ACMG Mountain Conditions Report

[MCR] Mt. Andromeda, Skyladder

2013-05-22T06:20:00.000-07:00

Climbed Mt. Andromeda over the weekend via the Skyladder route and found excellent conditions in the alpine. A good freeze (10-15cms thick) made for quick travel on the glaciers and the bergschrund under the route was easily passable on the climbers right hand side. The face was a mixture of boot top snow for the first few rope lengths turning to alpine ice for the upper half. We used pickets, ice screws and 6-8 small to medium size wires for anchors.

Travel to the summit was also in good shape with ankle deep snow that provided good footing on the ridge. The cornices are large in spots and care is required to stay well away from them. We descended down the true AA col via 5 or 6 ice anchors and a final snow anchor to get over the bergschrund, which is quite open in spots.

Overall we found that if you get a good freeze and can move quickly the alpine is in very good shape right now...of course this may change with the next system moving in tonight.

A great day in the mountains. Have fun!

Mike Stuart

IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide

CanadianAlpineGuides.com

[MCR] Rockfall event EEOR

2013-05-20T15:20:00.001-07:00

A major rockfall event occurred on the East End of Rundle (EEOR) today. A large slab of rock fell off the cliff just before midday and hit Highway 742. The highway is currently closed due to debris in the driving lanes and is not expected to re-open until Wednesday. The rockfall occurred on Whiteman Crag and has affected the lower part of the route called "Die Young, Stay Pretty". The extent of the changes to this route is not yet known.

A few photos have been posted on https://www.facebook.com/KCPublicSafety

Jeremy Mackenzie
IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide
Kananaskis Country Public Safety

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 17th, 2013

2013-05-17T13:21:00.001-07:00

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 17th, 2013 ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 17th, 2013 It is a bit of a cool world in the mountains right now. Temperatures are generally cool and the forecast looks like more grey and cool come sunday. Low elevation rock climbing is probably the best bet right now. There is still snow up high especially as you get close to the divide in all the ranges. Things like Mt Louis, Castle Mtn, Tupper etc would still be snowy on the approaches and there would likely be snow on ledges and shaded gullies. This means we still have some rockfall cycles to go through as that snow melts. Alpine climbing conditions may be ok in places but somewhere above 2800m the remaining cornices are still a big deal. The snowpack has probably gained some strength after the recent big warm spells and now this cool period. Hopefully the cycle of really big spring avalanches triggered by the first hot spell of the spring is over. The potential of smaller wet avalanches in the heat of the day or triggered by rain will be with us for a few weeks yet. Glacier travel is probably pretty good if you get a decent freeze but with a warm snowpack crevasse bridges are probably poor. Keeners are still getting some good skiing in and if we get a clear spell soon there could be some fantastic corn skiing. Keep your eyes wide open for hunting cougars, foraging bears, calving elk, falling rocks and May long weekend drivers. They are all scary at times. Larry Stanier 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] Little Whaleback - Bob Creek Wildland Provincial Park, Alberta

2013-05-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 5 through Friday , May 10 - A group of Toronto high school students, their teacher, and I enjoyed this near perfect stretch of spring weather in the montane and sub-alpine lands just north of the Oldman River (west of highway 22 south [Maycroft 82/G-16]). We travelled northward up Camp Creek and returned via the spine of the Little Whaleback [953 372].

Temperatures ranged from -2°C into the mid twenties. It was down right hot on the southern aspects at mid day. We observed water levels rising through the week but were able to manage crossings of both Camp Creek and Bob Creek with gaiters and 'quick steps'. Pockets of isothermal snow are lingering in the darkest shadows as low as 1520m, however, the primary trails are very dry. On two occasions we found water ice and frozen turf along our route. It was all easily avoided and we chose not to venture above 1800m on steeper northern aspects (see photo of Livingston Lookout). Given the temperatures, this will all change rapidly.

I was expecting more signs of bears in the area. We saw some dried up prints in the mud but no scat or other signs. I was also expecting to be ravaged by ticks but we didn't find one. There was evidence of recent hunting activity, however, we didn't see anyone else all week.

If you can get past the fact that this is rangeland country (fence lines and cow pies), this area is true Alberta beauty. Discovering the 400 year old Douglas Fir giants in these hills is an experience not to be missed.

For those interested in this area, The Whaleback - A Walking Guide by Bob Blaxley is a recommended resource.

[livingston_lookout.JPG: Telephoto view of the Livingston Fire Lookout taken looking SE from the Little Whaleback ridge]

[bob_creek.JPG: Hiking open ground along the lower reaches of Bob Creek after descending from the Little Whaleback ridge]

Mark Miller

Assistant Hiking Guide

[MCR] Southern Great Divide Ski Traverse, Rockies, May 2-11, 2013

2013-05-11T16:54:00.001-07:00

Just completed a 10 day ski traverse of the Southern portion of the Great Divide with Owen Short, Sara Mae, Jenn, Thomas, and Sepp!

We began up the Alexandra River valley May 2nd and exited via Bow Lake this morning, with ascents of Lyell, Mons, Barbette and Baker along the way. With early starts we had very good spring travel conditions overall and were fortunate to have ten days of sunshine in a row! A spectacular trip in some beautiful, remote country with nothing but bear tracks for company!

Early morning travel conditions on the glaciers were excellent with solid over night recoveries despite the warm temperatures (+7'C at Peyto hut at 0400 this morning). A supportive crust in open areas was still present down to Bow Lake at 0900 today. Isothermal snow was found beneath this crust in thin alpine areas and below treeline with some wallowing near rocks and trees. The canyon below Bow Hut required some wading to descend and soon will not be passable.

Avalanche activity revolved around daytime warming with low hazard in the mornings and considerable to high hazard by late morning or early afternoon especially on steep solar aspects. We observed numerous wet slides to size 3 on solar aspects as well as many cornice failures as things heated during the days. Quite a few slabs of various depths have failed recently on depth hoar or other persistent weak layers on all aspects, but this activity seemed to have diminished over the past few days.

For future reference if you are planning this trip...

We were able to ski 90% of the way up the Alexandra River on May 2nd. We gained the Alexandra Glacier via the left side with some boot packing through the rock cliffs below the glacier toe to avoid the serac hazard on the right. Crampons may become necessary to gain the glacier depending on how the glacier recedes, we were still able to ski onto the left side of the toe.

Many thanks to Larry Dolecki for the use of the Mons Hut as a great spot to overnight and to store our food cache.

The Mons rappels are well set up with a 25m and a 25-30m rappel off bolts equipped with cord and mallions. Bring replacement cord for these. A 60m lower worked well for the first 5 folks in the crew then two raps for the final person. While descending from the Mons rappel into Forbes Creek stay on skiers R of the creek once in the trees.

The climbers L (East) of the two possible Niverville Col options has a nicer lower angle entrance onto the Freshfields but both work.

Descending from tree line on skiers R of Lambe Creek has well spaced trees to use if required, and an easy log crossing of the Blaeberry River was present at the confluence with Lambe Creek this year.

Traversing along the bench to gain Parapet Creek was a bit of a grunt but certainly preferable to the Blaeberry River descent, a higher line may be easier.

Lower elevation trees in both the Blaeberry River and Forbes Creek areas provided wet but generally supportive travel on a more dense snow pack even late in the afternoon.

A really great trip to go and experience!

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.banffmountainguides.com

[MCR] Yamnuska

2013-05-09T17:21:00.001-07:00

Climbed Western Union and the first bit of Broken Wing today (May 9) on Yamnuska. Both of these routes are dry and in good condition.

However, a fair amount of snow and ice is lingering on the summit ridge and in protected chimneys, gullies, cracks and ledges. We saw lots of seeping water on the cliff and heard a large nasty-sounding rockfall in King's Chimney around midday. Avoiding the chimney and gully-style routes right now seems like a good idea until another week or two of warm temperatures can get rid of the snow and ice and reduce the rockfall potential.

Have fun!

Jeremy Mackenzie
IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide

[MCR] Conditions in Glacier National Park

2013-05-09T15:27:00.000-07:00

Spring has definitely hit Rogers Pass, with record high temperatures for
this time of year. Rapid and intense daytime warming, with little
overnight recovery, has caused an interesting avalanche cycle in the past
few days. Specifically, numerous very large avalanches (to size 3.5),
releasing very deep in the snowpack, or to ground, have been observed.
While it is not uncommon to have many moist or wet avalanches at this time
of year, the fact that we have seen so many large slab avalanches, many of
which have run to valley bottom, is a good reminder that we still have a
Persistent Weak Layer (PWL) problem. If you are planning on skiing at the
Pass in the next while, be aware of the potential for large slab avalanches
which could fail anytime of day or night, in addition to more typical
springtime moist afternoon avalanche cycles.

(See attached file: IMG_0075.JPG)(See attached file: IMG_0099.JPG)

Sylvia Forest
Mountain Guide

[MCR] Wapta May 3-8

2013-05-09T06:26:00.000-07:00

Hamish Sanderson and I guided a group on the Wapta during the great
transformation period into summer. We went in Peyto in good
conditions on the 3rd, spent a few days at Peyto skiing to the
Baker-Habel Col on the 4th, and Mt Rhonda on the 5th enroute to Bow Hut.
We climbed Mt Olive on the 6th enroute to Balfour hut, and Mt Gordon
on the 7th, returning to Bow hut.

Initially we had planned to go out Sherbrooke but changed plans
deciding that this section could present poor conditions below alpine
elevations, with an increased hazard as well.
A few other parties did continue over to Sherbrooke, would be
interesting to know how that went.

On May 4th we witnessed a very large wet slab on the south aspects of
Peyto peak come down near the shores of Peyto Lake. In the following
days till the evening of the 7th. we saw widespread avalanche
activity on east, west and south aspects.

Of note was a size 3 on the upper bench of Mt Balfour which released
early on May 7th. This was an icefall avalanche.
The moraines below Bow hut also cleaned out with debris right next to
the trail.(late afternoon on the 7th) Many of the pockets above on
the west side of Crowfoot peak also released.
The east side of the Onion skin had a very large size 3+ on the
morning of the 8th, which most probably came out late on the 7th, and
was most likely cornice triggered..

The slopes above Bow lake, visible from the highway. are a testament
to the nature of activity in the Bow Summit area.

Skiing up high on the glacier was what spring skiing is all about,
great travel in the mornings with great skiing in the afternoons.
However, once you drop below the glaciers, isothermal conditions were
evident in the afternoons. Only on the morning of the 4th did we have
temperatures below freezing. However we did have good travel all days.

We had a good hard crust coming out of Bow hut early on the 8th but
the canyon is quickly changing and I would recommend taking the
summer trail in the lower canyon to avoid open water.
Bow, Peyto and Hector lakes are all down to ice. Bow lake was good
skate skiing with no signs of open water.

Driving north to Jasper was interesting as there was much less
activity, and most of it appeared to be loose slides with much less
slab activity.

I was amazed to see how much snow had been lost in the last 6 days.

Peter Amann
Mountain Guide.

Peter Amann
Mountain Guiding
Box 1495, Jasper AB, T0E 1E0
780 852 3237
cell 780 931 2521
www.incentre.net/pamann/
pamann@incentre.net
amannpeterr@gmail.com

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 02, 2013

2013-05-02T13:19:00.000-07:00

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 02, 2013 It's been a fairly cool end of April, with plenty of snow left in alpine regions. In the Interior ranges, there have been reports of good skiing still to be had, with up to 30cm over the past week in the alpine. A pronounced crust is present everywhere on solar aspects, and below 2000m on shady aspects. Valley bottom travel above 1100-1200m is reported to still be adequate with a good overnight freeze, but is dwindling fast. The biggest concerns reported have been isolated wind slabs or storm slabs in steep, lee alpine terrain, and solar triggered wet snow avalanches in the afternoons. There have been good snow and travel conditions in the Rockies as well with cool temperatures over the last few days. Wind slabs and loose snow avalanches can still be triggered in steep alpine features, especially where they overly harder crusts and bed surfaces. On Wednesday, one person in the Aemmer couloir on the North face of Mount Temple was taken down 300m in a loose snow avalanche caused by another party above, luckily with no injuries. Starting this weekend we could see the first really big warm-up of the spring,with freezing levels to 3000m or higher. This will likely cause a natural avalanche cycle at some point during the week. A Special Avalanche Warning (SPAW) has been issued for Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks for May 4-5 due to these warming temperatures and how they will affect many hiking trails in the runout zones of avalanche paths. Each day will be warmer than the last through to the middle of next week, with higher overnight temperatures resulting in little to no freeze of the snowpack by the end of the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised to see some deeper slab releases, especially on solar aspects, and some really big cornice failures. Ice climbs at lower elevations are mainly delaminated or have given up for the season. Only high, north facing climbs will be in good condition, but I would wait until the temperatures drop again before committing to these climbs and other alpine li nes. You may be able to sneak out for a quick trip in the hills with a decent overnight freeze, but your window of opportunity on any snowy or icy adventures will likely be quite small this coming week. However, your window of opportunity on sunny, low elevation rock climbs will be quite large, and many crags in the front ranges and Revelstoke region are mainly dry. Stephen Holeczi 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] Mt. Revelstoke Park (Selkirk Mtns.) and Mt. Begbie (Monashee Mtns) May 1/2013

2013-05-01T22:03:00.001-07:00

Snuck in a great day in the local mtns with the assistance of one of our local helictopter companies for access (the skiing within Mt. Revelstoke park was ski touring only).

There was 15 to 30 cms of snow from Sundays storm and the last couple of days of snow showers – no additional snow today under scattered skies and cool temperatures. This overlies a strong crust on any solar aspect and polar aspects below 2000m. and appears to either lack any slab properties or is well bonded where it does (within the terrain I observed – up to 35 degrees incline) – this deteriorated with warming on steeper solar aspects.

Avalanches today were limited to a few loose wet/moist avalanches to size 1 on steep solar aspects – there was also evidence from a previously skier remoted slab on a steep convex NW facing roll at 2200m. that had occurred last week (likely on the Apr. 4 SH interface).

My descent of Mt. Begbie at the of the day provided dry snow on N aspects to @ 1400m. after which I found supportive skiing with soft corn until it ran out entirely at @ 900m. – after which I was relegated to hiking down the road until I connected with my ride home.

Things could change as the weather warms – but that is how things looked currently!

Cheers,

Scott Davis

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] Mt. Hector

2013-05-01T16:39:00.001-07:00

Up to the easterly peak of Mt. Hector today with two guests and Walter Bruns. Left the car at 0630 with a cool minus 8 degrees and moderate to strong west winds. Good travel conditions the entire way as per Felix Camire's post last week. We did not use ski or boot crampons but that could change quickly. The recent storm snow has seen a bit of wind resulting in generally shallow ski penetration. Very little slab development was noted until above 10'000 feet. Here we encountered discontinuous lenses of wind slab however it was unreactive in tests and well bonded to the old surfaces. Ski quality was still quite good despite the strong westerly winds of today and the low elevation surface crust was just starting to soften at 2 pm when we got back to the car. We did not see any new avalanches.

Play Safe

James Blench IFMGA

[MCR] Special Public Avalanche Warning (SPAW) for Banff/Yoho/Kootenay NP's

2013-04-30T14:38:00.000-07:00

Parks Canada is issuing a SPAW for the Banff/Yoho/Kootenay National Parks this weekend, May 4-5. April has been a cool, wintery month with continuing snow in the alpine. The forecast of warm temperatures this weekend will likely cause a change to the alpine snowpack, bringing about a large, natural avalanche cycle.

This time of year sees the summer and winter seasons collide, and our concerns include people hiking along valley-bottom trails that may be affected by avalanches. Areas that are not recommended to be hiking, especially in the heat of the day, include: Plain of Six Glaciers trail, Lake Agnes trail, Fairview Mtn, Castle Mtn Lookout, Sulphur Mtn, etc. All of these trails have significant avalanche paths crossing them and will likely have avalanche activity as the day heats up.

April 30th marks the last day of the season for our daily avalanche bulletin. Have a great summer.

Parks Canada Visitor Safety

[MCR] Rockies, Mt Hector

2013-04-29T10:57:00.000-07:00

Did an ascent of Mount Hector yesterday via the regular route.

The snow coverage is still good down low and the approach gully had a crust that made for easy boot-packing. On the glacier there is more than 3 meters of snow, including 20-30cm of new powder. There are a few open crevasses at around 2900m that are easily visible on the ascent and the descent. The cornices on the East and North-East face of Little Hector are massive right now and there were lots of old debris from past avalanches.

It looks like you can almost ski to the East summit without too much trouble. However the West summit does not currently hold a lot of snow and a tricky bit of climbing through a rock band is required to access the summit. Ice axe and crampons are a must.

The weather was mixed in the morning with 0C at the car. Then it turned into a winter blizzard as soon as we reached the glacier. Moderate to strong winds from West were redistributing the new snow rapidly. Expect some wind slabs. By early afternoon, back at the car, it was +5C. The snowpack was isothermal below the approach gully.

We only saw one size 2 natural avalanche and it was off the East side of Little Hector.

Enjoy the Spring!

Felix Camire
ACMG Hiking & Ski Guide
elgato.ca

[MCR] Drummond Bonnet Ski Traverse, Rockies, April 21st to 26th, 2013

2013-04-26T19:24:00.001-07:00

Finished guiding a traverse of the Drummond-Bonnet today with ascents of an unnamed peak on the Drummond Icefield and North Bonnet Peak on the Bonnet Icefields.

Conditions were near perfect for the first 4 days with cold temperatures, easy travel at all elevations, and minimal avalanche hazard. Yesterday the wind and cloud arrived and things started to warm up.

We observed several loose snow avalanches out of extreme north facing terrain yesterday and today as the wind picked up. The only other recent avalanche was a small slab caused by a large cornice failure on a steep high N aspect on the Bonnet. No persistent weaknesses observed in this area but occasional shears down 40cm on facets on the Bonnet Icefield.

Moist snow on solar aspects and wet snow at lower elevations yesterday and today with wind pressed snow on N aspects.

Snow depth on the glaciers was between 200-240cm+, the valley bottoms averaged 100cm at 1900m with a supportive snowpack during our stay.

We were able to ski all the way to the Ink Pots in Johnson Creek today with only a couple places of unsupportive isothermal snow but this will deteriorate with warmer temperatures. There was a mix of walking and skiing below the Ink Pots to reach the highway.

Still good winter travel conditions up high!

Conrad Janzen
ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.banffmountainguides.com

[MCR] Rockies - Wapta conditions Apr.21-26/2013

2013-04-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

Here is an update to Barry’s Wapta posting from last week – as noted by him conditions were pretty darn good after the storm of Apr.20^th and continued so for several days afterwards.

The last couple days (and especially today) saw increased winds (mod West with strong to extreme gusts) and rising temps that have created windslabs in lee features and otherwise wind pressed or scoured surfaces, that are still skiable but not quite as pleasant as the earlier powder we enjoyed.

The canyon section of the Bow Hut approach was starting to become weak and with skis breaking through the crust and as there has yet to be a major spring thaw cycle there – some caution would be warranted if you are coming there late in the day on a sunny afternoon.

Our other major concern throughout the week was a persistent weak layer (either small Surface hoar or stellar crystals – it was hard to say for sure) at the interface of the Apr. 20^th storm snow . We had a couple of Whumpfs on high elevation ridgecrests (MT. Rhonda and Mt. Gordon at @ 2900-3000m.) – one of which (Mt. Rhonda) resulted in a remote triggered (10m.) size 1 avalanche on a steep (40 degree) tensioned/convex N. facing feature, that was adjacent to where we had stopped for a break.

Another party had a skier accidental size 1.5 on a N. facing convex feature on the Diableret Glacier, which was triggered when the second skier down the slope fell near the top – fortunately no involvement, but it did propagate fairly wide (40m. wide and 30-40cms deep).

Something to keep in mind for those that are considering some more serious objectives in the Rockies this spring – hard to say how long this will persist but worthy of some investigation before leaping on any steep N. facing slopes.

Cheers,

Scott Davis

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] K Country to Columbia Icefields

2013-04-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

April 15-21 was a great time to be ski touring in the Rockies. Two groups from the Thompson Rivers University Ski Guide Exam found good conditions from Kananaskis to the Columbia Icefields.

Primary concerns at the end of the week were:

- Large cornices. We witnessed cornice failures due to wind loading and expect a cycle of cornice falls to occur in the next warming event.

- Crevasses. Although coverage on the glaciers is generally good, we travelled on rope as much as was practical, taking it off only where we had good visibility and a good knowledge of the terrain.

- Windslabs near ridges, on both west aspects (from the easterly winds early in the week) and east aspects (from more recent west winds), and in cross-loaded areas.

Avalanche Activity was limited to a few thin hard windslabs observed April 16-17. These were on alpine west aspects, size 1 - 2, formed by "upslope" easterly winds. We wonder if those windslabs linger due to the cold temperatures. Later in the week a large cornice fall was observed on an east face during a wind event.

Weather over the week was mixed sun and cloud with 10-20 cm of snow later in the week (depending on location), moderate-strong ridgetop winds, and mostly colder than seasonal temperatures. The exception was Thursday April 18 when the freezing level jumped up to 2400 m in the afternoon.

Highlights of the week included ski descents off Mt Whymper N Face, Cathedral N Couloir, Collier N Face and White Pyramid, in addition to an extended Pat Sheehan Traverse that started/finished on the Athabasca Glacier.

Marc Piché, Mountain Guide

Mark Klassen, Mountain Guide

6 Ski Guide candidates

TRU Ski Guide Exam

[MCR] Rockies, Wapta

2013-04-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

I guided a ski traverse on the Wapta April 18-21. Great snow coverage from the car all the way into the high country. We made our attempt to cross the Balfour High Col on April 20th. The best coverage in Balfour Col that I can remember seeing -no need to ski over, or around, rocks or pebble studded plaster sidewalks of boilerplate (more common in previous years). I tried to thread the needle through the massive crevasses on the glacier ramp to keep a serac eater on our uphill side, but got stymied by cross crevasses. We backtracked out of the maze and went around skier's right of all of the crevasses (I recommend doing that). We turned tail soon after in worsening weather that sent us on a long tramp through the white-out and wind back to Bow Hut. 15-20 cms of light dry new snow fell that day and night and when the 21st dawned sunny the skiing was mighty fine, dry above 7500 feet, but getting spongy on steeper solar aspects below that, yet still great to ski.

My last trip of the season,
happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
UIAGM/IFMGA Mountain Guide
http://www.barryblanchard.ca
http://www.yamnuska.com
barryb3@telus.net
1 403 609 4615
cell 1 403 609 1321

[MCR] Freshfields

2013-04-21T09:43:00.001-07:00

I have a trip into the Freshfields. I am flying in on April 23rd and was thinking of skiing out to the Blaeberry FSR. Just thought I would check about the possibility of combining a flight on April 28th. So if anyone is planning a flight in and would be interested in share the cost please let me know

Dan Madell

[MCR] Stein Valley, Coast Mountains -bridge out.

2013-04-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

I don't know the area myself but I'm just passing on some info:

"The the north tower was hit by that big rock at the water's edge and badly damaged- one of the cables was severed and the tower knocked off its foundation.

The bridge was right at the bottom of a rock fall bowling alley. This picture was posted on Bivouac, warning hikers not to try crossing and that basically, the trail beyond 12.6 km is inaccessible for the time being. It could be months before it is repaired."

Conny Amelunxen
MG

[MCR] Wapta Traverse, April 14-18

2013-04-19T07:42:00.001-07:00

I guided the Wapta Traverse for OnTop Mountaineering from April 14-18, starting at Peyto Lake and finishing via the Sherbrooke Lake exit. We had mostly good weather and visibility with temperatures ranging from -16C to -5C above treeline, and generally light winds. It is still very winter-like above 2400 metres. Snow stability was good in all areas travelled.

We used ski crampons on the ascent of the moraine to access the Peyto Glacier.

Great travel through the Balfour High Col on April 17^th, with brilliant sunshine and moderate winds keeping temperatures cool all day (-10C). Despite the cool temps, we observed some minor icefall off the seracs on the east face of Mount Balfour, with debris stopping well back from the ski ascent line.

The exit to the Great Divide Lodge via Sherbrooke Lake on April 18^th was sun crusted at treeline on solar aspects making for some challenging skiing, but the summer trail was still in excellent skiing condition between Sherbrooke Lake and the Trans Canada highway.

Jordy Shepherd

ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide

CAA Professional Member

Email: jordy@peakalpine.com

Web: www.PeakAlpine.com

[MCR] Rockies, French Reality, The Silver Lining, Tokumm Pole

2013-04-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

I guided and attempt on French Reality on April 15th. We took snow shoes to the flats below the shoulder access to the traverse ledge, but the crust underlying the 10 to 20 centimetres of new snow was supportive and we could have probably got by without them (We walked down to the car at the end of the day without the snowshoes and had no post holing). There is a gully around to the north of the described approach in Waterfall Ice that works well now that the forest has changed with the 2003 burns. The gully is about 100 metres around to the north. We cramponed up there on the hard supportive crust. There was the occasional wind slab while crossing the approach ledge but the snow is bonding well and the hazard was low. The route was in good shape up to the last (crux) pitch of ice that started with a very serious pillar that was cracked across its bread loaf sized footing. We gave it a miss and it looked to my naked eye today from the 93 highway to have fallen off (binoculars
will tell).

April 16th we attempted The Silver Lining under beautiful blue skies and calm to no wind. A strong supportive crust allowed us to walk on top pretty much everywhere once we stepped out of snow shoes and skis and the crust hung in there all day. We found a lot of detached ice that felt too serious and opted for the rock variations described in Waterfall Ice, and used on the first ascent (note that there is no option to the dry tooling and thin and detached ice of the first pitch, but there was patches of attached ice there that took 10 and 13 cm screws). Time slipped through our fingers between attempting the thin ice of the second pitch then opting for the rock, we bailed from the cave at the end of the second pitch.

April 17th I guide on the Tokumm Pole. There is only 15 metres of floor left on the creek and the bottom right side of the climb has been undercut by water and fallen away leaving a 2 metre roof.
We climbed on the left which is hanging in there well, but does have water running behind it at its top. More supportive day long crusts.

Happy Trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

Sent from my iThingy
_______________________________________________
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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] Field to Icefields Parkway

2013-04-16T19:05:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

Friday I guided a late season ascent of Guinness Gully. I found surprisingly great spring conditions on this classic. The first 10m of pitch 1 had some hollowness but beyond provided good opportunities for protection. Pitches 2 and 3 are fat. Of note, crampons are still effective on the approach and the initial ice is quite thin.

Saturday I went back Field with friends Jesse and Kendra to climb Guinness and Carlsberg. From the TCH Carlsberg looked sun effected. We were surprised that after the initial 3m the spring refreeze has completely rebuilt the LH pillar. The RH pillar looks close to collapse and the approach pitches are not there. The alternate scramble approach to the right was almost free of snow. Pilsener fell down in the past week.

Sunday with same friends, changed to ski mode. -5C at 0800 below Mt Patterson. We were still able to find snow bridges over creek to base of SE couloir. Not a lot of snow at valley bottom but just enough to keep skis on. Recent storm snow seems well bonded to sun crusts. 0-15cm soft slab provided reasonable ski quality. We avoided final 100m because of increased wind effect. Lower fan just softening at 1230h.

Jesse and I ventured to the Icefields yesterday morning. At present there are snow ramps through each icefall that allow ascent to the final headwall without exposure to the Snowdome serac fall on the right. We overnighted in King's Trench and ascended Mt Columbia this am. -15C at 0500. Chilly but clear morning. It is still winter on the Icefield. We climbed the S Ridge. Bergschrund is mostly filled in across the east face. 0-15 cm wind pressed slab overtop early April sun effect. Crampons and ice axe were useful on ascent of up to 50 deg crust. Thankfully this crust held a good ski edge during an engaging icy descent.

0-10 cm ski pen across Icefield made for good travel. Of note, about 1km SW from top of headwall a team of glaciologists have set up camp for the next two weeks. They reported 6m snow depth on the ice cap.

Brent Peters
Apprentice Alpine Guide
CAA Level 2
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

Sent from my iPhone
_______________________________________________
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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] Surprise Pass

2013-04-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

Up to Surprise Pass yesterday, Sunday the 14th with 3 guests. Good travel up the Saddle Back trail and with a good skin track all the way to the Surprise Pass itself although it is getting icy in places. Lots of ski traffic on the Fairview avalanche paths and on Fairview itself. Ski crampons would be useful for the last pull to the Pass. On descent, the top half of Surprise pass was good boot top powder skiing however there has been lots of traffic. The lower third just above Lake Louise was dust on old ski ruts and debris but still quite skiable. A small amount of new snow will tune the place up nicely. We did not observe any avalanches yesterday. The recent storm snow was well bonded to the crusts on solar aspects and there was minimal wind affect. Play safe!

James Blench IFMGA

[MCR] Wapta Peyto to Sherbrooke Lake April 6-12

2013-04-12T16:56:00.001-07:00

I spent the past week guiding on the Wapta, We had unsettled weather
throughout the week with a couple of short storms, light
precipitation, and moderate, variable winds but also plenty of broken
skies and sun and excellent powder skiing every day.

Avalanche concerns to pay attention to currently are wind slabs from
the recent storm (touchy/possible to size 2), sluffing in very steep
sheltered alpine terrain (possible to size 1.5) and cornice failures
(possible to size 2.0).

The glaciers are covered in a 275-350 cm snowpack with the exception
of thin exposed areas (e.g. the approach to Peyto Hut where I probed
as shallow as 180 cm). The lower route to Balfour High Col (adjacent
to the rock outcrop) and down to Scott Duncan Hut was straightforward.

The underlying snowpack is well settled. The April 5 facet/crust
interface is now covered by up to 40 cm of snow. Test profiles and ski
cutting throughout the week show this layer to be generally well
bonded. On April 8, a ski cut on a very steep unsupported wind loaded
roll (NE aspect) on Mt Gordon produced an initially small slab
avalanche (10 cm deep and 50 m wide) which after dropping over a
second very steep roll stepped down to the April 5 facet/crust
interface (down ~50 cm) propagating 200 m wide and running about 100 m
to the flat glacier below (size 1.5). Otherwise, in test profiles and
in aggressive ski cutting of very steep alpine features to 48 degrees
this layer was nonreactive.

April 10-11 a storm produced another 10-15 cm of snow in the alpine.
Winds first from the N and then from the SW resulted in moderate wind
loading mainly on N and E aspects. This morning skiing out from Scott
Duncan hut we noticed a widespread avalanche cycle (to sz 1.5) in the
storm snow interfaces. The E face of Mt. Niles had numerous sluffs, a
couple of sz 1.0-1.5 slabs, and a sz 1.5 cornice failure from the
previous 24 hours. Today the wind slabs appeared to be settling with
minor cracking noticed on steep alpine wind loaded features.

The ski out to the highway from Sherbrooke Lake was icy and fast but
all things considered for this time of year it's in very good
condition.

Regards,

Tom Wolfe
Mountain Guide ACMG/IFMGA
twolfe@sawback.com www.sawback.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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] Great Divide Lodge Parking TEMPORARY CLOSURE

2013-04-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

This will affect folks coming off the Wapta Traverse at the south end of
the trip. The following closure will be in place effective April 14:

Good day,

Please be advised that the Great Divide Lodge Parking area will be closed
from 14 April 2013 - 14 June 2013. This will restrict parking for the
Wapta traverse and access to Sherbrooke Lake to the small, near-by pull-out
maintained by highways.

If you have any questions, please contact the Lake Louise Info centre.
Thank you.

Chris Gooliaff
IFMGA/ACMG MG

_______________________________________________
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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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