[MCR] Waddington NW summit

Waddington NW summit via Dais Gl.
July 31st - Aug 8th, 2005.

Coverage on the Dais Gl. remains good as low as 2500m. With good overnight
recovery travel remains descent till approx 1100am, after which the crust
carries with variable success. By mid afternoon, on S and E aspects,
expect to be breaking through this crust and sinking to your hips in large
granular wet snow.

Dais couloir is still well filled this season compared to previous.
Schrund at base of couloir easily passed L or R. Expect the couloir, with
clear skies overnight, to be bullet proof early AM. Day time temps never
penetrated fully through the 25cm crust, but be aware there is a meter
plus of large wet granular snow, and largely useless for anchors in AM
or PM. lots of horns in rock lateral. Boot top pen except for last 150m+
in the PM. Could be a scary place without overnight recovery.

We experenced minimal rock fall into couloir but the rocks above and
lateral are in the sun by 0730 and the couloir proper by 0900. Be aware
that the considerable rimming so common to the S face of Waddington takes
a few days to clear, post storm.

Still very wintery on the Angle 2800m and above. Day time temps held below
freezing. The most recent storm, July 30-31st, came in cold and left
60-80cm new. The Height of new snow seems to have settled well except for
the bottom 10-15cm which cold ,low density and sitting on a very hard old
surfaces. The storm produced considerable slab activity (N to NW
aspects). Most, but not all slopes running during the storm, with many
slopes reloaded. Things seemed to have tightened up a few days after the
storm, but be aware if the daytime temps begin to climb&

The schrund from the NW ridge onto the Angle GL. crosses nicely in
numerous spots.
The remaining cornices on the N ridge are massive and still pose a
considerable threat to the bottom two thirds of the Angle GL. The icefalls
at the base of the angle above the schrund crossing off the NW ridge also
posses a considerable threat, not a good place to do brunch. Most slots
still well bridged. Summit schrund still crosses nicely numerous places
just W of summit.

Keith Reid
_______________________________________________
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] Athab N.face

Yesterday with 1 strong client. +2 in P lot @ 2:00AM. Decent freeze getting
cooler until 9:00 ish AM. Schrund is casual. Did 1 pitch above and then short
roped to crux in perfect boot top snow (that will change rapidly!) Crux
is "snice" with a lot of excavating of snow. Pins all covered up but not
enough for decent screws. Found a #2 metolius a ways out left.

Went down AA col which is deteriorating rapidly. Signs of recent slides all
the way to the bottom of the big slope. Things are still moving. Was really
hard snow and cold on the way down. Felt good with 1 @ 8:00AM but with 6
people at 3:00pm I would be a puckering starfish. N. Glacier looks to be in
great shape.

Stevo
P.S. Any info out there as to Assiniboine conditions

_______________________________________________
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 Douglas W Ridge

Tom Harding and I climbed the west ridge of Sir Douglas on Aug 6.

At our bivy at 2350 m at 1 am the temperature was +9.5, at the toe of
the glacier it was +8.2 at 3.30 am. We had hoped to climb the NW Face,
which is a fine looking route, but at the moment conditions on the face
looks like thin snow over rock in a few spots low down, and the warm
temperatures caused us to change our plans.

Snow conditions were mostly poor with a minimal freeze even at higher
elevations. Anywhere the snow is thin or over rocks the crusts were
breakable and would break down quickly in direct sunlight, resulting in
significant avalanche risk. From the summit we heard water running on
the NW Face, at 9 in the morning. These conditions were significantly
different than we found on King George a few days before (and only 10
km away) and shows how the snowpack is still very dependent on weather
conditions right now. Many areas are only being held together by
surface crusts that are liable to break down with warm daytime or
night-time temperatures. Glad we didn't go to Mt Bryce like we
originally wanted!

We don't recommend the west ridge as an ascent route, it has a dirty
ice tongue at the start with rock fall issues, and the rock ridge above
is very loose. Even in descent the route is ugly. Note that if it is
warm and you want to avoid the glacier tongue late in the day you can
continue along the narrow w ridge over several small towers of crumbly
rock to a small summit where the ridge becomes easier. Keep descending
the ridge, bypass a rock step on it over scree to the north and then
traverse back towards the ridge to avoid cliff bands below and keep
descending the ridge to a col. From here 10 minutes down soft black
scree to the north brings you to the valley below and your approach
route from the morning.

Mark

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide
mark@alpinism.com
www.alpinism.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] NE Ridge of Victoria

NE Ridge of Victoria
August 6, 2005
+12C in Canmore at 3am
+8C in LL at 4am


UP:
Had decent travel with max 10cm foot pen on the way up the glacier.
Approached up the center of the glacier but saw old tracks on both extreme
right (all snow) and way left. Crampons were needed for a few short sections
and the bridges were fine.
Fairly large cornices above the col still with some small snow patches
interspersed.
Minimal foot pen from col to summit (~11am). crampons were helpful.

Down:
Cornices were dripping and looking a lot heavier as we descended from the
col. The small snow patches were very reactive when disturbed and creating
rockfall hazard.(1200pm)
Up to 40 cm foot pen on the glacier as we descended. The bridges were still
fine but in some more days like this it will open up a lot for sure.

All in all this route is in pretty good shape right now as long as the snow
is somewhat set up in the morning. Beware of the cornices above the col.
They look quite stable but definitely could release in the warmth of these
afternoons. They are to either side of the usual ascent line but would/could
threaten the climbing line especially while low down on the slope.


Rob Owens, Mike Stuart, EJ Plimley



_______________________________________________
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] corrected Mountain Conditions Summary for August 4th, 2005

>
> Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Interior Ranges.
August 4th, 2005
>
> Summer has finally begun in the Alpine. Twelve generally warm days and
> some cool, clear nights have helped establish a summer snowcover that is
> representative of what we
> might expect in early July. There are reports of excellent alpine
> conditions when good overnight freezes occur, but there was also the
> tragedy of two climbers killed in a large avalanche on the North face of
> Mt. Robson during a very warm and wet period on July 29th.
>
> On August 2nd Park Wardens issued an Avalanche Advisory Update for High
> Alpine Routes in the Mountain National Parks. They are calling the
> conditions SERIOUS/CONSIDERABLE. Until more precipitation arrives,
> alpinists have to make considered decisions almost completely based on the
> question "Is it frozen now or not and is it going to be frozen later or
> not?" Watch the thermometer, watch the skies, watch the sun and don't stop
> thinking about how the snow feels now, and how it is going to feel later,
> on your route. Get your hands and other tools into the snow. Be certain
> that conditions are appropriate for your alpine adventures and be aware
> that things change fast under the summer sun.
>
> Generally the Rockies and Columbia Mountains have more snow cover than
> average for early August. They are starting to get icy below 3000m and in
> some places to the peaks, but high north faces (above 3300m) may still be
> a bit on the wintry side.
>
> Glacier travel is still good for this time of year but you likely won't
> get far without crampons if you get a good freeze. Rockfall is still a
> major concern, especially around the edges of the retreating glaciers and
> where the snow is melting to expose steep rock.
>
> Alpine Rock Routes are generally in great shape except on low angle, high
> elevation ridges and on some of the big gnarly Alpine North Faces like Mt
> Alberta.
> Mixed Alpine routes such as the Andromeda Strain and Edith Cavell North
> Face are very BAD ideas right now with poor climbing conditions and LOTS
> of rockfall potential.
>
> Keep your thinking cap on and enjoy the summer while it lasts.
> >
> >
> Larry Stanier
> _______________________________________________
> Mountain Conditions Report mailing list
> Please see http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

_______________________________________________
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] Out of Park

I will be out of the office starting 01/08/2005 and will not return until
10/08/2005.

Please direct all questions to Rupert Wedgwood or Garth Lemke.

Thanks.

_______________________________________________
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] AVALANCHE ADVISORY UPDATE FOR HIGH ALPINE ROUTES- FROM PARKS CANADA

From: rockies-bounces@informalex.org [mailto:rockies-bounces@informalex.org]
On Behalf Of Grant Statham
Sent: August 2, 2005 10:39
To: rockies@informalex.org
Cc: mcr@informalex.org
Subject: [Rockies/Intalex] AVALANCHE ADVISORY UPDATE FOR HIGH ALPINE ROUTES-
FROM PARKS CANADA

AVALANCHE ADVISORY UPDATE FOR HIGH ALPINE ROUTES

Canadian Rockies National Parks, ALBERTA, August 2, 2005 - Parks Canada is
still advising hikers and climbers to take extra caution when climbing on,
or when exposed to steep, snow covered slopes in the alpine; the avalanche
back-country advisory is currently listed as SERIOUS / CONSIDERABLE.

The previous advisory that was sent on July 11, 2005, was a result of a
cold, winter-like snow pack at higher elevations; conditions have now
changed to more of a springtime wet avalanche cycle. Given the current
conditions, avalanche training, experience and rescue equipment are
essential for safe climbing on alpine routes. Conditions are UNUSUAL for
this time of year and will not improve until we have an extended period of
melting and/or overnight freezing. Many of the popular climbing and
scrambling routes have more snow than normal.

A brief period of cold overnight temperatures the week of July 20 has given
way to a prolonged period of warm temperatures, with little overnight
freezing. This combination of snow and warm temperatures is resulting in
wet snow avalanches, collapsing cornices and weakened snow bridges over
crevasses. Natural and climber triggered avalanches and cornice releases
are being reported, and are occurring in both the day and night.

While climbing, remember avalanche hazards can change quickly throughout the
day as the temperature warms; be cognizant of changing conditions in your
surroundings. An additional hazard to watch for are thinly bridged
crevasses which may be difficult to observe.

On Friday, July 29 two climbers were killed on the North Face route on Mt.
Robson, British Columbia. Park Wardens from Jasper were dispatched to the
scene and were able to recover one of the bodies. The other body has not
been recovered due to subsequent large avalanches sweeping the accident
site. This is one more example of climbers being involved in an avalanche
on alpine routes in the throughout June and July.

Further information on climbing routes and conditions can be obtained by
calling the Park Wardens in Jasper at (780) 852-6155 or in Banff at (403)
762-1470. TIPS to avoid an AVALANCHE please visit our web sites.

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Rockies mailing list
Rockies@informalex.org
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_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.