle Mtn as the fresh snow, and newly formed ice, melted on southern aspects.
 
It looks like more snow is in the forecast for Sunday and Monday...more wintery conditions to follow!
 
Chris Gooliaff
ASG/AAG

[MCR] Rockies Little Yoho, Mt Whyte

Fellow Mountain Guide, Jen Olson, and I guided out of the Stanley Mitchell Hut in Little Yoho Valley Sept 13-16:

Sept 14 we traversed Isolated Peak, Mt McArthur and Mt Pollinger with a descent via Kiwetinok Lake. Boot top breakable crust in the am made for hard work on the glacier. When the crust broke down we were left with boot top whale blubber, still hard trail breaking. Isolated Peak and Pollinger were both holding 5-30 cms of snow on the rocks.

Sept 15 we climbed the President in full conditions: wind, snow and whiteout. Boot top snow on the glacier deepened to knee deep just below the Vice Pres/Pres Col. Lots of work, but pretty straight forward access to the col on the right. Good cramponing from the col to the summit.

Yesterday, Sept 17, we climbed the north ridge of Mt Whyte via the Lake Agnes approach. Winter comes early to the high country. More work trail breaking and full winter conditions on the upper ridge with a fair amount on waist deep trail breaking against the steep walls.

Should be a great ski season if this keeps up.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard

Mountain Guide

www.barryblanchard.ca

www.yamnuska.com

Mt McArthur, Sept 14

[MCR] Kokanee Glacier & Valhallas, Southern Selkirks

Hi all,

We just spent the last 3 days tromping around Kokanee Park based out of the Kokanee Glacier Chalet. This was mainly a hiking program but we did end up on the Glacier during our second day.

Conditions down here are very different then they are further north and east. The recent weather has brought some measurable precipitation at higher elevation but most of it is gone on Southerly aspects. We observed up to 20cm of recent settled snow on the Glacier above 2400m. From our observation this snow seems to be bonding well to the underlying summer snow and glacier ice. There were no signs of recent avalanche activity observed. Of note, this new snow has thinly bridged some crevasses; it is now harder to detect them. Caution is advised and roped travel recommended to keen mountaineers or early season ski tourers in this area.

We got a glimpse of the Valhalla's further West and the snow coverage looked similar that way. I would suspect that most south facing routes in there are dry again, especially after the warmer sunny day we experienced today. There is probably a little bit snow on the descent off of Gimli and Asgard, probably not enough to make it a rock fall hazard or justify bringing crampons thought. The weather forecast is rather unsettled for the weekend with a possible return of the sun by the middle of next week. Given the seasonal foretasted temperatures, I would be surprised to see significant new snow in the near future.

Alpine rock climbing on south facing routes will most likely be an option for the next little while in this area.

Have a great fall season,

David Lussier
Mountain Guide
www.summitmountainguides.com

[MCR] Rockies: Icefields

Climbed A2 today via the right tongue of the Boundary Glacier. There is about 35 cm of snow from the snowfalls of the last few weeks and this overlies glacier ice up to about 2700m. Above that this new snow overlies the old neve. There is no strength to the surface snow so probing was required for virtually every step to ensure we didn't fall into a crevasse.

Other parties in the area climbed the left ice tongue of the Boundary Glacier yesterday and the AA Col route on Athabasca today. They reported similar conditions. 

All these areas were sheltered from the strong winds that have been raking the high peaks the past few days. We were all avoiding areas where there would be wind loading, such as any of the routes on the north side of Athabasca. There is a history of avalanche accidents in the Rockies during the first fall snowstorms so if you are getting out there keep your head up.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

www.alpinism.com

[MCR] Rockies- Snow along the Lake Louise/O'Hara divide Sept.11th, 2010.

Climbed Grassi Ridge on friday. It WAS dry. Snow line was pretty dramatic at around 2800m on the rock and to the toe of all the glaciers. Obviously a lot of recent snow above that elevation and we saw no melting at all even during the few hours of sun. A few loose snow avalanche deposits were visible on all moderately steep open slopes we could see.

It started raining hard around 5pm friday night, rained most of the night and at 9am this morning(saturday) snow was just starting to stick to the ground at Lake O'Hara(2000m). YUKK!! Lots of wind during the previous day and overnight. I would assume windslabs are rather a big deal in the Lake Louise/O'Hara alpine right now.

Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
laristan@telus.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] Rockies: Victoria redux

There have been mixed reports about Victoria lately but after teetering along the S Ridge today I would say don't bother. Some of the route had good snow coverage with OK steps but a good deal of it was snow over rock that required crampons and gave insecure and slow climbing.

Descent via the Huber Ledges was fast with good coverage in the gully and on the glaciers. The schrunds have some thin new bridges on them - I know because I fell into one (only up to my hips). The ledges themselves had a few cm of snow on them but that didn't slow things down.

The blustery weather of the past couple of days gave about 5 cm of new snow on Vic. Other peaks in the area such as Hungabee seemed to have picked up significantly more than that. Snowline was about 2400 m on north aspects today.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

www.alpinism.com

[MCR] Bugaboo update

Well simply put, unless a long (at least 4 days) of hot dry weather hits the Bugs its not really a rock climbing destination at this point.
However quite a few lines are still being climbed, mainly on the Crescent Towers area, but a few adventurers were heading to the Beckey Chouinard Saturday evening.
I hope they have a fun time. My concern would be the raps they looked covered in tones of frozen "stuff".

There is a growing number of mixed climbs to be done on northern aspects. Folks heading into the area should plan on ice or "better mixed" protection for any other lines other than the lower south facing climbs around Applebee campground, pitons are a good idea thuis time of year.

Our plan was to climb the NE Ridge of Bugaboo spire, the low angle icy mixed climbing of the approach pitches and 3 and 4th pitches offered much too time consuming climbing for our party of three.  We had success on the McTech Arête on Saturday. Sunday we attempted Ears in between and bailed due to intense snow fall on Sunday.
Conditions are interesting out there, i would say don't be totaly turned off by the seasonal change in the Bugaboos or other. Embrace it and have fun, just prepare for the conditions with more clothing and gear and plan on spending more time along the way!!
 
Special note: The first bolted anchor of Mctech is missing a nut on the lower bolt. We rapped West side story and noticed that the second rap from the verry top is indicated as a 20m rap in the guide book. Its in fact a 30+m rap to the next bolted station. It would be possible to set an intermediate station half way. However the rap was totally manageable just tight and two 60m ropes would not make in one long rap from the first rap station on the left side of the tower. They would make it if the rap distance was as indicated in the guidebook.
 
Have fun and get out there!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick Delaney
ACMG ALPINE GUIDE
www.Yamnuska.com

 

[MCR] Rockies, Mt Athabasca, AA Col

I guide the AA Col route on Mt Athabasca today, Sept 5th. A party reported 30 cms of storm snow on the Ramp yesterday, Sept 4th, and slab conditions that turned them around. Enough of a deterrent for us. Good conditions and travel on the AA Col. Cool temperatures all day, definitely felt autumnal, and the leaves are turning in the Sunwapta Pass.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard

Mountain Guide

www.barryblanchard.ca

www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Lake Louise snow

Last nights storm brought a good amount of snow to the bigger peaks
around Lake Louise. Through the clouds this morning there is snow
below treeline to 1700m in some places. At treeline and above it is a
very white world.

Steve Holeczi
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] Grand Sentinel

Hi,
Climbed Grand Sentinel yesterday - mainly sunny with the occasional snow flurry.
Some snow on the north side of Sentinel col but was easy to negotiate.
We witnessed some rock fall (due to solar warming) which ran across the high traverse trail.
Cheers,
Stevie B.
ACMG/BMG
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

[MCR] Marble Canyon

Hello Folks;    Just got back from a day in Marble Canyon with Gary Wolkoff and Lyle Knight.  The day started with more cloud than anticipated which played a role in the days objectives. We had to settle for Sisyphus via the 5.10+ direct first pitch start. Of significant concern was the missing nut and hanger from bolt 3 and 5. I will be there next week(Tuesday?) and I will replace them for sure.

While we finished the final pitch the rains came. What was significant here was how little amount of rain it took to start moving small rocks.  Even small rocks are sharp and can cut facial skin easily. Something to keep in mind if the clouds really open up.    Cheers Bob Andreychuk ARG      

[MCR] Icefields and Victoria

Athabasca and Victoria.

 

Thursday, Athabasca, North Face Bypass.  Very good conditions with storm snow settling and ice face in good snow ice conditions.  Scottish gully in easy condition.  Summit ridge more challenging than usual with up to 30 cm of snow over rock steps and fresh cornices.  Descent by AA is mostly snow.  Crevasses on AA glacier thinly bridged by storm snow.  Ramp route looked loaded and not very inviting.  Clear but cold and windy up high.

 

Today, climbed Victoria via Huber ledges and down to Abbott Pass.  Route was in excellent condition and should remain that way as long as it stays cold and dry.  The ledges are clear of snow.  Huber glacier is well covered;  Schrund is easy to cross and it is mostly good snow travel up to the ridge.  Along the ridge, the snow coverage has made all of the usually scrappy bits of gravel more straightforward with generally firm snow walking.  It was +9 at Ohara at 4 AM but wintry on the Victoria ridge with light precip with the passing of cells.

 

 

Marc Ledwidge

UIAGM

 

[MCR] N Cascades; Cathedral Park.

The North-eastern Cascades had snow flurries in the past week. The headwaters of Wall creek had 5 cm's of snow accumulations at 6500ft ( 2000m). Higher elevations appeared to have 10-15 cm of accumulated snow in sheltered northerly aspects early in the week. The south aspects and ridge tops have probably dried off by now.

P 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] bugaboo conditions

forwarded by Peter Macpherson, see attached
_______________________________________________
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, traverse of Haddo Peak to Mt Aberdeen

NIck Rapaich and I guided a traverse of Haddo Peak to Mt Aberdeen today, Sept 3. The storm snow of earlier this week did nothing but good things for this trip. A lot of firm footing in spongy snow on the ice fields and glacier that lead up to the Haddo/Sheol col (accessed from surprise valley). The east ridge of Haddo peak was holding snow on the north side, but dry on its spine and southern flank. Ankle to boot top snow on the glacier leading to Mt Aberdeen granted good footing from the Haddo/Aberdeen col.

We descended the north glacier of Aberdeen with three lowers/rappels on the upper headwall and a another four on the glacier tongue.

A fine walk in the sky.

Barry Blanchard

Mountain Guide

www.barryblanchard.ca

www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] East Kokanee Glacier Park

Got back yesterday from six days in the Woodbury and Silver Spray areas.

 

On Aug. 30 we climbed the SE summit of Glacier View peak via the east ridge and had dry conditions on the rock despite 5-8 cm of new snow that stayed on the glacier from the previous two days storms.  The ramp that accesses the centre peak was not reachable from the right side as the moat was too open.  It seemed difficult but doable from the left.  It could be accessed from the bottom of the rock rib which would add to the difficulty of the climb.

We accessed the glacier two different ways from the hut.  Once we contoured out skier's right over boulders to grassy ramps beside a rocky rib of larches and ascended the climber's right side of the treed rock buttress.  The second time we descended the trail, crossed the marshy flats and went up the climber's left side of the treed rock buttress.  The first way saved us ~400 ft. of up and down, some bush whacking and a creek crossing, but it had more loose scree in the steep morainal part. 

The climber's right side of the glacier showed signs of rock fall from above and would be an area of concern now as the new snow melts off.

 

The traverse to the Silver Spray had several slippery sections where new snow slicked up the boulders.  The Caribou glacier had 10-12 cm new snow yesterday but still required crampons to ascend.

 

When we left the snow line was down to ~7800 ft but much of that would have burned off after 2 warm days. 

 

Cheers,

Shaun King

Mountain Guide

www.mountainsense.ca 

 

[MCR] Super Brewers, Castle Mountain

Climbed Super Brewers today with Steve Holezci and Ken Schroeder. Dry from bottom to top. There was water running in the gully immediately left of the start of Ultra Brewers. There did not seem to be any water running in the afternoon near the gully by the hut. Traces of remnant snow on the backside of Castle, but these were very easy to bypass.
 
Chris Gooliaff
ARG / ASG

[MCR] Mt Louis

Had a rough day on Mt Louis today. After the march in we were constantly peppered with rockfall on the Kain route. Was too dangerous to continue. Seemed like hidden snow melt or the goats were not keen on our presence.

So after descending and pounding out, our clients car was broken into and robbed. Classic smash and grab with the wallet stolen out of the glovebox and a duffel grabbed full of stuff. They missed laptops and cameras and all sorts of stuff. Classic smash and grab.

We were parked right on the Trans Canada.

Andrew

Sent from my iPhone
_______________________________________________
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] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued September, 02, 2010

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued September, 02, 2010 The cold, rainy, and snowy weather that blessed us late last week persisted until Tuesday this week. The Rocky and Columbia Mountains received 15-30 cm of snow above 2800 m with the snowline getting as low as 2300 m. This snow was redistributed into windslabs in many locations by moderate to strong winds on Tuesday and Wednesday. An upper ridge brought clear stable weather to the region on Thursday which melted off some of the lower elevation snow, but it is a still very white at upper elevations and on the glaciers. The big peaks along the Divide and in the Selkirks will be tricky with snow on the ledges and possible wind slabs in steep lee terrain. A party on Tuesday reported a Class 1.5 avalanche running off the Silverhorn Route and running across the Ramp on Mt. Athabasca. Glacier travel will be challenging as many of the crevasses are now covered by fresh snow that does not provide much bridging strength. Conservative travel on the glaciers and lots of probing is recommended. Despite the near freezing temperatures overnight (in Canmore) the day warmed up and rock climbing in the front ranges is quite manageable. Enjoy this nice weather while you can, another low pressure is forecast to enter the region on Saturday afternoon bringing showery weather and cooler temperatures. 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] Rockies, Mt Lefroy and Mt Victoria South Summit

Nick Rapaich and I guided Mt Lefroy on August 31, and Mt Victoria South Summit today, Sept 1st. Both ascents felt like winter climbs.

We expected to find pocket wind slabs on Mt Lefroy and were surprised by large, cross loaded windslabs on the lower half of the route. We did a big bracket out to climber's right (west) to stay on the perimeter of the wind slabs. Less loading in the upper half of the route. We belayed 3 or  4 pitches off of good ice screw anchors to the ridgeline and summit, and lowered and rappelled that same terrain in descent. We walked right down the slabs that we skirted on the way up and nothing was moveing, so it must be ok, ... right? A cold, windy day with lots of snow being redistributed.

Victoria was a difficult ascent today with much knee to thigh deep trail breaking and even some waist deep wallows. Cold, windy, wintery. Lots of pillows of snow sitting on the eastern lee and big slabs on the big slopes. It will be interesting to see how much snow moves with the warmer temps forecasted tomorrow and Friday.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard

Mountain Guide

www.barryblanchard.ca

www.yamnuska.com