[MCR] Sorcerer, Ghost River, Alberta

The Sorcerer is in good condition. Thick ice and good screws on both
the upper pitches and the often-thin-and-hollow lower pitches.

Of note:

There was a significant pile (class 2) of old avalanche debris at the
bottom of the route. Debris was mostly the consistency of a wet
avalanche with some TV to beer fridge sized chunks in it. It appeared
to be from a cornice collapse triggering the snow slope at half
height-- likely during the warm spell last week. The halfway snow
slope is now a combination of hard and soft snow-- not soft enough to
slow any ice debris. There are also some sections of cornice
remaining above the route, which may become a concern if it warms up
again.

There is a fair amount of ice lensing on the route, so some extra time
was necessary for the placements and pro.

Josh Briggs
Asst. 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] Bow Summit

Hello Everyone,

The earlier message about conditions around Bow Hut and Bow Summit were my posting.  Be careful out there....

Ski Ya, 

 

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

[MCR] Older post for Ranger Creek area

>From John Freeman:

Earlier observations about Ranger creek by Pat Delaney were very accurate. James Madden and myself ventured into the area yesterday (October 29th). Near the end of our day wind transport from the SW increased to extreme levels. With a large fetch the slopes overloaded quickly (1 hr) above Lone Ranger and triggered a size 1 avalanche that ripped down the route carrying with it considerable ice.

On the walk out all slopes triggered easy when crossed. A second slide was witnessed by other climbers in the area. The area is volatile at the moment and is best avoided until things change. Being in any terrain trap would have a predictable outcome.

Excitement over early season climbing can lead even experienced climbers into unsafe situations. Despite hearing reports of many people climbing ice routes it is still critical to assess conditions for the day. Conditions above a climb can be dramatically different from those on the approach.

Climb safe and have fun

John Freeman
AAG

_______________________________________________
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] Bow Hut

Hello Everyone,

 

I spent 2 nights at Bow Hut over October 28-30th.  Temperatures remained relatively cool at 1800 metres all the way up to the elevation of Bow Hut in -5.0 - 8.0 C range on the 28th and 29th.  The snow depths became appreciable at about 2200 metres.  On the glacier, we found an average snowpack depth of 65 centimetres and made for very heavy sledding (difficult travel).  The most notoble 2 observations were the strong winds overnight on the 29th and then the subsequent rise in freezing levels (0 C at Bow Hut) rapidly changing the conditions, causing me to become concerned with the steep slopes on the moraine below the hut.  As expected, cracking and some small settlements were observed.  Simple hand sheers yielded easy results down 35 and 45 cm's.  A melt-freeze crust exists in the lower snowpack and weak grained facets below this crust are on the ground.

 

An avalanche involvement at Bow Summit yesterday that resulted in a big ride for 2 people was not a surprise for me given my recent observations.  The strong winds have caused a serious uneven distribution of an early season snowpack that has weak basal layers that won't provide much of a foundation for the cohesive slab resting on top of it.  It has been quite warm and the conditions are not great for recreating right now.  Be patient and save your energy when conditions improve.  For those folks swinging and clinging (ice climbing), I would suggest you crane your neck back and look way, way up and think about not only the slopes you're traveling on, but the real estate above your objective.  My biggest concerns with respect to terrain features would be exposed features in the immediate lee of the wind and cross-wind affected features at treeline and especially in the alpine where the most snow can be found and has been redistributed by the wind.

Keep it Tight,

[MCR] Bow Summit Avalanche Involvement

Oct 31

There was an avalanche involvement at Bow Summit today. We only have an
account from the two people who were involved, and no further information.

The terrain feature that avalanched was described as the big couloir/gulley
above the bench at Bow Summit. They were boot packing up the middle of the
main feature and 75% of the way up, when it fractured 20 metres above them.
Both skiers rode for what they described as top to bottom, or around 250
metres. Both were partially buried and thrown to the very tip of the debris
pile. They were quite uncertain exactly how big this avalanche was, or to
what kind of layer it slid on. Both had minor injuries, self extricated and
self transported to Banff. They described being ground over rocks and
surface terrain features that can be expected so early in the season.
Despite the magnitude of the length of ride, they were very lucky.

Parks Canada staff will be investigating further tomorrow. That is the
extent of the information available for now, but winter and its associated
hazards are here in the Rockies.

Aaron Beardmore
Specialist, Mountain Safety Programs
Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay Parks
Box 900, Banff, AB
T1L 1K2
Ph: 403-762-1415

_______________________________________________
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 October 29, 2009

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued October 29, 2009 The past week of cooler unsettled weather has brought a fair bit of snow to most of the mountain ranges in western Canada. A few folks have been out getting some decent early season turns but an old pair of skis and a healthy sense of humour is still required in most spots. The cooler weather has also allowed ice climbs to start forming again and for the determined climber there are some fun places to go exploring. Current snow reports have come in as follows: • Northern Monashees – 70cm – 1m at treeline • Cariboos – 50-70cm at treeline • Selkirks/Rogers Pass Area – 50-70cm at treeline • Rockies – 20-40cm at treeline near the divide, variable amounts in the front ranges. As a result of the new snow many open areas above treeline are reaching the threshold for avalanche activity and a few small cycles of natural avalanche activity have been reported, e.g. a size 2 slab avalanche out of the Chalice/Lone Ranger descent gully which ran about 600m within the past 24 hours was observed today (Friday). Some cornices are now large enough to be a concern and wind loaded gullies may have enough snow to take you for a ride if you are in the wrong place. The other thing to keep in mind is that after the hot dry summer we had, the glaciers will have more open or thinly bridged crevasses than they have had in past years. On the Asulkan Glacier three weeks ago it was disappointing to see how many large, open crevasses were present at all elevations. It will take some time to recover from the loss of so much of the firn snow this summer and create solid snow bridges over the crevasses. For skiers expect some walking or at least some rugged skinning at lower elevations until you get up above treeline and into the better skiing. Avalanche gear and glacier travel gear are a good idea. Early season hazards such as rocks and tree stumps will also be something to watch for. For ice climbers things are getting back on track especially on high elevation North facing routes. In the Rockies reports of good ice have been limited but standard early season areas such as Ranger Creek, Mt Lougheed, some routes on the Stanley Headwall, and places along the icefields parkway around Bow Summit or the Columbia Icefields have been seeing some traffic and things are improving quickly. The good news for ice climbers is that travel conditions are excellent right now with limited snow on the approaches and pleasant temperatures. The bad news is that many of the climbs are a long ways from the car. Bring some short screws, a few pitons and some rock gear just in case, and carefully evaluate steep wind loaded areas on the approaches as well as gullies and cornices above the climbs for avalanche hazard…even in areas with a limited snow pack. The outlook for the weekend is for continued unsettled weather with flurries over the main ranges especially at higher elevations and warmer dryer air over the front ranges. It's a good time to work on some early season fitness on the approaches and be ready to change plans, practise your avalanche rescue skills, and head for the couch or the bar stool if things are not in condition. Note: Daylight savings time ends on Nov 1. Enjoy the extra hour! Cheers, Conrad Janzen ACMG 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] Ranger Creek condiitons update

Out for a fine day in Ranger Creek today and climbed Chalice.

 

It was-7c at the base of the route at 09:00 things felt cold and quiet.

From the top of our route, we noticed a few signs of surface instability in the form of day old sloughs and small avalanches, one was likely triggered by an animal near the top of one of the right hand gullies as you walk up valley. Once up high looking out the valley there are lots of signs that wind has done its thing.

 

The big picture is yes the ice is good both on R&D and Chalice. The reality is that this area is starting to smooth over nicely with at least 60cm in areas and even more I am sure up high or in loaded pockets. Currently there is likely enough snow for avalanches. In particular I noticed small low angle benches and rock slabs in and around some of the mixed terrain close to RND that looked well loaded. 

 

Are line of descent followed a smooth hard surface of snow that leads all the way down to the gully so there are some hard running surfaces available for snow to run on.

 

 

More snow and wind in Ranger Creek will really change the current game.

 

It's unfortunately a big place for some short popular routes!

 

 

Anyways, Old man winter is getting ready!

 

Cheers

Patrick Delaney
ACMG Alpine Guide
403 688 6003