jmckay

Just back from 5 days in the Catamount/Northstar Glaciers area. Weather was quite unsettled with major Thunder/Lightening/Rain storm on the night of July 9 that finished off with a dusting of wet snow down to 8500ft. and another rain event (sans lightening) overnight on July 12 and still raining lightly at 8500ft. (a light dusting of snow above 9,000 ft.) when we left on the morning of July 13th - temp was 2.0 C. Snow has retreated to just above the lower tongue of the glacier so not lots of obvious crevasses yet but snowcover is quite shallow and changing quickly. No new avalanche activity was observed even with all the rain - some places the surface snow was deep enough and saturated enough with water to start small sluffs but the pockets we encountered were small and isolated - most snow was firm with ankle deep penetration - July 10th is the only night we had freeze,. It was handy to have the skis for our returns home and the soft snow made the suncups tolerable - it is a fun area with many nice summits and a variety of snow and rock mountaineering objectives on granite. Cheers, Scott Davis 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.

I did a spin up to the Columbia Icefields and back today. There is a fresh dusting of snow down to about 3300m in the Lake Louise area, and down to about 3000 m in the icefields area. Overall above 3000 m it still looks to be more old winter snow remaining but lower elevations seem drier than normal for this time of year. Mark Klassen 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.

Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 12th, 2006 We are well into midsummer conditions at all elevations throughout the Rockies, Purcells and Selkirks. Below treeline there is basically no snow except in old avalanche deposits. At treeline snow is very rare and only in old drifts, avalanche deposits and deep dark north facing features. In the alpine snow is still plentiful above 3000m's but it very much has the feel of summer snow and has been through many melt freeze cycles. The strength of the snow in the alpine is variable. Alpinists can assume it will be strong after a cold clear night but becoming weak and staying that way with poor freezes, daytime heating or during rain events. Glaciers are starting to show lots of ice at lower elevations and on sun affected aspects. Keep in mind the potential for rockfall along the margins of bare ice faces. A number of hot summers have melted away lots of old ice and started to expose perched rocks and boulders that have not seen the light of day for hundreds of years. A lot of rain fell in the last couple of days but all reports indicate that the freezing level was very high and no signifigant snowfall in the alpine was reported. Larry Stanier Mountain Guide

spent the last three days in the mountains around Whistler/Blackcomb. The trail along the Musical Bumps is 90% snow free, snow patches start around 1700m on the north aspects and 1900m (or a lot higher some places) on the south sides. Sun Cups are well formed and the snow is easy to walk on. Although there is not a lot of bare ice showing there are lots of sags on crevasses. Dave Sarkany Ski Guide

Up the NW Arete yesterday with Jesse Demontigny on a training mission. The route was in excellent shape, dry with no snow or ice on the N face throughout the lower (crux) third. Several small snow patches still linger in shady pockets in the upper third, but these were easy to avoid or kick up. As the clouds rolled in near the top, we caught up to Marco Delesalle and guest and opted to descend together. The west face ledges still looked to have a fair bit of snow covering the steep slabs, so we stayed on the arete. The start of the bolted rappel stations that avoid the downclimb of the lower half of the route is currently flagged with webbing and so is easy to spot. The low angle terraces below the rappel line still have a bit of snow and running water as does the top of the approach slope, so we kept the rope out right to the ground. Despite intense-looking skies, the weather (mostly) held for us, but the monsoon and fireworks that hit as we descended may have left a fresh dusting of snow up high and on the N face, at least until the sun returns. New (to me, anyway) on the approach is a Lower Trail which stays below the steep moraines at the base. If you haven't yet heard about it, it is a well built trail that splits off from the old trail 50m or so below the top of the waterfall. The melt flow is high right now, so the stream crossing was not dry or obvious, but the trail is well cairned on the north (far) side and stays just above treeline until almost underneath the Sir D-Uto col. This avoids the ascent up the lateral moraine and almost all of the steep snow side hilling, rock fall hazard and general scree bashing of the old approach. The new campsite (toilet) that's been put in beside the tarn 1/2 way along this new trail is also a much better and more durable bivy than the old meadow bivy sites. Carl Johnston ACMG Rock Guide and sometime shortroping crash test dummy _______________________________________________ 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.

July 2: Lake O'Hara to Abbot to Abbot Pass. Still some snow on the trail, but going fast. Generally good step kicking. Warm temperatures at the hut into the evening. Some wet, dirty slides rumbling off the E face near the hut in the evening (see July 2 picture). July 3: S ridge to main summit, descent via Huber Glacier and ledges. Poor freeze overnight with high overcast. No crampons needed until snow ridge halfway to S summit, where wet snow over ice in spots. The snow is melting back fast and the rock shelf on the Lake O'Hara side can be used in many sections all along the ridge already. We chose the snow ridge where possible though, to avoid the steep gully tops, which were still soft from the day before. The feeble crust only carried in a few sections, one of them being the Sickle, which is formed broad and easy this year (see picture "A"). Below the crust the snow was wet. We broke through the tracks from the previous day about half the time. The ridge to the main summit had surprisingly few cornices and they do not pose a problem, easy to get around. However, we got to play in some vertical slush on the sections just before the summit (see picture "B"). The descent gully to Huber Gl. is still well connected, with a shin scraping crust just holding things together. The debris cone made it easy to get over the schrund (see picture "C"). Postholing on the glaciers below. Crevasses are starting to sag on the upper glacier, but they are easy to avoid so far. Kobi Wyss Mountain Guide

West Coast Mountain Conditions Summary , issued July 6th, 2006 Similar to the Rockies and Interior ranges, many reports of excellent early summer conditions in the Alpine. Generally warm and sunny conditions over the past week has consolidated snow at all elevations. Shallow step kicking reported on many snow slopes. Although the past few days cooler temps have allowed for some minimal overnight freezes, the forecast is for warmer temps and abundant radiation throughout the weekend. A solid freeze won't likely happen over the next few nights, however good to still have the crampons handy for those steep pitches higher in the alpine, or for the icy glacial tongues Glaciers seem well covered from mid way up, but larger crevasses are definitely starting to show signs of sagging. If you have the chance, scope your glacier routes later in the day, or early in the AM where the cross lighting from the sun highlights the sags. Although coastal crevasse bridges have a reputation of being more forgiving, surprises still happen. Ensure your rope team isn't falling asleep at the switch. Although there have not been any reports of cornice failures in the past week, I would keep a watchful eye on these, and avoid being underneath anything that looks like it could break off, and ruin your day, especially when the sun is cooking them. The other concern is snow on rock slabs. There are numerous places I have seen large glide release avalanches on hot days in the mid summer caused by meltwater lubricating the underside. Although you can never be guaranteed that the snow you are on is sitting on a slab, usually glide cracks on top of the slope are a giveaway. Rule of thumb for being under cornices and glide slabs - Early AM good Late AM and PM bad No reports on mosquito inventory yet, but I would assume there are a few billion larvae on the cusp of a hatch. Handkerchiefs to cover the face, and bug dope (applied well away from ropes, webbing, etc) will be useful here. Happy Climbing! Brian Gould Mountain Guide

Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains, issued July 6th, 2006 All reports confirm generally excellent early summer conditions in the alpine. Daytime heating and some poor overnight freezes are the biggest variables in the snow and ice world at present. There have been a couple of reports of cornice failures and wet snow avalanches and lots of rockfall in the areas where snow patches are melting away in steep terrain. In the Selkirks, Purcells and Rockies, alpine rock routes are in great shape. The classic ridges like Victoria, Edith Cavell, Assiniboine and Sir Donald are very climbable but cornices, snow patches and rockfall due to melt will be part of the deal for a few days yet on some features. Steep rock routes on all but the highest North faces are drying out way ahead of "normal". Glaciers throughout the ranges are getting icy at low elevations and in exposed locations. With a good freeze, glacier travel is great but be aware that bridges are getting thinner and a couple of warm days with poor freezes can lead to nasty suprises. Keep the rope on and the slack down. The big snow slopes and ice faces are widely variable right now. Again, with a good freeze, an early start and a good plan some snow and ice routes can be as good as they get. A poor freeze, a late start and some fooling around could be a recipe for disaster. Please, don't even think about the big mixed routes like the A-Strain, Ice Hose and Edith Cavell North face for the foreseeable future. Enjoy it while it lasts! Larry Stanier Mountain Guide

WE HAD TAKEN 4 FULL DAYS OFF AFTER HUASCRAN BECAUSE OF MY TOES, they were victims of superficial frost bite. Blood filled blisters formed and loss of sensation but still a long ways from my heart. The Alpamayo trip is a bit longer. From Huaraz you have to drop north to the bustling community of Caraz, from Caraz catch a taxi to Cashapampa for 40 soles ($12.00 US). A private Taxi from Huaraz ran us about 140 soles ($45 US). The ride up to Cashapampa is pretty interesting to say the least. This is also the start or ending point of the Santa Cruz trek. There is no shortage of trekkers (spit) and expeditions heading off. It is probably best to book your burros in advance from one of the agencies in Huaraz. Mind you if you show up early enough you will most likely have no problem. Come later then noon and you might be spending the night there. The trip into Alpamayo base camp is a two day journey. The trip can be made in one long one but the Burro driver will charge you for two days in and one day out. ($10 US for driver $5 US for each animal.) For Alpamayo you will require 2 animals. LLama Corrals (3750 meters)is a pretty nice stop about 4 hours and a 1000 meters of elevation gain. Day 2 it took about 4 hours the next morning to Base Camp at about 4300 meters. the same day we picked up full loads of about 35-40 kilos and trudged up to moraine camp at 4900 meters. Moraine camp is about a 100 meters from the glacier yet we could not find good water. We ended up drinking from this filthy pool. The climb to moraine almost killed us so we abandoned another 5 or 6 kilos of food and fuel. DAY 3 another big day. we were fortunate to have decent cloud cover while ascending to glacier camp >5400 meters>. There are two technical pitches before getting to the col both about 40-50 meters in length. We managed with our camp packs but it took a fair bit out of us. 4.5 hours from moraine to glacier but an American couple took as long as 10 hours. DAY 4 We head off to climb Alpamayo at 4.45 a.m. THE FRENCH DIRECT HAD BEEN CLIMBED A COUPLE OF TIMES FIRST BY SOME Americans and a couple of Argentineans however I decided that all the excitement that I needed could be had on the Ferrari route. Reasonable snow travel so it only takes about 1.5 hours to reach the base of the route. The last 70 meters of snow is angled at 50 degrees, not sure how snow stays on slopes that steep, but they do here. The shrund is no problem and after about 20 meters I am sinking my tools in perfect Peruvian neve. The climbing and placements are so bomber that the only pro I use is the periodical abalkov. Five pitches puts me under the summit ridge ice cap. 15 meters of tricky sideways climbing places us on the summit ridge proper. This is where it gets interesting. The summit is only about a 100 meters away but it is guarded by a razor sharp cornice that cannot be more then 50 cm wide. It also is formed on a narrow ice cap not the ridge proper. Foolishly we climbed to the main summit with a great deal of personal risk which looking back I am not sure is really required to get the most out of this mountain. Retreat was quick and simple as there were 60 meter abalakovs set in the ice face on the Ferrari. I was a bit worried about day time heating on the lower slopes but cloud cover eliminated most of that concern. Route was 8 hours camp to camp. The three big days had taken their toll and despite it only being just after 2 we had to stay another night. Staying above 5000 meters is never fun and we did not get much rest. Appetite was pretty much none existent. Day 5 descend to base camp which only takes about 4 or 5 hours. The oxygen feels so thick that you have to chew it before you can breath it. Arrange for donkeys to carry our stuff out the next day. Don't worry about booking return animals as they have a pretty healthy stable at base camp. You will need to book the animals for two days one for the way down and pay for then to return. JJ Mckay

Excellent conditions in the bugaboos right now. All routes on Bugaboo, Snowpatch and Crescent are dry. Pigeon has some snow on last part of west ridge and the east face/Kor route is still wet but drying fast. Howsers are in great shape. Beckey/Chouinard is mostly dry and cornice is mostly gone above east face descent. West face of North Howser is mostly dry I suspect and the Kain Route and North ridge are still mostly snow but some ice is showing through. Glacier travel is still excellent and Bugaboo/ Snowpatch col is very friendly as of today. With the current temperatures, long range forecast and the fact that it only early july, the Bugaboo /Snowpatch col MAY turn into an icy, rockfall nightmare by august. I sincerely hope I am wrong. Larry Stanier 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.

I was on June 1-3 via the Sulphide Glacier. Trail was clear until 4,000 ft. where it became snow covered – there is some pink flagging strewn about once the trail disappears but basically just continue straight uphill from where you lose the trail – caution for holes and hollow spots by buried trees etc. – until you reach the ridgecrest then just head right along the ridgecrest. The glacier is still well covered but holes are beginning to open up on the main route – of the most concern hazard wise was the large slabs of snow falling off the rock slabs (known as glide slab avalanches) that loom above the traverse to the upper camps – I suggest that once you cross the last bit of exposed scree, rather than following the main track in the snow as it traverses upward, just drop down slightly (maybe a hundred feet) to a lower bench to traverse under the hazard area – there is still a fair bit if snow hanging up there so be alert no matter what way you travel. Lots of people still skiing the glacier – main gulley on summit pyramid still has some snow in it – I dug out the solar toilets at both upper camps – temps where hot the whole time with no real freeze overnight – however the snow is still supportive and foot steps are only ankle deep. Scott Davis 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.

I went to the Casa de Guias last night to find out a bit more about the hiring a guide thing. It is a political thing with little or no support from local businesses. It is really an unclear policy/document that at the momment is not being enforced. The local guides do not support the idea or policy. They doubt very much that there will be any movement on enforcement by the next climbing season. You can sort of see that they are trying to preserve some of the wild areas of which there are very few. THEY WERE ALSO CALLING EVERYTHING ABOVE 5000 METERS WILDERNESS WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A GUIDE I THINK. JJ

July 2-4 Some snow patches getting up to the hut from Lake Ohara make some of the travelling a bit easier but those are going quick. No rockfall observed. Lows of +8 each night. Calm at the pass all of the days. Climbed W face of Lefroy yesterday. A thin melt freeze crust overlying the wet snow below. Good boot/calf steps all the way up. Hard enough in spots to warrant crampons. No avalanche activity observed on Lefroy. One party on Victoria reporting very slushy conditions with some double edged cornices. Some avalanche activity up to size 2 on the E aspects of Victoria observed. Cornices are starting to peel off randomely now as well. Seems to be a very small window of opportunity with the warm temps. Solar aspects breaking down almost immedietely. Steve Holeczi Alpine Guide/ Assistant Ski 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.

Things are fine here in Huaraz. Huge rock concert last night that had the whole place going crazy. The boys from the Extreme Bar had a beer booth so we had a great view of the band and a place to drink. then Benjamin the owner of the bar pulls Marlon and I over. " I have a surprise for you" he pulls out these Monte Rosa Cuban cigars. Cubans in this country are rarer then hens teeth around here. Marlon I might add is a cigar man. The music is kick ass, the whole valley is going crazy, beers is $.75 a can. I am surrounded by the Peruvian version of the Soparano's with the Hell's Angels as my personal body guard. Followed this up with an regrouping at the Extreme Bar. The owner placed a couple bottles of single malt on the bar and proceeded to play all the old favorites, CCR, Fleeetwood mac, janis, stones, zepplin...... Weather: The last 3weeks have been pretty much stellar weather. Clear nights are producing good freezes last most of the day ( depending on aspect). Generally the snow has been settling out providing good travel. Some instabilities in the snowpack are evident. Mostly higher elevations with solar heating the most likely trigger. Slab avalanches not point releases. Most ice routes are in good shape now with Alpamayo being in the best condition in the last two years. Bad News: Three young American climbers have been reported killed on Artjunraju (wrong spelling) It appears that all there tools (6) were placed together in the ice face. No real details coming forth so if it was a avalanche of a matter of slipping and being roped together as the cause. Condolences to friends and family! Town is full of tourists now and the high season is in full swing.

June 30- July 3. Very warm all days and no freezes. Climbed Olive and St Nick on July 1st still pretty good travel up higher on glacier. Tongue of glacier getting sloppy, thin and will soon be ice. Over to Peyto on July 2nd. Good travel up high to Thompson pass but getting very isothermal on slope leading down to Peyto hut. About 60-70 cm from mid slope down, which is less than I would have thought. From below the hut the Peyto glacier will be ice the next few days. We started on bare ice below the hut, traversed across and only were on snow for a few hundred metres to reach the main gully. Peter Amann Peter Amann Mountain Guiding Box 1495, Jasper AB, T0E 1E0 780 852 3237 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.

Went by there today. Normal route still has snow but it is going fast. Marc Ledwidge 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.

July 1-3, Columbia Icefields area. The snow is disappearing fast. On Parker's Ridge, the traditional "snow skills" area will soon be gone, and the crevasse rescue wind scoop is fading fast. The AA glacier is free of snow until just before the AA Col slope. The bergschrund is still easy, due to the avalanche debris covering it. The left side of the AA Col slope is now mostly scree. The tops of the gulleys that break through to the Mt Athabasca saddle from the AA Col slope now have 2-30 cm of snow over top of ice. Short-roping down the top part of most of these gullies is a bit risky. An easier way exists in the gulley far to climber's left/skier's right, where travel is mostly on scree. Cheers, Grant Meekins Alpine 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.

Up the East ridge and down the NW ridge yesterday. Crampons on to gain the col at the base of the E ridge in the early morning cold (05:30). Put crampons on again to cross the snow coulior on top of the lower ridge. On the level shoulder traverse possible to kick steps across several snow slopes. Crux step of the steep upper ridge is dry and snow can be mostly avoided by playing the left side of the ridge. At about 10,500' we put crampons on. Hard work traversing the summits with sometimes supportive and sometimes breakable crust. Best to rap the shale step on the NW ridge right now as snow and ice complicate turning it (if I had it to do over ...). Took crampons off at 10,560' and scramble down to the meadows to change to running shoes for the long walk out. One more week of summer weather should have the route in top drawer shape. Happy trails Barry Blanchard, Mountain Guide www.yamnuska.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.

Hot weather and rapid melting of the winter snowpack was the key factor this week. For the most part the mountains are at least a couple of weeks ahead of what would be normal snow amounts for this time of year . Most of the standard rock routes are now in excellent shape with only minor concerns about ice or snow patches on the routes or descents. Alpine snow and ice routes are in a state of transition with rapid melting. Lots of ice patches are beginning to show up on the lower slopes and the bergshrunds are beginning to gape. Deep runnels have formed higher up. With the warm overnight temperatures there has been very little crust formation and wet snow avalanching and rockfall are a real concern. Foot penetration seems to vary with aspect elevation and time of day. Although some routes are possible, careful evaluation must be given to the potential for avalanche and the lack of good protection in the transition from ice to snow. Bring insect repellent for the lower elevations. Brad White UIAGM Mountain Guide (Embedded image moved to file: pic29358.gif) _______________________________________________ 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] Ghost Climbs: Consolation/Bonanza Climbed both these area classics over the weekend. Consolation: On pitch 6, it seems more reasonable to stay high and traverse left to the anchor as opposed to dropping down and then climbing back up as the guidebook suggests. It is easier to protect the second this way. Bonanza: Some very loose and precarious blocks are situated in the lower chimney. Beware. Also, this pitch has been bolted which is not mentioned in the latest guide book. Rob Owens Ass Alpine Guide

Back from 3 days of "summer" at the Columbia icefields. Climbed Athabasca today via AA col route. (+3 parking lot 0330) Conditions held together in the gullies but only a 5cm crust is holding the gullies from being isothermal. Along the edges step kicking was reasonable, not to deep and a good crust. Above the gullies the mountain was excellent travel, good and hard both up and down. Still pretty solid in the gullies at 1030 when we were back at the bottom, but there is certainly a need for moving quickly. Looks like a new serac under the ramp on the normal route is forming and separating. A very large feature. Important to give this area a wide birth from as soon as you get on the glacier. Forget about the red line in the guide book. The normal route up the ramp looked fat and loaded. Doesn't look like there has been any traffic on the ramp in a while, or at all this season. There is an old slab on the left side that has been there for a while. Maybe this heat will clean things out. Tracks visible both on Skyladder and the descent route looked deep... post holing. I am sure the descent on south side to the AA col is sporty right now in the heat! One party we talked to spent the night out. No significant avalanche activity recently observed, but lots of wet small sluffs on the east face of Andromeda near the Strain. The cornices on Andromeda are really drooping, and they are big! A cooling trend would greatly decrease the hazards on some of these fine alpine routes. Peter Amann Peter Amann Mountain Guiding Box 1495, Jasper AB, T0E 1E0 780 852 3237 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. 11 of 36 in INBOX

Climbed the Gmoser route on Mt. Louis yesterday. Just a reminder, there are now ‘ring’ bolted anchors every 60 meters until you reach the Kain route. Keep an eye out for them as we missed the first few sets. The 5.8 pitch is a solid pitch that is best done with rock shoes. Climbs nicely as one 60 meter pitch as opposed to breaking it into two pitches as “Selected Alpine Climbs” recommends. The most notable thing about the day was the horrendous Mosquitoes on the walk in and out of the mountain. I would highly recommend repellent. Rob Owens ACMG Ass. Alpine Guide

The Bugaboos have changed a lot in the last week with all of this hot weather. People have been climbing most of the classics in generally good conditions. There is still some snow left on shady ledges but many of the routes are dry. The attached photos should give you an idea of the current conditions. Some crevasses have already started to open up and there are large cornices on the east faces of the Howser Towers. The climbers road is now open to the parking lot. Cheers Marc Piché Mountain Guide

This is a Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the South Coast Mountains region (From Vancouver to Bella Coola). Below is a 7 days summary, as well as an outlook for the next 7 days. This was compiled on June 29th, 2006. 7 Day Summary The last week’s hot weather is marking a transition between late spring and early summer. The snow pack is very rapidly melting and compacting into an early summer pack. Temperatures: During the warmest period this week freezing levels reached 4000m and the treeline temperatures peaked in the low 20’s. The snow line varies with the lowest and most snow being close to the ocean and then less snow inland. On average the snow line seems to be around treeline – 1400- 1700 metres - depending on aspect. Expect to encounter snow patches a few hundred meters below treeline anywhere but on the southern aspects; here the sun has melted most of the snow in rocky terrain up to about 2000m. -One report from Vancouver Island had the snow line at around 900 – 1000 meters, with a “fat” snow pack of 2 meters at 1200m. -Whistler Mountain has no snow left on their winter Pig Alley plot at 1535m. But on the glaciers above there is an average of two – three meters of snow. -In the Callaghan Valley there is 2.5 m covering the flat valley floor at 1350 meters. -In contrast to all this- just NE of Hope, in the Anderson River area, a report mentions only snow patches high up and under rock faces. Glaciers are still well covered but crevassed areas almost everywhere are starting to show prominent sags. You can bet that with the hot temperatures the crevasse roofs are becoming soft and fragile. Many slots are just starting to open. Areas that normally have a thin winter snow pack are in, some cases, melting away to expose crevasses and blue ice. Avalanches: It seems the late spring deep slab climax avalanche cycle ended a while back. The cornices have mostly fallen off but beware of the odd cornice perched and just waiting for a little more heat and melting which will loosen the bonds and drop load. The warm temperatures have created sluffs during the heat of the day on all aspect. Rock Fall: Only one fairly large rock fall was reported (on the Blackcomb Glacier) but one can assume lots more has happened in the last week. General travel Conditions: The snow was quite soft almost all day during the most intense part of the heat wave this past week. During this period any nighttime crust melted away by 9am and resulted in 20cm of isothermal wet mush. Sloppy conditions for walking! However reports of steeper faces sluffing to glacier ice might be of interest to those wishing a clean steeper climb. The rock ridges and buttresses on south facing aspects looks dry and quite good for climbing. A MCR posted on June 23rd shows photos of the mountains in the Duffy Lake area – expect a fair bit of snow melt since then. Many of the summer only maintained roads are passable. The Hurley Pass road was ploughed a few weeks ago. In the valleys during the height of the heat wave the creeks and rivers where running high and fast. Outlook: Weather Forecast: Environment Canada calls for continued warm tempratures for its 5 day forecast; all due to the high pressure that is maintaining warm temps and light winds. Freezing levels are forecast to be around 3200 m – 4100m (warmest days are late in the weekend). One thing to note: The UV index is 10+ (or Very High) in the alpine. This is a bit above normal and sunburns happen surprisingly fast. Mountain Travel: Expect conditions to very similar to the above summary as long as the weather stays warm and dry. Another spell of even hotter temps predicted for the weekend should make for fine mountain travel conditions. But bear in mind that the warm conditions will break down nighttime crusts quickly in the AM. We are still in a transition of seasons and all that melting snow = above average rockfall/sluff/cornice fall/ avalanche hazards. If your traveling on glaciers look out for sags and crevasses especially in areas with a thin snowpack. Take lots of water if you are climbing in Squamish! The information for this summary was gathered from the Whistler – Duffy Lake, Van Island, and Hope areas. Keep in mind that conditions at higher elevations, such as in the Waddington Range will be different – likely cooler and more spring like. Have a great Canada Day Long weekend. Play safe and have fun. Dave Sarkany Ski Guide

June 27th, accelerated start up the spine of the left hand berm/morraine to rockband just left of single waterfall. Good 50 m cable to pull on here (a Canadian via ferrata! relic of the mining days?), watch for burs and metal slivers. Up ledges left of the drainage to a cliff where the drainage is split into two with two waterfalls. Easy and quick traverse right (unseen seracs above so hustle) to a treed shoulder leading up to the right skyline and the big bench right of the glacier. Did 4 or 5 of the upper ridge pitches to a number of bivy ledges, one of which is the big one, and the one that we slept on, snow may be gone from here in awhile. June 28th, long day up the long ridge, 6 am start to 8pm finish on the summit and a 2nd comfortable bivy. Numerous passages of wet ice and slushy snow up high. Started a number of sloppy surface sluffs, but the snow underlying was good mature summer stuff. 2-4 icescrews would have been helpful, we took none (all the ice and snow could go away with another week or two of summer). June 29th, descended the South ridge to the col above the North glacier with one 50m rappel and one 15m one. Walked down snow slopes into the remote and lovely valley behind Mt Stephen. Stayed high riding skier's right treeline, then tending right once in the trees to eventually meet the Fossil Bed trail (easy bushwack actually). This is a different descent than the SW ridge written in Selected Alpine which looked to be tedious with a thick icing of snow sitting of the ridge. Long route, grade VI for most parties. Much choss overall. I think that the E ridge of Mt Patterson is a similar and better route. Happy trails Barry Blanchard, mountain guide www.yamnuska.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.