[MCR] Hermit/Puff Daddy-Roger Pass-Jan 31st-2012

Hi all,

Today we enjoy some amazing deep powder skiing in the Hermit meadows and Puff Daddy areas of Rogers Pass. We skied between the 2000m and 1300m, had cloudy skies with the odd sunny breaks and temperatures ranging from -2 to -9 Celsius.

We observed only a few signs of instabilities in this area today. Minor cracking and shearing down 70cm was observed near the edges of unsupported pillows. Some of the steeper convex rolls we dared skiing cracked but did not shear. Test results revealed Moderate to Hard resistant planar shears down 70cm. There was some evidence of previous avalanche activity out of steeper alpine and treeline terrain from a few days ago in this area. These avalanches, ranging from size 1 to 2.5, were covered with upwards of 20cm of new snow. We did not see any new avalanches.

Our main concerns were overhead hazard, the significant recent loading of the snowpack and windslabs above treeline. We opted to minimize our exposure while skiing mainly supported treeline and below treeline terrain.

Hoping you all get to enjoy these outstanding mid winter conditions!

Cheers,

David Lussier
ACMG-IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.summitmountainguides.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Summit-Mountain-Guides/118834778142539

[MCR] White Queen, Whitewater backcountry - Nelson BC

A few observations from a quick lap of White Queen near the Whitewater
ski area. We skied up the west ridge from Humming Bird Pass into a near
white-out so observations of adjacent slopes were not possible.

At 9AM in Nelson the air temperature was a balmy +2 then -1 at the
Evening Ridge parking lot (elevation 1490m) a half hour later. The past
week's storm snow had filled in the up-track, but trail breaking off the
track was easy with only ankle to cuff deep ski penetration. Not much
wind slab formation in the new snow even on the summit, but lots of
buried wind slab above 1900m. I stayed off anything steep, so didn't
get a feel for how well the bonding was for these layers. It was -6 on
the summit just past noon, so it looked like the predicted cooling trend
had started.

The ski back down on a south-west aspect was great fun on the supportive
layers below the storm snow. We skied conservatively, skiing steeper
slopes one at a time and avoiding steep, unsupported terrain. Some
sloughing occurred on steeper terrain, but it didn't run far or gather
much mass. A skier coming in above the previous skier's track was able
to cut off some blocks of slab (15-20cm thick) which would tumble down
the slope, but this was possible only in steep terrain (>40 deg). In
all, a pleasant and uneventful morning of touring.

Would have been interesting to see what the various parties who joined
us on the summit observed after they scattered in different directions
on their descents...

Craig Hollinger,
ACMG Apprentice 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.

[MCR] Wapta Area

A quick jaunt up to Bow Hut this morning just to stretch the legs.  Temp was -9 at L Louise this a.m.  Ski pen was 0-15 breaking trail and the mid pack is quite strong (strengthening over the past several weeks) & definitely stronger than this time last season.

The winds continue to be strong out of the south with considerable wind transport.  The flats at the inlet to Bow Lake are blown clean and you have to take you skiis off for about 100 meters unless you do a big detour. The canyon creek is well filled in and the thin snowpack there is strong and supportive.  I saw no evidence of slab avalanche activity,  but saw two size 2 sluffs off the headwall that ran to end of fan.  Otherwise too much cloud to see up the glacier.  The newly transported snow skiis well  (nice not to be hitting rocks) and hasn't yet formed a slab below the elevation of the hut.  I'd be concerned about big lee slopes in the alpine.

Greg Yavorsky UIAGM Mountain Guide

[MCR] Rogers Pass update

Since we've had a couple of Selkirks conditions reports I thought it would be worth mentioning what's been happening at the pass over the weekend.

On Friday we skied just east of the park at lower tree line and below tree line elevations and found the snow to be fairly upside down having a heavier layer(F+) of about 30-40 cms over 5-10 cms of lighter density snow. This layer was easy to feel with a ski pole. Surprisingly we did not see any obvious signs of instability or any serious concerns in a test profile near the top of our run. And while we skied some steep tree line terrain we didn't observe any cracking or slides. 

Touring near the summit of the pass on Saturday the snow felt much more upside right although you could still feel a slight density change with a ski pole down about 40-50 cms. This layer was failing in the moderate range (CTM 13/15 RP) on preserved stellar crystals. If you stepped out of your skis you would sink in about 60-70 cms. The skiing was truly good in the open but there were some old tree bombs just covered(with about 20 cms) from the recent wind event. It was snowing about 2 cms an hour during the afternoon.

Sunday the pass was closed and no permits were available. The avalanche control crew was getting size 2-3.5 avalanches to come down with artillery control. So now another 50-60 cms overlies the previous storm snow and wind slabs(at treeline and above) and it sounds like its a bit denser as well. Saturday nights storm had also come with strong S-SW winds creating more wind slabs in open terrain.

So right now the snowpack has a lot of different layers in it that are changing daily so take care when assessing the snowpack and deciding where to ski.

Cheers,

Greg Franson (ski guide)




www.bluebirdguides.com
info@bluebirdguides.com

[MCR] Selkirk snow conditions January 21-28

I guided a group at Selkirk Lodge from January 21-30^th,  this is near Albert Canyon just East of Revelstoke and West of Rogers Pass. We received over 1 meter of snow during the week and the skiing was characterized by what is known as champagne powder. We had moderate temps all week with highs of -3 and lows of -15. Visibility was limited but there were some breaks in the weather that allowed us some occasions to ski mountaineer and ski above tree line. 

 

The major concerns for the week were the incredible amount of new snow load as well as the accompanying moderate to strong winds. We witnessed strong to gale force winds in the Alpine coming from both the South and North. This produced  widespread wind slabs and cross loading, both on lee aspects and as reverse loading at ridge top, fall line ridge features and any wind exposed open areas. We expected this to cause wind affected poor ski quality in open areas but of greater concern to  overload either the Dec 03 surface hoar layer (down 130-180cm), the Jan 20 faceted layer down (60-80cm) or buried wind slabs (down 60cm).

 

Surprisingly we had excellent skiing conditions despite the winds. Further more, these layers of concerns displayed good bonding, mostly good compression and ski cutting results failing only on the steepest most unsupported features as moderate to hard resistant planar/progressive compression or skier controlled sloughs. We did see some limited avalanche activity (one size 3) from steep unskiable  alpine terrain as well as from ridge top wind loaded features (up to sz 2), these had occurred in the height of the storm, but in all we were very surprised to see a lack of a large natural cycle.

 

Perhaps the answer to this uncharacteristic stability is that the snow came down at moderate temps and the wind always subsided near the end of each storm pulse. The amount of snow, the moderate temps and the gentling of the storms seemed to promote bonding of the snowpack through sintering and settlement.  The fact of the matter however is that there are layers of concern and wind slabs that undoubtedly  still pose a potential threat in specific terrain features and which could cause a very large avalanche.

 

It is easy to let ones guard down in such conditions it was prudent to remain cautious of the following terrain features:

 

1.     On Jan 24 on a ridge top lee loaded feature and from the safety of a tree and having seen a side profile of where the cornice was rooted, I carefully approached the cornice the size of say two compact cars.  I gingerly reached out and stomped on the cornice about 10 - 15 cm back from its root.  Surprisingly it failed immediately,  propagating 15 meters on either side of me as well as pulling back 5 – 15 centimeters from the edge throughout its length. This a significant occurrence since I applied a very light load, it needed only a hair trigger, it propagated and pulled back. It left me quite surprised that it had not failed in the past strong winds and I think there are many large cornices which are sitting time bombs right now in the Selkirks.  In this case the cornice was over a very low angled slope so it did not trigger much of an avalanche below. We avoided terrain threatened by cornices.

2.     In the Alpine, on two occasions I came across a thick and dense hard slab sitting over up to 60 cm of depth hoar/facets combo that produced very easy test results as well as whumpfing. We avoided and any shallow, wind loaded alpine feature that were large and steep or unsupported. 

3.     At Treeline and below, we did notice that convex unsupported features would occasionally fail within the storm snow (20-40 down). My feeling is that it is entirely possible for a large open treeline or below treeline convex/unsupported feature to be overloaded right now and only need the right trigger to set it off. We avoided any large unsupported features and always ski cut the top of smaller features. 

 

All in all it was an epic week of blower powder and following the above mentioned cautions, we skied steep, well supported open and treed slopes in the alpine, treeline and especially great tree skiing below.

 

Enjoy the amazing snow in the Selkirks!

Eric Dumerac- Professional Mountain Guide
✆ 403-609-1564 
Mountain Skills Academy 

[MCR] Avalanche Control on Mt. Bourgeau and Mt. Whymper

Parks Canada will be doing avalanche control in the following areas on Tuesday, January 31.

• Mt. Bourgeau (Sunshine Village Access Road and Parking Lot)
• Mt. Whymper (Kootenay Park)

These areas will be closed to skiing and climbing on Tuesday.
Thanks for your cooperation.

Parks Canada Visitor Safety

403 762-1470

[MCR] (MCR) Northern Selkirk Mountains - Durrand Glacier

Snow conditions Northern Selkirk Mountains, Durrand Glacier area. With the past large snow-storms (188cm snow-fall last week) the snowpack reached an all time January record of 405cm at the Durrand Glacier snow study plot, elev. 1950m. The mid. and lower snowpack has no persistent weak layers, it is strongly settled and well bonded. Obviously a sign of not much blue sky, but ongoing snow-fall during the past many weeks. The January 12/13 FC layer down 150cm and the January 20 FC layer down 130cm react in most snow test sites only to upper hard (RP) test results. The present strong storm has brought 45cm new snow in 24 hours and produced a natural avalanche cycle in the alpine. At tree-line and below tree-line no avalanche activities have been observed. The avalanche hazard went into a spike, high in the alpine and considerable at tree-line and below tree-line. With calmer weather expected for the middle and end of the week the avalanche hazard should come down rapidly. Skiin
g at tree-line and below tree-line is absolutely incredible. Although we cannot go into the alpine at the time, everybody is enjoying amazing skiing in deep powder on long tree-runs.

Stay safe and have fun skiing the deep powder.

Ruedi Beglinger
ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.selkirkexperience.com
info@selkirkexperience.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.

[MCR] Rockies, Step Right Up

My fellow Mountain Guide, Nick Sharpe, and I guided at Step Right Up today, Jan 29th. The climb is in fine shape, pictured below. Only 3 centimetres of new snow overnight in this area.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Rockies, Cobra Verde

My fellow Mountain Guide, Nick Sharpe, and I guided on Cobra Verde today, Jan 28th. The climb has seen little traffic and we were able to just make out the shallow trough of the last party's approach trail. Easy trail plowing in the trees with more challenge up the slope to the climb, knee to hip deep slab over facets just below the first pitch. Yes you punch through to the ground and the sparkling dry sugar like facets ... tedious.

We climbed the left and right sides of the first pitch. The right side is undermined by water through it's whole 30 meters, spooky gonging. The left side has anchored to the rock below and is a better choice. One pitch was enough for our crew today so we didn't break up to the second pitch, although I caught a glimpse of it through the trees, looks fine.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Coquihalla-Tulameen

Snow pits and probing in the Amberty Creek area, on S to SE aspects in the 1600m range show overall snowpack depth to range from 2 to 3m. 

Pit and test info on a 32degree south aspect, with 275cm depth of snow showed an easy moderate shear (compression and reutschblock) at approximately 1m down in a 5cm thick layer of mixed forms (facet/round) immediately above a 5cm thick crust.

Explosive control on the afternoon of Jan 27 (same aspect and elevation) with anfo achieved mixed results size 2 to 2.5 on this layer with 4 of 10 shots. Fracture line depths varied from half to 3m depth in cross loaded features. Other shots released recent storm slab near 25-30cm deep.

Terry Duncan
Ski Guide

[MCR] Rockies, King Creek

My fellow Mountain Guide, Nick Sharpe, and I guided in King Creek yesterday, Jan 27th. All three of the seeps are in good shape. The ice chimney that leads into the dagger cave on the climber's right of the middle seep (the short top roping wall) is very thin with no ice coming to ground, looks like it would be sporty.

The second, "pillar", pitch on the 3rd seep (farthest upstream) has been getting climbed.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
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.

[MCR] Black Prince Ski Touring

Pleasant day today at Black Prince with temps around -9C @ 11 AM, only light winds (for a change!) and occasional light snowfall. A quick test profile at around 2000 meters (halfway up the Black Prince Apron) showed a snowpack a well settled mid pack in a total snop depth of 155cm. There was an easy shear on a compression test on small facets at the interface of the recent storm snow about 25-30 cm down. Our test location was quite unaffected by recent winds and the overlaying slab was not cohesive enough to where it was a concern for skier triggering today. I’m sure this would be fundamentally different in many locations at tree line and above in the area.

 

It was my first day ski touring in the hill country of Alberta for this season and I was amazed how wind scoured the terrain above tree line was. On the positive side, the skiing was excellent today with only few old tracks visible.

 

Jorg Wilz

Moutain Guide (ACMG / VDBS / IFMGA)

 

OnTop ltd.

1 800 506 7177 or (001) 403 678 2717

www.ontopmountaineering.com

 

[MCR] Rockies, Junkyards, Grotto

My fellow Mountain Guide, Nick Sharpe, and I guided at the Junkyards on Jan 25th and in Grotto Canyon yesterday, Jan 26th.

The Junkyards grew during the cold snap, lot of fresh ice surfaces. The low angle cramponing area in the trees down low and climber's left is good with frozen froth from halfway. The steep pillar in the main area has got a foothold, see if it survives top roping.

Grotto creek was surface flooded and slushy yesterday. His was climbed as a mixed climb, about the least amount of ice that I can remember seeing on that climb for this time of year -top roped down to the bones. Hers gained some volume with the cold and was in decent shape. Grotto Falls is fat and has some good steep options on the climber's left wall above the half way chain anchor. Top chain anchor is buried under ice.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
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.

[MCR] North Ghost condtions

Driving conditions into the North Ghost/Malamute Valley today were good.  Big hill is bare of snow, creek crossings mostly frozen over with only 2 open ones with minor ice shelf's to deal with.  Snowdrifts beyond GBU require clearance.  (toyota pick up no problem)

Ice on Fang and Fist is in good condition.  Thanks for whoever put in the double V threds for rappelling, one even with a rap ring.  Makes it nice for everyone after you!  But don't forget to inspect them first.

James Madden

SG/AAG

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

---

From: Public Mountain Conditions Report <mcr@informalex.org>
To: mcr <mcr@informalex.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2012 2:50:53 PM
Subject: [MCR] Yoho avy control Jan 27/2012

On Friday, Jan.27/2012, Parks Canada will be conducting avalanche
control in the following areas:

-Mt. Bosworth
-Mt. Stephen
-Mt. Dennis (all areas on the Field backroad)

Please no climbing or any other activities on this date in those areas.

Thanks for your cooperation

Steve Holeczi
Parks Canada Visitor Safety Specialist
Banff/Yoho/Kootenay National Parks
_______________________________________________
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] Yoho avy control Jan 27/2012

On Friday, Jan.27/2012, Parks Canada will be conducting avalanche
control in the following areas:

-Mt. Bosworth
-Mt. Stephen
-Mt. Dennis (all areas on the Field backroad)

Please no climbing or any other activities on this date in those areas.

Thanks for your cooperation

Steve Holeczi
Parks Canada Visitor Safety Specialist
Banff/Yoho/Kootenay National Parks
_______________________________________________
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] Cline River gallery photos from January 24, 2012

Cine River Gallery

 

Cine River Gallery

 

Cine River Gallery

 

[MCR] Bella Coola Heads Up

Please check the CAC Forecaster Blog (http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/bulletins/forecaster-blog) for information about a potential problem brewing in the Bella Coola area.

 

Karl Klassen – Manager

Public Avalanche Warning Service

Canadian Avalanche Centre | P.O. Box 2759 | 110 Mackenzie Ave.

Revelstoke, BC Canada | V0E 2S0
kklassen@avalanche.ca | www.avalanche.ca |  Skype: karlklassen

Phone: 250.837.2141 ext. 227 | Mobile: 250.814.8981 | Fax: 866-366-2094

 

[MCR] Pilsner pillar and the Pencil /Polar Circus

I heard from a friend who climbed Carlsberg Column yesterday that Pilsner Pillar fell off during the cold snap last week. Two days ago I climb the The Weeping Wall Right Hand with a guest and notice that the pencil survived the temps! (at least what I could see from the road)
All the Best,

Marco Delesalle
Mountain Guide
www.greatdividemountaineering.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.

[MCR] Louise Falls

I guided Louise Falls today, Jan 22nd. A surprisingly quiet day with only one other party showing up at the crack of noon for the afternoon shift.

It was calm and -8c at the base at 0800. The line we took, up the middle more or less, is dry and in good shape. It seems as though the ice on this route has recovered from the latest cold snap and we did not hear or feel any odd sounds or deep fractures while climbing.

The freshly carved ice sculptures behind the chateau are also in good shape and the crowds were out today to enjoy the festivities.

I have pics of the climb posted at
www.facebook.com/RockiesIce if you're interested.

Play safe,

Kris Irwin
ACMG Assistant Alpine Guide
www.rockies-ice.com

Sent from my iMachine
_______________________________________________
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] Coire Dubh Integrale

Climbed Coire Dubh Integrale today, Jan 21, with Joe Delamont.

We kept a close watch on conditions, given the unfavourable forecast of warm temps and wind. Indeed, at the base of the route the temperature was -9°C, at the top it was -2°C and by the time we got back to the car it was 4°C.

There was a lot of wind transport between 10:00 and 12:00, but interestingly most of the snow was sublimating and didn't seem to be falling on the route. No spindrift avalanches were observed. There were some isolated areas of windslab that required care, but most of the route has less than 15 cm of snow and seemed to be below threshold. That said, there was 10-15 cm of snow on most of the harder sections, making for very time consuming climbing - definitely harder than normal.

Take care,

Grant Meekins
ACMG Mountain Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

[MCR] Bow Hut Avalanches

Hello Fellow Skiers,

I just finished a quick overnight trip to the Bow Hut and thought I'd throw out a few observations we made. 

The first, and most significant was the release of a few avalanches above the hut within the last 24hrs (probably last night). All the slopes below the seracs had avalanched. No real surprise given their location, but one in particular got my attention. The slope directly above the hut had also released size 2.5 or so. The crown was a meter plus for about 80 meters and I'd guess 2 m on its edges. To clarify, this slope is immediately below the short cut approach to Olive/St Nick col, but off the glacier. Unlike the others, there is no large overhead trigger on this one. The bed surface wasn't ground, so it seems there is another layer to blame out there besides the depth hoar we all talk about. I'll be giving overhead hazards a lot more respect in the next while (ie cornices).

The other observation was how the cold tightened everything up. Even the approach slope to the hut had an eery sound/feel to it compared to the evening before. We chose to ski it one at a time. As you can guess the skiing was slow because of the cold snow. This morning it was -27 with moderate west winds off the glacier. 

Just a few thoughts that came through my head as it thawed out on the drive home.

--
Matt Mueller
403-688-4341

[MCR] Rogers Pass Conditions

We just spent the last 4 days skiing at the pass and thought I'd pass on some info since there hasn't been any recent reports.

Friday night it had snowed about 35-40 cms of very light density snow with no obvious signs of wind at ridge top or in the alpine. This new snow was overlaying 1 finger resistance snow. We didn't see any new avalanches but the park reported a number of size 1 to 2.5 slides triggered by artillery control along the highway corridor. We weren't experiencing any instabilities while out that day other than the surface snow power sloughing in steeper terrain.The ski quality was outstanding at all elevations.

The temperatures remained cold enough to keep the new snow preserved into sunday and an additional 5-10 cms of new snow fell overnight. The snow felt slightly stiffer (top 5cms) but not yet slabbing up and we were able to ski steep tree line terrain without too much concern. Out test profile confirmed our confidence in the snowpack as we didn't see any significant weaknesses(where we were). The only avalanches we saw in steep alpine terrain were loose size 1's. We didn't ski in the alpine on Sunday but we suspected there could be some soft slabs on lee features.

Conditions (and stability) are likely to change so be sure to check the avalanche bulletin before heading out.

Cheers,

Greg Franson (Ski Guide)




www.bluebirdguides.com
info@bluebirdguides.com

[MCR] Rockies, Louise Fall

Guided Louise Falls today under an overcast sky that produced a few flakes.  -11 just after 10 am, no wind on the climb.

Climbing conditions on the route haven't changed a lot since Mike's post after his solid link-up  yesterday, with one thing of note. On the second pitch I experienced 2 very large tension releases on the low angle ice in the middle of the climb (P2). The loud crack/popping sound after I placed my tools could be felt in my boots. 

With the forecasted drop in in temperatures it would not be surprising to see the large daggers, poised on the roof beside the main climbing line, collapse. With last years very cold winter there were several reports of this happening. Limiting exposure to overhead hazard is prudent anytime. It is especially true during the cold days ahead.  

Happy Climbing.

John Freeman
ACMG – Alpine Guide
www.johnfreemanguide.com

[MCR] Pilsner Pillar

I guided Pilsner Pillar today and was quite a pleasant day.  The temperature at 0800 was -9 degrees celsius.   I climbed all the way to the grade two ice near the top, and was dry on every pitch.  There was anywhere from 10 cm to 20 of low density snow sitting on the old bed surface between the pitches, there were no wind slabs present.  Quite nasty daggers on the first pitch - lookers right.  I  hope the pillar will survive the cold temperatures coming this week-it should as it is well supported.

Marco Delesalle

 Mountain Guide

www.greatdividemountaineering.com

IMG_0670

 

[MCR] Rockies, Bourgeau Left Hand

I guided an ascent of Bourgeau Left Hand todays, Jan 15th. A cold day, keeping hands warm was a challenge. Big gloves, big boots. We profited from the trail that I broke into the climb last Wednesday. About 4 cms of new snow overnight below the climb with some, but not a lot, of wind transportation and deposition.

The climb is still in good shape over all although I did hit some rock on the first pitch due to placements deepening with traffic. Some water on the top 20 meters of the route.

A second party showed up behind us and had the great sense to wait until we were off of the first tier before they started.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] (MCR) Durrand Glacier

Hello Skiers

We just finished an other fantastic week at the Durrand Glacier Chalet. The snowpack reached a record height for the time of the year. At the Durrand Glacier Chalet elevation 1950m (tree-line) 320cm strongly settled snowpack and at the Mt.Moloch Chalet elevation 2205m 440cm. The week started with a short spike in the avalanche hazard, as a strong storm brought lots of new snow in a short time. During these few days we skied mostly the longer runs at tree-line and in the trees, of which most runs have been 1000 vertical meters. With several test snow profiles each day at various elevations and aspects we had a good understanding of the rapid loading on a minor surface facet layer. As the week went on the storms became weaker and the avalanche hazard rapidly lowered. By Wednesday we felt that it is safe to go hut to hut skiing to the more high alpine Mt.Moloch Chalet. I was positively surprised how fast the layers with concerns tightened up and soon did not show any significant test results while digging test snow profiles. Friday was the grand day of the week. We went to Tumbledown Mtn. and skied from this scenic alpine summit the 1600 vertical metre run "The Powder Line". It is the third longest run in the area and leads from the summit of Tumbledown Mtn. via Tumbledown Glacier - West Ridge - La Traviata - Swiss Meadows - Powder Mania to Carnes Creek. It was an amazing day for all ski guests and for the guides, steep and deep and peak to creek. Looking back at the entire week, observing the rapid changes in the avalanche hazard in all three elevation zones, how quickly the weather turned and the super light and deep powder snow ......... it was a perfect week of skiing in the alpine and in the steep trees. 

Short YouTube video of skiing "The Powder LIne" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAh2gVfrVQA      

Enjoy the winter and all the amazing powder

Ruedi Beglinger

I.F.M.G.A / A.C.M.G Mountain Guide

Selkirk Mountain Experience

www.selkirkexperience.com

[MCR] Rockies Ice Climbing - Cascade Falls, Professor Falls, Louise Falls, Guinness Gully

Hey there,

On a day off yesterday, Clint Winterhalt and I had a great day out climbing Cascade Falls, Professor Falls, Louise Falls, and Guinness Gully. Here's a bit on the what we saw the conditions doing while we were out.

Cascade Falls was great, and seemed like a reasonable day to go given the forecasts. We got there early (before the forecasted precip) yesterday morning and planned to get up and off fast as we could. We were back at the car before it started snowing around 830 or so. The middle third of the route has a fair bit amount of old avalanche debris covering it right now, but not so much so that we payed any less attention to what was still overhead. Travel over the debris was both faster and a lot more comfortable than the usual low angle crampon'ing you have to do in the middle third of the route which was a nice change. The upper two pitches had good climbing, protected well, and as the last pitch has fattened up to the point where the climbing seems like it's getting easier.

We ran over grabbed a coffee after that and then ran into Professor Falls. Barry summed it up in his post yesterday, so no need to say much more - if I could add anything... don't forget the gore-tex, and bring a bunch of extra gloves. We were saturated when we got back down. Fun climbing though on mostly plastic ice.

After that we drove down to Louise Falls in Lake Louise - Good karma to the man driving the horse-drawn sleigh back to the route as he saved us 30min. of walking I'm sure. 

The Route was in good shape here too. Seemed like the line right up the middle into the cave minimized the exposure to the hang fire on the roof of the cave the most effectively. Theres still some big daggers hanging on both far climbers left and right. The second pitch (from the first snow ledge to the cave) has healed a fair bit from last weeks traffic, and you do actually have to swing most of the way for placements. From the cave up was awesome, semi fragile hooking up the pillar with big buckets to finish up the climbers left side into the trees at the top. If you ran into a traffic jam in the cave i'm sure you could manage to climb lines on the left side of the left pillar, and the left side of the right hand pillar looks climbable too, but has substantially less support around the base than the left hand options. Good screws the whole way, and totally dry on the line we took.

Another coffee in Lake Louise, then down the hill to Field to climb Guinness Gully. No avalanche debris to speak of anywhere on the route. The first pitch took 16cm's screws the whole way, and being a bit fatter than I've seen it in the past few years was still the usual hooking fiesta right to the top. Second pitch was also a bit bigger than usual and as a result you get a few extra meters of steeper climbing which was nice. The third pitch was pretty standard, a bit of hooking here and there, but just good fun climbing on the whole. The second pitch was a bit damp but other than that dry top to bottom.

We didn't see it snow any harder the 1cm/hr, but it did keep up all day. Kept a pretty close eye on ridge top winds and they seemed to remain calm throughout the day, even the clouds aloft seemed to be lazily rolling through the sky at the upper elevations. Temperatures averaging around -4*C range for most of the day. 

Roads from Field to Lake Louise looked bare... but really slick. Scariest part of the day just driving home.

Have fun out there!

Mike Trehearne

Alpine Guide / Asst. Ski Guide

www.yamnuska.com

mike@cloudnineguides.com

Clinton Winterhalt

Assistant Rock Guide

clint@cloudnineguides.com

 

[MCR] Hector Lake area skiing, Banff NP

I skied in the Hector Lake area today with a group of friends. 10cm storm snow overnight and steady snow flurries this morning with little wind added to the upper low density snow to make for excellent skiing. Compression test results were inconclusive with a broken shear down about 50cm in one test with low density (up to 4F) snow interspersed with a couple of soft wind crusts above. Snow depth was 170 at treeline. Bottom 40cm was large facets/depth hoar. We used caution around and/or avoided thinner snowpack areas (due to the basal facets) and windloaded ridge crests.

 

We skied moderate sized treeline and alpine features to 40+ degrees on E aspects. Power sluffing (fast skiier triggered loose avalanches) in steep terrain required fast skiing and sluff management to keep from being knocked over.

 

There's a hibernating bear in the area. While skiing to our destination we accidentally walked within 1m of him (almost hit him with a ski pole) before noticing him and it looked like we disturbed him as he stirred and rolled his head around a bit. We reported this right away (Karsten Heuer, a Parks Canada biologist, was with us) and the result is a closure of the area to protect the bear and people. This affects access to some of the skiing at the south end of Pulpit knob and further south so be sure to check the closure notice carefully and/or contact Parks staff to see how this might affect your travel plans.

 

Regards,
Tom Wolfe, ACMG/IFMGA

Burnie Glacier Chalet - Feb 17-24, spaces available!
http://bearmountaineering.ca/index.php/ski-mountaineering-at-the-burnie-glacier-chalet-week-7

[MCR] Rockies, The Professor falls.

I guided an ascent of "The Professor falls." today, Jan 14th. We biked into the trailhead kiosk and it was treacherously icy. If you have studded tires for your bike, take them. Crampons were necessary from the kiosk to the base of the route.

The first three pitches had a lot of water dripping down today, made the rope a challenge. The last pitch was dry. We plowed a walk off trail on climbers left from the top. Overall the route is in great shape.

The light snow of today improved the traction, and biking, on the way out.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Howsons 14 January 12 and wisegoat

We received 20 cm of low density new snow without wind overnight. In the
alpine, this sits on old windslabs where the winds have been howling.
Otherwise, it is excellent skiing with few signs of instability. The
temperatures are now dropping and the skies are clearing. We were on the
Solitaire Ski Peak today. There is very deep coverage - over 400 cm at
treeline.

In my last post, I did not give the right URL for the public conditions
report. Go to wisegoat.ca, click on lodges, and then select Burnie
Glacier Chalet to find up-to-date avalanche and snowpack information.
Many other lodges are on there too. Hello Tannis!

Christoph Dietzfelbinger, Mountain Guide, Smithers

_______________________________________________
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] Area Closure - Hibernating Bear - Hector Lake/Pulpit Nob Region

Please note area closure that can affect back-country skiers in the Hector
Lake/Pulpit Nob region.

Map of closure included as pdf.

Aaron Beardmore
Specialist, Visitor Safety Programs
Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay Parks
Box 900, Banff, AB
T1L 1K2
Ph: 403-762-1415
www.parksmountainsafety.ca
www.facebook.com/parksmountainsafety
www.twitter.com/ParksMtnSafety

----- Forwarded by Aaron Beardmore/NOTES/PC/CA on 14/01/2012 01:55 PM -----

From: LL Pro
To: GRP MTN - KOOLLY Field Unit, GRP MTN - Banff Field Unit - Banff
Area, Waterton Info/NOTES/PC/CA@PC, Jasper
Dispatch/NOTES/PC/CA@PC, Jasper Icefields/NOTES/PC/CA@PC,
RevGlacier Reception/NOTES/PC/CA@PC
Cc: acmg@acmg.ca benmarriott@mycanopy.net caoc@caoc.ab.ca,
christie@acmg.ca, info@alpineclubofcanada.ca,
info@greatdivide.ca, info@kootenayparklodge.com
Date: 14/01/2012 01:11 PM
Subject: Area Closure-Hibernating Bear
Sent by: Brianna Burley

Please note- area closure in effect as of January 14, 2012 near the Hector
Lake Summer trail on the 93N due to a hibernating black bear. For more
information please see attached posters or weblink.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/scond/Cond_E.asp?oID=8006&oPark=100092

(See attached file: Hibernating BB.pdf)(See attached file: AREA CLOSURE
Hibernating BB.pdf)

Thank you
Brianna Burley

[MCR] Vermilion peak area and Observation peak, BNP, AB

I have been out touring the past few days in the Vermilion peak area
in Kootenay national park and around Bow lake up the icefields
parkway. Other than the generally well settled "Rockies" snowpack
that everyone seems to be talking about we also found quite a bit of
variability in snowpack stability.

During our two days in Kootenay park we had numerous
"whoomphs" ( collapsing of a weaker layer in the snowpack) and
actually had a skier triggered size 2 slab at around 1900m on a well
supported southwest feature in the trees! This slide would have been
quite ugly had one of us been caught in it. These numerous failures in
the snowpack happened in generally shallower areas and were all
related to the basil facets and depth hoar, depths varied.

Today up around Observation peak we continued to have some quite big
"settlements" in the snowpack which made us stick to smaller well
supported terrain.

Many people seem to be stepping it up in terms of seriousness of
terrain. This is mostly due to a fairly good bridging strength over
the lower weak layers and a good " feeling" in the upper snowpack,
however personally I'll be a bit conservative for a bit longer. It
seems that you could get away with skiing some larger terrain right
now, but if you hit the weak spot, which somehow I have been finding a
lot? I think you may get a larger avalanche than you were hoping for.

Its only January folks, still lots of good skiing to be had for many
months, have fun out there.

Craig McGee, 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] Skiing at Bow Peak Area

I spent the day skiing NE aspects on Bow Peak today with friends Ben and Will, up to 2650m elevation.

Temps ranged from -15 to -8, overcast throughout.  Compression tests demonstrated moderate to hard shears 35cms and 95 cms down in the snowpack.  The midpack seemed quite strong, the warm temps of the past weeks have produced a well bonded pack.  Overall snowpack depth was >215cm.  Boot penetration was <25cm.  The top 10-15 cms of storm snow from the past week sloughed easily on steeper aspects, but did not step down.

The final 50m of the "Grand Daddy" was thin, and there is still a large cornice overhead.  Variable conditions throughout, but great skiing to be had, particularly BLT (below tree line).

No wind today, but there is snow available for transport and the cornices will continue to grow when the winds pick up again.

Brent Peters
AAG
Canmore, AB

[MCR] Rockies, Bourgeau Left Hand

I guided and ascent of Bourgeau Left Hand yesterday, Jan 11th. The approach trails starts at the back of the shipping containers and is good through the trees. Above the evergreens the trail was lost to wind blown snow and we slogged through a couple hundred meters of tedious post holing until we gained the avalanche debris in the far, up-valley, side of the runout zone. Snow shoes, or skis, would have accelerated the approach. Another tactic would have been to stay in the timber close to Healy Creek until getting into the above mentioned part of the runout zone as I've heard that the avalanche that ran there (over the holidays, I think) ran all the way to the creek. We happily walked on top of the debris.

A winter morning around -20 C, the ice on the first pitch was brittle and the climbing slow in big, big boots (Spantiks) and thick gloves. The ice is still well attached to the rock there, no gonging. Amazing to step into spring when the sun came around. Some moist snow trickling off of the cliffs with the sun and the surface snow in the half way ledge/bowl/wee-solar-oven got snowballish and moist with direct sun, but then froze to drywall quickly when the sun went away.

The rest of the route is in fine shape with the final pitch formed narrowly compared to past decades.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

ps, I forgot my camera, pictures below courtesy of my rope-mates, Chris and Matt.
pps, Thanks to the other party who showed up behind us for waiting until we were on the halfway ledge to start. Far safer for everyone and a good play.

[MCR] new CAC products

We have posted our first Weekly Summary, Weather Outlook, and Conditions Outlook blogs. On the bulletins page, click on the Weekly Summary, Weather Outlook, and Conditions Outlook links at the bottom of the list in the left panel or click on the Know More tab found at the bottom of all our Public Avalanche Forecasts. Your comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome.

 

Karl Klassen – Manager

Public Avalanche Warning Service

Canadian Avalanche Centre | P.O. Box 2759 | 110 Mackenzie Ave.

Revelstoke, BC Canada | V0E 2S0
kklassen@avalanche.ca | www.avalanche.ca |  Skype: karlklassen

Phone: 250.837.2141 ext. 227 | Mobile: 250.814.8981 | Fax: 866-366-2094

 

[MCR] Skiing around Bow Lake

Myself and Chris Miller just finished up the field portion of a Yamnuska AST2 course. We spent three days exploring the common areas around Bow Lake. We were lucky enough to see new snow throughout the course and with that a slight swing in avalanche hazard. For the most part what we saw corresponded to the Parks Bulletin. The slight exception would be this afternoon. The incoming cold front gave us new snow, falling temps and of course moderate winds at ridgeline. The soft wind slabs built up fast and were reactive to ski cuts. We stuck to small terrain at treeline, and used the usual travel precautions (supported slopes, no shallow areas and disciplined ski lines). While these slabs were small, they will be growing in the next while. Caution on larger features, especially in the alpine.

Here is a brief run down of the areas and what we saw:

1) Crowfoot Glades: snow tests below the ski slopes (in the moraines) offered moderate to hard results with most tests, but there was a Rutschblock that failed while cutting (RB1). We skied the same terrain that I suspect every other skier in the range had. Lots of tracks.

2)Pulpit Peak: All snow tests were in the high end of moderate to hard. The 230cm HS inspired confidence. The skiing was very good. We skied the main southern slopes with confidence.

3)The first drainage north of Numtijah Lodge (west side of the highway): This was as close as we came to the alpine. 20cm new last night and moderate winds this morning quickly changed our plans of fantastic powder skiing to inspecting the trees on small slopes. No big lines for us. While inviting, the main bowl seemed unreasonable at the moment. The comments in the first paragraph were all from today.

Overall, very good conditions for the Rockies. Lets hope it stays this way.....

--
Matt Mueller

AG/ASG
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

[MCR] Garibaldi Neve from the air

Flew past today the Garibaldi Neve today. No tracks. Attached is a pic of the glacier crux. -8deg at 8000ft at noon.

Cheers
conny
MG

[MCR] Rockies, Field - Pilsner Pillar, Jan 8

Great day out climbing with fellow guide Pete Thurlow on Pilsner Pillar.

-2, light wind, a few flakes under overcast skies back at the road.

Climbers have been to the base of the route and been enjoying the mixed lines to the right and behind the Pillar but we saw no signs of travel on the climb itself. P1 is in WI 5+, 6 condition right now. The early portions of the pitch are hollow behind for about 5m before it thickens up. While steep we had good ice and lots of little features to work with. Engaging climbing with enough good screws to keep it really fun. The other pitches rounded out a solid day on a classic.

We rapped from "No Threads" and one tree. 60m ropes were just enough to stretch across the low angle terrain between pitches before the top of pitch 1.

Happy Climbing.

 

John Freeman
ACMG – Alpine Guide
www.johnfreemanguide.com

[MCR] Rockies, Stanley Headwall, Jan 7th

Spent the day climbing on the Stanley Headwall (Uniform Queen). 2 significant avalanche observations.

1. A large size 3 avalanche blew over the top of Nemesis some time between Jan 3rd and 6th. The debris travelled to the trees covering the summer trail.

2. Another size 3 avalanche released naturally at 5pm on Jan 7th. The powder cloud engulfed the valley and the debris coved the tracks from ski tourers who had travelled across the open slopes that morning.

Play Safe

Joshua Lavigne

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

alpinesummits.blogspot.com

[MCR] Rockies ...Icefields Parkway Crowfoot Glades, Bow Lake area. Jan 4-7

Spent the past 3 days guiding on the Parkway between Mosquito Creek and Bow Summit.
 
30cm of HST fell on the 4 and 5th with an average temp of -5 and fairly significant winds.  I observed winds slabs in Alpine features and some cornice growth, with continued upper level winds through the 6 and 7th.  Temperatures lowered to -14 overnight on the night of the 6th morning of the 7th.
 
The Dec. surface hoar layer was unreactive to tests at the open areas at Tree Line and below I found it 90 to 110cm down.  The depth hoar/facet combo is up to 40cm at the base, and very easy to feel when you plunge a pole or probe around a bit.  On the North aspects the HS is about 130 at Tree Line and South aspects (suspect) about 70 to 130.  I gave South aspect a miss due to the very obvious scouring Alpine and Tree Line and plenty of exposed rock in open areas Below Tree Line. 
 
One party skied a burn on the lower South shoulder of cirque peak,  they reported a number of whumphs..yet continued to go into open terrain close to rocky out crops.  It is a good time to notice this kind of obvious clue like whumphing, windslabs, thin snow areas and choose appropriate terrain to travel through.
 
No new avalanches observed yesterday the 7th.  
 
1 Cornice failure above Crowfoot glades did not pull out a slab on the lower fan.
 
Lots of good skiing to be found up there...be cautious on or under windward(southern) slopes and cross loaded thin areas.
 
Merrie-Beth Board
ACMG
Ski and Assistant Alpine Guide  

[MCR] Field - Super Bok

Larry Stanier and I went to Field and climbed Super Bok yesterday, deep into the bowels of Mt. Stephen.

We went there because the temperatures had dropped significantly, the storm snow was reported to be bonding well, and the avalanche danger had dropped to Moderate at treeline and below.

We walked across the Kicking Horse River flats directly under the route, and there was a nice frozen patch of ice to cross the river on.  Deep trail breaking on the whole approach, with very little signs of previous traffic on the approach or the route. There is a trench there now!

The grade 2 pitch under the keyhole is fat and easy.

The route itself was pretty hard due to steep, brittle ice which required lots of cleaning.  Definitely sturdy grade 5 right now.  I'd take more long screws if I went again, since alot of the gear was marginal in the chandeliered ice.

The snow felt good.  There was a thin melt-freeze crust on the surface up to about 1500 meters, and after that the dry snow seemed well settled with no settlements or cracking.  We did tread carefully under some slabs on the sidewall of the gully, and there is alot of loose snow in that gully.  As is normal for the whole Field area, when it warms up again or rains this gully will come alive.  

But yesterday all was quiet.

Grant Statham

ACMG Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________________
Unlimited Disk, Data Transfer, PHP/MySQL Domain Hosting
http://www.doteasy.com

[MCR] Rogans Gully/Cascade link-up conditions

Linked up Rogans Gully and Cascade today with two guests.

Both of these routes have previously avalanched, probably in the last 2 weeks I'm guessing.

Rogans is in easier shape than previous years, in fact the little pillar that is usually found mid route at the narrows is completely buried in avalanche debris and a walk. Cascade is in very good shape, a bit brittle at times. The last pitch has some thinner hollow spots that are easily avoided to the right. Moderate temps and wind today.

A very pleasant day on mostly plastic ice.

Happy trails,

Eric Dumerac - Professional Mountain Guide - IFMGA/ACMG, CAA II ,CSIA II
✆Canada: Canmore 011- 403-609-1564 
Mountain Skills Academy 

[MCR] Avalanche -- West Bowl, near Skiing Louise (amendment)

Apologies. To be clear; this avalanche occurred outside of the ski area
boundary.

Aaron Beardmore
Specialist, Visitor Safety Programs
Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay Parks
Box 900, Banff, AB
T1L 1K2
Ph: 403-762-1415
www.parksmountainsafety.ca
www.facebook.com/parksmountainsafety
www.twitter.com/ParksMtnSafety

Photo courtesy of Lake Louise snow safety. A lone skier triggered this
avalanche remotely as he skied by (size 1.5). Forecasters at Lake Louise
suspect it released on the basal weaknesses.

(See attached file: West Bowl Skier Remote 1.jpg)

Aaron Beardmore
Specialist, Visitor Safety Programs
Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay Parks
Box 900, Banff, AB
T1L 1K2
Ph: 403-762-1415.
www.parksmountainsafety.ca
www.facebook.com/parksmountainsafety
www.twitter.com/ParksMtnSafety[attachment "West Bowl Skier Remote 1.jpg"
deleted by Aaron Beardmore/NOTES/PC/CA]
_______________________________________________
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.

_______________________________________________
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] Avalanche - West Bowl near Skiing Louise

Photo courtesy of Lake Louise snow safety. A lone skier triggered this
avalanche remotely as he skied by (size 1.5). Forecasters at Lake Louise
suspect it released on the basal weaknesses.

(See attached file: West Bowl Skier Remote 1.jpg)

Aaron Beardmore
Specialist, Visitor Safety Programs
Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay Parks
Box 900, Banff, AB
T1L 1K2
Ph: 403-762-1415.
www.parksmountainsafety.ca
www.facebook.com/parksmountainsafety
www.twitter.com/ParksMtnSafety