jmckay Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 ATHABASCA/Ice-fields June 2nd. Light rain most of the day to 2600m and light snow above. May 3rd. Climbed Athabasca via AA col. Mix of sun and cloud, cool and strong(50-70kmh) SW winds all day. Good travel on a 5cm raincrust to 2600m and a mix of crust and old avalanche debris above that. All recent snow has been blown away on the AA route but there may be some crisp, fresh windslabs in some deep N facing gullies and low on the big North facing slopes. Saw LOTS of recent and observed avalanche activity on the Banff Jasper highway south of the icefields in the afternoon heat, especially between 2400 and 2700m's. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 4, 2006 Author Share Posted June 4, 2006 Hi folks: I thought I'd share this as it's related to the MCR -- promoting safety in the backcountry. "Trailex" has just emerged as a grassroots initiative here in the Bow Valley. If you're planning a climbing trip that takes you through bear country (i.e., any climb I can think of around here!), you might like to check it out the night before to see if there have been any recent dangerous wildlife sightings or signs: "Trailex is a website that allows trail users to share information about trail safety in the Bow Valley (from Banff to Bragg Creek). The goal is to keep humans and wildlife safe. You can view recent postings before you choose where you want to go. Or you can post a message. Share this website with all your friends!" Anyone is welcome to view posts or contribute. http://trailex.org Regards, Tom Wolfe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 Up to Castle Hut June 4th. If you haven't been there in awhile be aware that you need one green Coleman type propane tank (465 g) for the stove and lantern. Lots of water running in the approach gully. June 5, Castle Tower, 1926 route. Several snow gullies to cross on Goat Plateau, could be a problem with a freeze overnight and no ice ax. 60 m of snow in the scree bowl half way up the route avoided on ascent by climbing the rock rib -climbers left (rappelled down the snow on the way down). Overall the route is dry and good to go, lots of snow seen on the back side, still some ice on rockbound lake. Happy trails Barry Blanchard Mountain Guide Yamnuska Mountain Adventures _______________________________________________ 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 Out on a Snow and Ice Long Weekend Course with Yamnuska and climbed the AA col route on Mt. Athabasca today. +6 in the parking lot at 0400 but good travel both on the glacier and the steep slopes up to the col/plateau on Mt. Athabasca. Bergschrund not a big issue yet, and the slopes above had slide previously and refrozen into a supportive crust. Below this crust the snow was quite wet and soft. Very strong winds and a few cm's of new snow were forming some soft slabs and exfoliating any exposed skin. Lots of spindrift coming down steep gullies above 2800m. Might find some new slabs on high N aspects to watch for... Descended the way we came. The crust on the lower glacier was just starting to break down by noon but still provided good travel. Other stuff: Snow bridges lower down (2500m) on the N. Glacier below Mt. Athabasca yesterday were quite wet/soft and weak. Cheers, Conrad Janzen A person should have wings to carry them where their dreams go, but sometimes a pair of skis makes a good substitute. -Hans Gmoser- __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 8, 2006 Author Share Posted June 8, 2006 (edited) The Big step on the East Ridge is climbable but some wet areas. Snowy above this. Picture shows the Black Towers and exit gully. The correct exit gully does not have a cornice but obviously full of snow. Other (incorrect) gullies are heavily corniced. If the upper route was climbed early in the morning before the sun is on it and after a good freeze, it would be pretty good. This would mean making the route a two day affair with a bivy. Temp. there @ 10,000' this morning at 10:30 was +6 C. Descent gully on Castle looks quite good with some snow still in the middle. As Barry said, still lots of snow on top which would mean some wallowing to get across from Brewers. Marc Ledwidge Mountain Guide ____________________East Ridge Accident that Mark failed to mention. More of the same. east ridgeclimber saved by mindless rope. ___________________________ 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. Edited June 9, 2006 by jmckay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 9, 2006 Author Share Posted June 9, 2006 Two things to note around Squamish. Papoose: Hair Pin - There is a hanger missing on the first pitch just before the anchors. The bolt is still intact. It would be useful if someone brought a hanger and nut up there. Apron: Sparrow - There is a microwave size block / flake that is perched on the last pitch of Sparrow. Situated 3 meters above the last gear / small tree belay, 55m from the top of Broadway Ledge. The loose flake / block has some very sharp edges. Roger Sarrasin ACMG Rock Guide -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.3/359 - Release Date: 08/06/2006 _______________________________________________ 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains, issued June 10th, 2006. Mountain travel conditions are generally more like we would expect for early july than mid june. Widespread snowcover begins around 2700m(9000ft) and the whole snowpack up to at least 3350m(11,000ft) has undergone numerous melt freeze cycles and is in late spring/early summer condition. We have no recent reports from above 3350m(11,000ft) but I would suspect it is still feels like winter high on all but the south sides of Mt. Robson, Clemenceau, Columbia etc. Access and approach trails for the Bugaboos, Rogers Pass, Lake Louise group, Columbia Icefields etc are generally in good condition. Rivers and creeks are still high and there may be lots of unrepaired trail damage from the winter but snow should not be a big issue, outside of old avalanche deposits, below 2500m's. Alpine rock routes on all except North faces and especially east of the divide in the Rockies are in good early season conditions. Some examples would be from Castle Mtn east to Yamnuska in the Bow Valley, the Colin range in Jasper, Mt Tupper and Macdonald west face in Rogers Pass and Snowpatch and Marmolata in the Bugaboos. These should all dry out quickly if and when the rain stops. Examples of routes still buried in snow would be the East Ridge of Edith Cavell, North face of Mt. Temple, NW arete on Sir Donald, and the NE ridge of Bugaboo spire. Glacier travel and snow and ice climbing conditions are generally poor for this weekend due to the present warm and wet pacific storm. Condition will remain poor until we get back into a period of colder temperatures. As long as we don't get any signifigant new snow out of this storm, snow conditions could quickly become excellent with one good cold, clear night. However, we can still expect another cycle of falling cornices, failing snow bridges, wet snow avalanches and rockfall when the alpine snowpack next meets the afternoon heat under a hot june sun. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 What about the ice fields north faces? Buried or in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 13, 2006 Author Share Posted June 13, 2006 John I pulled this off live-the-vision.com I am in Peru at the moment. Best to check that site out till I get back in the middle of july. My guess is that it is a bit early just yet but sounds like we are having a early alpine season. Joe Athabasca - 2006/06/12 15:23 Well, we had a fun weekend, even if we did goof up a bit on predicting the weather. We arrived at the CI area Friday afternoon to socked in weather and pouring rain. As the evening progressed, the weather stayed pretty terrible, so we decided to sleep in a bit Saturday morning (since some of our party arrived later Friday night) and go up Boundary on Saturday saving our strength for Sunday morning. Ooops. Saturday's weather turned great and Sunday was for crap. We did get up Boundary in the sun and had a pretty good day on the glacier. Snow was pretty isothermic once off the beaten track. Observations: The North Glacier route is not being traveled often right now. Snow is deep and it looks pretty wind loaded. The usual seracs are completely buried where they typically threaten clibers headed up the ramp. The AA Col route is being used and thanks to the tracks, travel is reasonable even with the amount of snow. A guide and his client headed out early Sunday morning (we went back to bed as it was POURING) and they didn't make it off the glacier thanks to heavy rain and poor visibiliy. The approach trails are snow free and the very bottom of the North Glacier is ice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Frieh Posted June 13, 2006 Share Posted June 13, 2006 You guys rock it for regular updates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 15, 2006 Author Share Posted June 15, 2006 Spent Monday out guiding in the Blackcomb backcountry. Wanted to go up the route "29 forever" on Huesume buttress, however the two small snowpatches were still there and letting a fair bit of water seep down the rest of the route. All other rock routes look to be in very good (dry) conditions. Because of the technical nature of the other routes we went up the "high feeder chute" at the right side of the buttress then continued straight up mid 5th steps to the top. This worked out fairly well however there is a bit of loose rock in places, its best to stay on the ridges and out of the gullies. From the top we continued along the NW ridge of Spearhead peak. The Ridge is free of snow. If you wish to keep on the aesthetic ridge crest and not drop down on the North ledges a few finger to 1.5 inch pieces are useful. There are no open holes on the Blackcomb glacier however there are a few holes and sags on the Spearhead glacier. The Spearhead traverse still has tones of snow an I'm sure the traverse is very doable on skis. Travel condition on Monday were not the best with shin to knee deep penetrating even at 8:30 am. Take care, Craig McGee, IFMGA __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains, issued june 15th, 2006. There has been relatively little change in the mountain conditions in the past week. Some warm days and some large rain events have continued the trend towards summer conditions below 3000m. At 7pm on June 15th in the Lake Louise area it appeared to be raining to at least 3350m(11,000ft.) No recent new snow at all on the N face of Mt Temple. Approximately 10mm of rain fell in the Lake OHara area today and snow is almost non-existent in the OHara area to treeline. There was a report of two large slab avalanches(size 2.5) releasing with daytime heating the afternoon of June 12th on 40-50 degree east facing terrain around 3000m on the Wapta. Travel conditions are generally not great at the present, wet rock and wet weak snow being the main characteristics. Conditions in the Rockies and Selkirks will remain poor until we get back into a period of colder overnight temperatures. Again, all that wet snow SHOULD freeze nicely with a cold, clear night. If it the skies do clear, pay attention to the strength of the snow and try and be off any avalanche terrain and glaciers before the snow gets sloppy with the daytime heating. Alpine rock routes on the east slope of the Rockies and on south and west facing terrain in the Columbia are thoroughly soaked right now but could dry off fairly quickly when(and if) the rain stops. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toast Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 21, 2006 Author Share Posted June 21, 2006 (edited) Climbed Mt. Stanley with Jeremy Mackenzie today. Cooler temperatures over the last two days helped make a generally supportive crust on the glacier in the early morning which began to deteriorate by about 1000hrs. Below this crust the snow is still very moist and in some locations not well consolidated making us a bit leary of steep slopes as the day warmed up. The toe of the glacier is still mostly snow covered (though not for long) making for good travel up to the base of the routes on the North side of Mt. Stanley. The Y and Waterman Couloir's had open bergschrunds and are topped by very large cornices so we gave them a miss. The North Face (Kahl) Route was in good shape with a well covered bergschrund followed by several pitches of ice. The upper section was covered in snow and we avoided it due to warming temperatures. Instead we followed the NW Ridge (descent route) to the top. A nice descent back down the NW Ridge with a couple 25m rappels and then down a snow gully to the climbers right of the lower North Face, brought us back to the main glacier. With cooler temperatures and clear skies this route should be in shape again for early morning travelers. If things heat up there is still quite a bit of snow up high which could become a concern. Cheers, Conrad Janzen ACMG Ski & Asst. Alpine Guide -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta._______________________________________________ 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. Edited June 21, 2006 by jmckay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 21, 2006 Author Share Posted June 21, 2006 MCR] Moraine Lake and Lake OHara areas, June 19th, 2006 North faces of Fay and Quadra are snowy from glacier to ridge and cornices don't look too huge from a distance. Perren approach looks damp but climbable. Temple looks pretty snowy above 3000m's on the tourist route. Great conditions today with a good freeze overnight on Wenkchemna pass and Opabin pass. Regular routes on Odaray, Lefroy, Cathedral, Ringrose and Glacier peak look good with a good freeze. Grassi Ridge and Watchtower are dry. Odaray Tarrant Buttress, Hungabee and Biddle are still way too snowy to be reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 21, 2006 Author Share Posted June 21, 2006 Just spent the weekend up on Baker. The mountain is in great condition. Snow level is at 4700 ft ( about tree line on the Colman Deming route) Camped at the top of the moraine (6000ft) were there is running water. We left our camp at 4:00 am with a great over night freeze (0c). Crampons right from the tent. Someone has put the up track right from tent city ( The regular camp at about 7000ft) up through crevasses and steep slopes then right under icefall on Colfax peak. I highly recommend taking the bench 100-200m lower. It's much more efficient and less threatened from crevasses and the ice fall. The Roman Headwall was in very firm conditions. A slip here would mean a long ride down the Headwall. Proper care shold be taken hear with either belayed climbing It was quite cold on the summit with a temp of about -5 or -10 with the wind chill. We got back to camp at around 1:00pm with minor post holing for the last 1500ft. Take Care, Craig McGee IFMGA __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 22, 2006 Author Share Posted June 22, 2006 Hi, Things are slowly shaping up in the Bugs. There has been a bit of recent new snow above 9500ft that is still sticking to the very high north sides of the peaks. The winter snowpack is slowly melting away and is getting patchy in the moraines above the hut. Travel is variable but is generally good if you can avoid the shallow areas near rocks. There is still snow on much of the kain route and on most shady ledges above 9000ft. Routes on the sunny aspects of the smaller peaks like Crescent Spire and the Crescent Towers might be getting pretty dry but I would guess that most of the bigger stuff (Bugaboo N.E Ridge, Snowpatch Route, Kain route) could still be a little sporty. The last few kilometres of road into the park are still closed due to the recent construction of last fall and a very rainy spring. Temporary parking is on the edge of the airstrip near the CMH Bugaboo lodge and access to the trail is gained by walking past the gate, up the driveway then across the lawn to join the park road. There is active logging in a few places up to the 14 kilometre with lots of trucks using the road. The frequency for the road is 158.46 for those with radios. Also, the trail to the hut was washed out last fall in the open slide path below the ladders. I have not heard anything about the shape of the trail yet this spring but a few parties have been up it already. Cheers, Marc Piché Mountain Guide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 23, 2006 Author Share Posted June 23, 2006 West Coast Mountain Conditions – June 22, 2006 Summer is finally arriving on the south coast. Time to dust off the crampons and ice axes. But first here are a few things to consider… Weather over the past few weeks has seen a series of brief intense showers and broken sky’s with the odd very intense rain event. The freezing level has been sitting around 7000’, with about 10cm of new snow in the upper alpine. Sunday night (June 18th) stands as the first good coastal freeze of the season. Presently, with these overnight freezes the snowpack carries well in the AM but breaks down rapidly midday and more resembles the previous weeks travel conditions, with boot top or more foot penetration in a wet grained unconsolidated upper snowpack. Wet loose-snow avalanches have been frequent on steep terrain, all aspects, over the past couple of weeks. These sluffs can easily and rapidly entrain enough mass to knock a climber off there feet and into or over very hazardous terrain. Be cautioned that this early in the season even a good overnight freeze will breakdown rapidly on steep solar affected terrain, a condition further exacerbated by the new snow from last week storms. This effect is especially true on snow slopes where there is an abundant amount of exposed rock to further heat the snowpack. There have been a few reports of recent deep slab releases (some to ground), triggered by cornice failures. These are mostly 1-2 weeks old now, but there is still some lingering cornice hazard. Keep your heads up. Snow coverage on glaciated terrain is reported to be better in all regions then has been seen over the past few years (for this time of year), especially as you move North through the Coast Range. Presently, crevasses are well bridged and travel less complex Expect to find plenty of moisture in seams and cracks on most alpine rock, the product of the wet weather of recent. A more enduring affect, this season in particular, will be the melting affect on routes with features that tend to hold snow on ledges and gullies. In terms of access, Snow line remains just below 5000’. A meter plus of snow was recently reported at the Keith Flavelle Hut at 5500’. Safe to say that river and creek crossings will be challenging with the available snow and rising temps. Clear sky’s are forecast to dominate the mountains by Friday AM and continue through the weekend and into next week. Freezing levels are expected to climb to 4000m by Sunday. A few things to keep in mind with this forecasted midday heating are, first, all aspects especially steep solar exposed aspects will continue to be prone to wet slides. Snow travel quality will rapidly diminish mid day. Expect more sagging and collapsed snow bridges on glaciers in the coming days. Be cautious of the threat posed by the many large cornices which linger from the past winter. Happy Climbing! Keith Reid, 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 23, 2006 Author Share Posted June 23, 2006 Summary of conditions to date – Rockies and Interior Ranges June 22, 2006 This past week saw unstable weather throughout the region, resulting in thunderstorms with slightly cooler and wetter weather – trace amounts of new snow were reported in alpine areas above 3000 m, but this quickly melted off on sun exposed aspects. South facing rock climbing is generally good and dry, except at the highest elevations. The mountains are ahead of themselves for what is typical of late June – conditions seem typical of mid July. Most trails are dry and the summer melt is well into moraine areas now. Some crevasses and bergshrunds are starting to open up, but in general the glaciers remain well covered. As the snow continues to melt, it’s the thinner snowpack areas near the firn line where crevasse bridges may be at their weakest. Sky cover and air temperature determine snow conditions each day – clear nights will produce a solid crust, where cloudy nights or warm days will not. The thickness of the crust will determine how long it lasts each day – so dig down and check. If its 20 cm thick then you’re probably good for a while; if its 4 cm thick then you might think about hurrying up or going somewhere else. This past week the solid crusts began to deteriorate between 10 and 11am. Along with melting snow comes rockfall, which was observed this week on Mt. Aberdeen as the day warmed up. Choose sheltered routes and try to cross any areas prone to rockfall early in the day. The forecast for this weekend looks good (after Friday’s thunderstorms). Clear skies should provide a good freeze, but valley bottom temps into the mid 20’s will melt things early. Get an early start and be down by mid afternoon before the crusts melt, rocks fall and thunderstorms move in. Looks like a great weekend to be in the hills! Grant Statham Mountain Guide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 24, 2006 Author Share Posted June 24, 2006 Went climbing in the Anderson river group over the past few days. The road has two gates on right now so you need to get the key from Cattermole timber in Chilliwack (9-5 mon through friday, 604 823 6525) The Road is in 2wd shape up to the parking area. The approach road is getting in fairly bad shape, with tough travel through alder for the first hour. Don't follow the road all the way as the Alpine select book says. Instead take the left fork when you pass over the creek in the valley, Head south (left) for about 1 Km in tight alder till you get to the first band of old growth. From here head easily straight up towards les Cornes. There is much less snow in this area than out closer to the coast, with snow only up high under the rock faces. We had hoped to climb up on Steinbok however there is alot of running water on all aspect due to large cornices on the summit. It looks like they will be around for a while. We instead climbed on the south buttress of Les Cornes. Conditions were good on this aspect. The rap anchors are all in good condition. Two 55m raps into the gully, then some downclimbing and one 60 m over a waterfall to the snow. One may want to make an additional rap just above the last rappel (pins needed). Its still easy to get water up under the routes. Craig McGee, MG/IFMGA __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted June 24, 2006 Author Share Posted June 24, 2006 Climbed grassi ridge on wiwaxy today june 23rd. Route in good condition. Decent had 2 patches of snow to cross, but I could get good steps in. Still look wintery up high on Victoria, Hungabee etc. Cheers Todd Craig, Mtn guide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmace Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 Theres patchy snow at the Flavelle hut, lake is completely unfrozen. Glacier route to Joffre lakes in good condition. Many people climbing NE, NW face of Matier. Australian Coulour in good shape. Tracks up Slalok, cornices still exist over the NE face of Joffre over all routes and are ready to go. Jesse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 At 07:00 am at 2300 meters on Vaux Glacier (Yoho Park) this morning air temp was +11.00. Snow surface temp was 0 and temp down 10 cm was -0.5. Air temp at 13:30 was up to +25, a bit cooler where glacial downflow is present. With the hot spell and very short nights, overnight crust formation is minimal and NOT lasting till morning. Some slab activity is also being observed with this hot spell. This translates to generally poor snow conditions. Warden Service Banff/Yoho/Kootenay _______________________________________________ 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 With the spell of good weather continuing , we again visited Rogers Pass and climbed the ‘Jones Route’ (western most buttress) on the south face of Mnt Tupper. Parked at the Hermit parking area, then scrambled to the base of the buttress in two hours. Unlike Mt. McDonald a few days earlier, the snow in the gullies on the south aspects is disappearing quickly and what remains was too firm to allow for good step kicking. The route itself consisted of 16ish pitches of up to 5.9 climbing, blessed with a healthier coating of lichen than most routes could ever dream of! A standard rack up to a #3 Camelot and rock shoes were definitely appreciated. Although it had a few redeeming pitches, in hindsight, overall not a route I could recommend. Beautiful to look at, but hard to establish any sense of climbing ‘flow’. Put it on your ‘B’ list when you’re looking for something different and expect a full day with an early start. Descent down the normal West Ridge, then over to Hermit Meadows and down the trail. Snowline is now just above the campground, with the tent platforms pretty much melted out. Cheers, Paul Norrie 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. 2 of 36 in INBOX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmckay Posted July 1, 2006 Author Share Posted July 1, 2006 Went up the N glacier of Ipsoot Mt. (20Km north of Whistler) today. Got dropped off at a lake at 6000' and took a middle line up the glacier to the summit. Found sun cups and generally easy travel to about 7200' - here the snow gradually changed sloppy with a soft non sun cupped top layer that made for 20cm foot penetration. This soft snow lasted to the summit at 8200'. The snow depth at 7000' (in a flat bowl, low wind effect) was 2 meters. The crevasses were quite saggy and lots are opening up. Lots of ice showing in winded areas. A light southerly breeze was a great airconditioner during this beautiful day with no clouds. Dave Sarkany 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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