The weather is always the crux in the Bugaboos.
From August 25th to the 31st my partner and I traveled up to the Bugaboos for our first time. We had hoped to Climb the Kain, the NE Ridge of Bugaboo Spire and the Beckey/Chouinard on South Howser Tower, but the snow and ice kept us from some of our goals.
For a full trip report with photos and video, check out
http://drews-adventures.blogspot.com
The short of it...
-The road is in good condition... typical logging road conditions.
-The approach really is not very fun. 3 miles? It felt like 10. Pack as light as possible.
-It wasn't crowded; the weather probably scared people away.
-The Col was in terrible condition; rockfall was common and unavoidable and the 'shrund was long and wide.
-We used double ropes; really helped us when we had to bail from the top of the NE Ridge and rap down the East Face.
-La Sportiva Trango S Evo boots are the perfect boots for the Bugaboos. My feet did get cold, but then again my whole body was cold. They climb really well on rock.
-Expect snow in the Bugaboos in August.
-If you are planning on climbing anything in the Bugaboos... try and get up and down by 1:00pm. You could almost keep time by the weather.
All in all it was a great trip, and if it wasn't for the horrid weather we would've been able to accomplish our goals. I think we've scored some good weather points for our next trip
