[MCR] Howson Range/ North Coast Mountains

On a short trip to the Howsons today, we found 50 cm HS at the lodge (1020 m)
and 60 to 80 at 1200 m. There is evidence of a recent significant cycle that
is now obscured by the strong winds prevailing over the weekend. We could not
get to any fracture lines, but suspect that last week's snow slid on the thick
hard crust below.

A snow profile at 1165 m, SW aspect, showed 38 cm of soft cold snow sitting on
a hard crust that extends from ground to 45 cm. There is a strong gradient and
the soft snow is facetting. There was almost continuous whumpfing and cracking
when travelling at these low elevations. Exposed areas show much wind effect
out of the NW. Skiing is marginal at best. Air temperature was -7 degrees.

The upper glaciers still show much ice, but look skiable.

--
Christoph Dietzfelbinger, Mountain Guide
Bear Mountaineering and the Burnie Glacier Chalet
Box 4222 Smithers B.C. Canada V0J 2N0
info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca
tel. 250-847-3351 fax 250-847-2854

_______________________________________________
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] Commonwealth Creek

We went ski touring in Commonwealth Creek (Little Commonwealth Traverse) on Sunday Dec 4.

 

Looks like the area has seen a fair bit of travel lately, inspite of the fact that the snow depth in the trees is rather skimpy (around 40 – 60cm of faceted snow) and hitting rocks and deadfall is unavoidable. Temps between -16C (at departure at 10AM) warming up to -10C at return to the car at 3PM with the front approaching, which brought about 5 cm 12 hour snow to Canmore today.

 

Snow pack in the alpine and at tree line was very wind affected and we managed to kick off some very small, hard wind slabs, which went on facets above of a melt freeze crust. The melt-freeze crust itself is loosing strength due to faceting with the cool temps lately. However, no recent naturals observed.   

 

Let’s hope for more snow!

 

Jorg Wilz

Mountain Guide IFMGA / UIAGM

 

 

[MCR] French Creek / North Ghost

Information a little old, but better than nothing.

051203 – French Creek
Went bush wacking up French Creek in search of snow and solitude on Saturday.  Strong winds up high all day with lots of transport.  Witnessed 2 natural avalanches, large 2.5’s off of the face above the French Creek ice climbs, powder clouds made it to valley floor but debris stopped short, both occurred about 5 minutes from each other around 10:30am Saturday AM.  Large fracture lines visible, both slides were no doubt due to the extensive wind transport occurring at ridge top.   Didn’t find any skiing but did find those 3 ice climbs that Tom was talking about a while back. Sporty travel due to the thin snowpack.  Encountered a large heard of Mountain Goats, probably 25+ in the heard.

051204 – North Ghost: This House of Sky
Bitterly cold with gusty winds most of the day.  No one around except all the heavy machinery working on the flood plains in the river basin proper.  Extremely brittle ice on the first 2 short steps then progressively wetter the higher you climb, to the point of running water over ice on the last couple of steps.  Combined with the temps it made for cable rope and club like gloves.  Very well formed and the ice at the back of the bowl is huge this year.

GBU, Unforgiven, Angle Tears all in and fat.  Big drip is well... Big.  Silver Tongue Devil is fully formed but looks like a good workout with a short break in the ice about half way.  Burning Drowning is in and big, Sliver is there but a little anemic.  Quite a few tracks going farther back tot he Valley of the Sun area I would assume.  Didn’t get a good look at the Valley of the Birds approach, but would assume that it is in and fat with they way everything else was looking.

We walked up to the base of Phantom falls , it is barely there but there is ice the whole way.  Stubby screws for the start then it would be sporty until the pins at the overlap.  We didn’t climb it.

Access is the easiest I’ve seen it since I started going to the Ghost.  Brand new bridge at the start of the gravel road, the entire road has been grated including the big hill, access over the flood plains of the Ghost river is easy with all the heavy equipment working on the outwash areas.  The 2 creek crossings were straight forward, although the first one was deeper than it looked.


Ian Tomm

[MCR] Jasper ice

Here's a bit of an update from the last few days doing some ice around Jasper.
Dec 3rd -Tangle Falls good climbing, gets the sun for these colder
days. Good beginner training area. The small falls to the right look
good as well.
Dec 4th. Edge of the World. Filled in quite a bit this week. Upper
pitch has some good variations, lower pitch is a bit wet on the right
but good pro (easy 3). Large block above the lower pitch uses a pin
and a thread to build anchor to rap to the bottom. This may be iced
up enough in the next week or so to build an ice anchor on top.
Dec 4pm climbed BS canyon. The one main short grade 2-3 pitch takes
good pro to protect stepping over the toilet bowl feature formed
behind the lower part of the pitch. A bit wet in places but building fast.
Both of the last 2 climbs have improved considerably over this last week.
Peter.

Peter Amann
Mountain Guiding
Box 1495, Jasper AB, T0E 1E0
www.incentre.net/pamann
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] Hudson Bay Mountain

First field day for avalanche control on the E slope of Hudson Bay
Mountain. Clear and -14 at 1100 m at 1000 hrs, no snow. Broken, light NW
wind, -11 degrees at 1230 hrs at 1550 m.

Snow profile on SE aspect at 1550 m showed 43 cm of snow. Sequence of
crust and soft facetted layers. Resistant planar shears were near ground
and below first crust 13 cm down, both in large facets. There is a
strong temperature gradient and some depth hoar is visible.

Hudson Bay Mountain is below threshold for skiing and for avalanches.
There was some old debris in the North Kathlyn Path.

The ice in Glacier Gulch seems well formed and safe for climbing. There
are reports that it is thin in places.

Snow is expected starting tonight.

Christoph Dietzfelbinger
Mountain Guide, Bear Mountaineering and Burnie Glacier Chalet
Box 4222
Smithers, B.C. V0J 2N0 Canada
tel. 250-847-3351 fax: 250-847-2854
info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca

_______________________________________________
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] Commonwealth

Oops ,Sorry about forgetting my name Trying to get the kid to school on time

 

Darcy Chilton

ACMG Ski Guide

[MCR] Commonwealth

Up to K country yesterday

 

Did the Commonweath loop, and was surprised once again with the strength of the Rockies snow pack. Up to 10 cm of mainly low densisity sits atop of a variety of crusts depending on aspect.The minor exception to this was along ridge top where winds had distributed small isolated  soft slabs into the lee features. The crusts below the storm snow are variable in depth but consistly support skiing. They support so well that we found it often quicker in the alpine to boot hike than to try and fight to put a skin track in on the hard crust.Ski quality up high was great with dust on crust. Down in the trees it was survival.

 

Weather observations

Sky : broken

Wind : calm in AM / light with mod gusts in PM from the S

Temps : low -17 / high -15

HS : Varied greatly with treeline being on average 60cm , but in the alpine up to180+cm in lee features

precip : nil

 

Profile

7000' NE Asp 27degrees

HS 80cm

surface instabilites in the top 20-30cm from last couple of storms- below well settled pack

NO results with tests / be aware of buried pockets of wind slab in shallow features

 

Avalanche Obs : Surface sluffing in steep terrain

 

Stability

Alpine: fair

treeline :good

below treeline : good

 

Early season hazards exist at treeline and below. Be aware of rocks and stumps