[MCR] Castle Mountain and Eeors tail

Just got back from a three day circuit on Castle.
 
Went up Eisenhower tower on Canada day:
Lots of Bear signs on the lower part of the trail that leads to rock bound lake.
 
The climbing was free of snow, a bit of snow on in the trench before the boulder move and some snow on the left hand rappels but nothing that needed much special management.
The Raps off the Dragons back also free of snow.
 
We spent the night of the 1st at the hut after traversing mostly snow free all the way to the hut.
 
On the second we climbed Brewers:
Despite some angry looking skies and a few flurries the climb was as good as usual. On the traverse to the descent gully, we found that the east side of the mountain had snow up to 1m deep all the way to the descent gully however a good deep track of steps was already in place! I think some boys from Golden might be to thank for that one! 
In the gully small sections of snow were unavoidable none posed any real management issues. The snow was quite soft despite the cold temperatures.
 
We had a bivi on our second night (2nd) do to a full hut and woke up to trace amounts of snow cold temps (5C) and a soggy feeling. We headed to Canmore for a late Bagel Co. and climbed Eeors tail.
 
Eeor's Tail:
Just a reminder, this route has scene a retro fit. So don't let the bolts down low miss lead you. We helped another party who was heading in a wrong direction find the route today.
Currently a single bolt with a black hanger marks an alternate start and a tree bolts protects the clean slab above and left, one more bolt on the tower above leads to the first anchor (55m).
 
All above climbing routes were perfectly dry despite the rain of the recent days.
 
Cheers
Patrick Delaney
ACMG ALPINE GUIDE
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

 
 
 

 

[MCR] Rockies, Mt. Lefroy

Climbed the West face of Mt. Lefroy today.

Approach up to the Abbot Hut from the Lake O'Hara side is in good shape with step kicking in snow up the entire main slope.  Not a great place to be when the sun is out due to rockfall, but it was quiet yesterday afternoon during the flurries.  Hint to all:  don't walk down the uptrack!!  Keep the steps intact, by making your own fresh set on your way down. This makes it easier for everyone! Pass it on . . .

Lefroy was in almost perfect conditions with firm snow and about 10cm of powder on top for step kicking.  No bare ice showing.  A good cruise straight up, then straight back down. 

Descended the Deathtrap to Lake Louise.  Also in good shape: the crevasses under Abbot Pass are big but covered over.  There is one big one at the narrowest spot that is filled with avalanche debris so you can climb over it, but this won't last long once it gets hot and then this thing will be tricky. Ok now though.

Victoria still looks pretty snowy, but if the snow was firm it would probably be good cruising.

Grant Statham

ACMG Mountain Guide

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[MCR] Selkirks - Rogers Pass - Mt. MacDonald NW Ridge

Climbed the NW Ridge of Mt. MacDonald on Thursday (Canada Day).

The route is in excellent shape, and now is a good time to do it.  The approach log over Connaught Creek is intact and solid, and found just below the picnic area parking lot.  There is lots of snow to walk on in the approach gully, and lightweight crampons/axe is a good idea for this trip - lots of snow climbing and descending.  The route itself is bone dry rock climbing right to the summit on mostly excellent quartzite.  The descent down the SW Ridge is also dry, and the Herdman Couloir descent is in good shape too, with miles of 40 degree snow to down climb in a narrow gully. Quick, but a bit tedious at the end of a long day.

Recommended route, especially while snow remains in the approach/descent gully. 

This is an awesome long quartzite ridge. Plan for a long day.

Grant Statham

ACMG Mountain Guide

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[MCR] Bugaboo, Purcell Mountains

Here's an update on travel condition in the Bugaboos.

 

The snow level is about average or a little above average for this time of year.  As of July 1st the snow begins at about the level of the Conrad Kain Hut.  There is still some snow at Boulder Campground, and there are only a few tent sites exposed at Applebee Dome.  The snow is firm and supportive, providing for good travel except around rocks that are lurking just below the surface. 

 

The Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col is still snow covered with no sign of the bergshrund or crevasses, however there has been some recent wet snow sluffs and rockfall originating from the lower Southeast slopes of Bugaboo spire.  The routes in the Crescent Spires/Towers area are dry and being climbed, but there is still a fair bit of snow ligering on most of the other routes. 

 

Lots of climbers heading into the park for the weekend, and the hut was starting to fill up by the afternoon of the 1st.

 

Have a good weekend,

 

Jeff Volp

BC Parks/ACMG

 

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 01, 2010

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 01, 2010 Happy Canada Day. The warm weather of the last week has changed conditions considerably but we are still in a transitional period where a mix of summer and spring conditions exist. The scrambles and rock climbs of K-Country and the Canmore/Banff areas are mostly dry and seeing lots of traffic. There is often a bit more loose rock on the routes this time of year so be wary of what you are pulling on and who you are climbing under. Mount Louis and Castle Mountain have both seen some climbers but still have some snow lingering in gullies and descents. The Lake Louise area remains very snowy and there have been recent reports of waist to chest deep snow wallowing from both Victoria and Aberdeen. This snow is melting fast and there is still significant potential for rock fall as well as cornice falls due to warm temps. Both Parties turned around. There was also a report of a large avalanche on the North Face of Haddo Peak which would indicate a deep instability that would best be avoided by only traveling on steep snow after good overnight freezes. The snow conditions in the Columbia Icefields seem to be a little more consistent and travel is generally better. A small amount of recent new snow has been affected by the wind and it would be prudent to keep an eye open for small pockets of windslabs on steep slopes. Crevasses will also become more of an issue as the snow warms up later in the day. Early starts are still advised. Some of the lower and sunnier rock climbs in Rogers Pass (Tupper West Ridge) and the Bugaboos (Crescent/McTech)are drying out nicely but travel to their bases might still be difficult unless there is a good freeze overnight. The bigger stuff like Sir Donald still looks very wintery and will be cold and wet for a while yet. The forecast is for cooler unsettled weather over the weekend with the driest being in the south. There is some risk of afternoon thundershowers so get up and down early and enjoy the show from a safe place. Wardens and Rangers from the Lake Louise and Kananaskis areas have reported numerous bear sightings in lots of the places we like to climb. Make lots of noise and travel wisely... Marc Piché 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] The Silverhorn / AA Col

Hi Everyone,

I climbed the Silverhorn Route of Mt. Athabasca with my friend Sid today and found generally quite cool air temps (same asand mostly good travel conditions with some variable depth foot penetrations and surface crusts making travel temporarily ungainly.  The newish seracs on the ramp route on Atha-B have been noticeably active with debris hammering gouges deep in the snow as I believe Barry reported earlier in the week.  

As Jeremy MacKenzie mentioned in his earlier report and I would agree with his suspicion about the presence of windslabs on the Ramp of Athabasca.  I opted for the AA col to descend. 

Happy Canada

Cheers,


Paddy Jerome
ACMG IFMGA Mountain Guide
#205-176 Kananaskis Way
Canmore, Alberta
T1W 3E4 Canada
(H)403-609-4429
(C)403-609-0795
www.internationalguidebureau.com 

[MCR] Mt. Athabasca - AA Col

Climbed Mt. Athabasca today (Canada Day) via the AA Col for ascent and descent.
 
The day was cool and quite windy with temperatures ranging from +1 at the parking lot at 03:30, to near -10 on the upper mountain. We wore all the clothes we brought!
 
Travel conditions were quite variable due to some recent snow accumulations and a crust that did not always hold the weight of a climber. Pockets of drifted snow between 5 and 30cm thick are scattered around the area, including some areas of windslab. Though we were not concerned today on the AA Col route, the next warm and sunny days will likely trigger some snow slides. I would also be curious about the extent of the windslab on the Ramp Route. Foot penetrations through the day ranged from nil (on a perfect crampon-friendly crust) to occassionally more than knee deep when the crust was breakable and/or you walked into a bigger drift of the new snow.

We spoke briefly to a guided party on the Silverhorn and saw climbers on the Skyladder and the Practice Gullies.
 
Happy Canada Day!

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

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