We climbed King Edward on Tuesday May 10 and then moved camp to be in position to climb onto the main Columbia Icefield via the route leading through the steep gullies and exposed ramp beside Mt Columbia.
May 11 and 12 were spent waiting for cold temperatures below this route. Yesterday and today were both very warm with no overnight freezes. We recorded +8 at 2000 m yesterday about 6 pm. We gave up this afternoon and hitched a ride out with Don McTighe's Bell 407 that was conveniently passing (kind of) nearby.
The weather was mostly cloudy with the high peaks obscured the entire trip with only brief sunny breaks. Last night we had a few cm of wet new snow. Today saw the occasional light rain shower and ice pellets.
There have been lots of cornice falls and wet snow avalanche activity on all steep slopes.
We are in the first major heat-up of the spring and I suspect that even the highest peaks now have moist and wet snow surfaces with freezing levels around the 3000+ m mark. The snowpack today at 2000 m was isothermal with foot penetration about boot-top in thick snowpack areas and knee deep or worse near rocks. Yesterday ski penetration was up to knee deep in wet snow in thin areas on moraine walls.
Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide