[MCR] Rogan's Gully - Cascade Mountain, BNP

Climbed Rogan's Gully earlier today (Nov 29th).
 
We were off the route just after 10:00am, which seemed prudent with the forecasted warm temperatures. The climb is still very much in early season condition. Stubbies were necesarry on Pitch 1 and on one of the mixed pitches higher up. Pitch 2 has completely melted away and requires a bypass on the climbers right. It is possible to exit the gully at this point and then descend back into the gully approximately 25 metres higher up. This pitch should re-form quickly once we return to cooler temperatures. Much snow covers the middle section of the route (thanks to whoever punched a track in previous to us!). The left hand exit at the top is in good condition, but the right hand exit is not quite formed.
 
Descent was made by the "summer" descent route, and this is currently in good condition.


Jeremy Mackenzie
IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide

[MCR] Shades Of Beauty Nov 27th

I climbed Shades Of Beauty on November 27th the climb is located along the
Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park. While valley bottom temperatures
were -17 at 08:00 at the elevation of the climb it was 10 degrees warmer.
I would describe the route as in early season conditions. The first pitch
was well formed but a little wet. The lower angle ice seemed to fracture a
lot. The second pitch had lots of chandelier ice with good ice mushrooms to
stand on. The protection was marginal but I found it easy to place lots of
screws while standing on the mushrooms. The last pitch, which can be split,
was in good shape but quite wet. The mid station is not yet ice covered and
would be uncomfortable to use as it hangs high from the rocks. The quick
link is rusted and should not be trusted. The top station is in good
condition.
Rupert Wedgwood Mountain Guide, Visitor Safety Specialist, Jasper National
Park of Canada

Rupert Wedgwood
Visitor Safety Specialist UIAGM /IFMGA/ ACMG
Jasper National Park of Canada | Parc national du Canada Jasper
Parks Canada | Parcs Canada
P.O. Box 10, Jasper AB T0E 1E0 | C.P. 10, Jasper (Alberta) T0E 1E0

rupert.wedgwood@pc.gc.ca

Telephone | Téléphone 780-852-7837
Facsimile | Télécopieur 780-852-4775
Government of Canada | Gouvernement du Canada
www.pc.gc.ca/jasper

_______________________________________________
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] Early Season Glacier Skiing, Glacier National Park

With limited snow in the valley bottoms, many people are keen to head up higher onto the glaciers in Rogers Pass. This was a fairly dry summer, coupled with an average snowpack from last winter. The results of this are some large crevasses that are now hidden by the thin, early season snowpack. A fair number of local guides in the area have already noted, in earlier postings, the fact that glaciers seem to have changed this summer, with lots of open, gaping holes.
 
Check out Parks Canada's parkmountainsafety Facebook site for a few images illustrating this hazard to the backcountry traveller.
 
https://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.592937624089564.1073741842.145133538869977&type=1
 
These are end-of-summer images, before the first snowfall masked the holes. Things will look different with a metre or two of snow on the ground, but be aware of what you are skiing over! Have a safe winter.
 
Chris Gooliaff
Mount Revelstoke/Glacier National Park Visitor Safety
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] Bourgeau Right

Climbed the route yesterday and found it to be in very good condition with more ice than normal and minimal snow on the approach.

With its aspect an early start would be a good thing given the current warm weather as the snow was moist shortly after the climb came into the sun (10am).

Have fun!

Mike Stuart

Mountain Guide

Mike@CanadianAlpineGuides.com

IMG_5203

 

[MCR] Chester Lake

Skied into Chester Lake area yesterday. As reported by Neil for Black Prince, we also saw large surface hoar up to 15mm widespread in all open areas. This layer was seen from the parking lot up to the lake and is probably above it also although we did not venture further to confirm.

Olivia Sofer
ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide
ACMG Hiking 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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] Kananaskis, Rocky Mountains

Hello,

We skied north of Blackprince/SE of Hero knob today, tuesday Nov.25th.
We tried to summit a sub peak north of the Blackprince tree cone, but were turned back and lapped a north facing slide path instead.

Some observations:
1) The SmithDorrien Creek is easily crossed on ice bridges from the Blackprince parking lot.

2)A sun-crust exists on south aspects on slopes steeper than 25degrees.

3) Large (15+mm) surface hoar was observed on all aspects (except south), below 2150m.  We did not observe the Surface hoar above 2150m  Our guess was that wind prevented its formation above this elevation.

This surface hoar (if buried by subsequent snow falls) will be a problematic sliding layer.  It's very important to observe where it does and does not exist so that we know its location once buried.

4) The snowpack has settled a lot since I was in the area last tuesday (Nov17th)  last week I was seeing around 90-95cm at treeline.  Today there was an average of 70-75cm at treeline.

No settlements, cracking or recent natural avalanches were seen today.

Great skiing was had below treeline on sheltered aspects (north).  Off trail travel was surprisingly supportive if you were in open areas or in old growth trees.  Traveling through "christmas trees" was less supportive and did result in isolated collapsing of the snowpack.

Safe & fun skiing to you all!

Neil Warren,

ACMG Ski Guide

CAA Professional Member

www.neilwarrenskiguiding.com

[MCR] Avalanche Season in the Rockies

To all backcountry users in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks:

It's avalanche season again, and Parks Canada will be periodically conducting avalanche control on all avalanche paths that threaten major highways in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks.  If you're planning on climbing or skiing in Banff, Yoho, or Kootenay Parks this winter, you need to be aware of which areas may be affected by avalanche control, and how to check if there is any control planned in these areas.  

There will be signage located at common trailheads for Mounts Bourgeau (Banff), Stephen, Dennis and Field (Yoho), and Mt. Whymper (Kootenay).  

The signs look like this:

If the sign is flipped down and indicates that avalanche control is in progress, the area is closed for recreation: DO NOT ENTER.  Most of the time, the signage will indicate that there is no avalanche control planned, and the area will be open for recreation.

In addition to the signage, Parks Canada will post warnings to: the public avalanche bulletin for Banff, Yoho and Kootenay, Parksmountainsafety Twitter and Facebook, the MCR, and community webpages such as Gravsports-ice.com, and Big-lines.com.  

Remember, Parks Canada is conducting avalanche control to protect the highways, and is NOT making the areas safe for recreation.

Finally, be on the lookout for undetonated explosives while recreating in these areas, and contact Parks Canada at 403-762-1470, if any are found.  

Please respect this system and check for closures before recreating in these areas, so that we can all continue enjoying the permit-free system that exists in Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks.  

Have a safe winter!

Parks Canada Visitor Safety
Banff, Yoho & Kootenay National Parks
www.parksmountainsafety.ca
www.parcsecuritemontagne.ca

[MCR] Amadeus, Kananaskis, Nov. 24

I guided the ice/mixed climb "Amadeus" yesterday, November 24.

The route is in good shape right now. A smattering of ice makes the awkward traverse onto the ledge at 1/3 height more manageable, and the upper ice is well attached to the rock as of Nov 24.

The approach trail was affected by the June floods, and the trip up to the climb is easier in the trees to the right of the gully.

Take care,

Grant Meekins
Mountain Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

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[MCR] Field Ice Routes - Photos

Hey all,

We've been back down in Field a few more times in the last week guiding ice again. Lot's of growth on a lot of the routes in the past week, the first pitch of Guinness Gully has more than twice the ice volume it did a week or so ago, and both Carlsberg and Super Bock have fattened up a fair amount. About 4 cars worth, down on the beer climbs today... busy times!

Posted a few photos below for those interested.

Have fun out there!

Mike Trehearne

AG/ASG

Cloud Nine Guides

http://www.cloudnineguides.com/blog/fieldiceroutefotos

www.facebook.com/cloudnineguides

[MCR] Dome Glacier avalanche, Rogers Pass, Nov 20, 2013

Here's an overview picture to give folks an idea of how large the avalanche
propagated on The Dome last week. Currently, the firm, avalanche bed
surface has large surface hoar growing on it, awaiting the next storm load.


(See attached file: 2013 11 20 Dome Glacier FLP (2).JPG)

Parks Canada Visitor Safety

[MCR] Dome Glacier Avalanche - Rogers Pass - Glacier National Park

Regarding the previous posts of  large avalanches observed in the Asulkan Valley. Yesterday, the Parks Canada avalanche control team at Rogers Pass went to investigate the Dome Glacier avalanche that occurred on Nov 20th. It was classified as a size 3.5 that ran 700m right down to tree line. It was 200m wide, with a maximum depth of 2m and an average depth of 1.1m.

Most importantly is that it failed on the November 12 surface hoar layer size 4-8mm. It is a 1 cm thick layer in that location and can be seen in the attached photo. It's sitting on a 12cm  facet layer, the top of which was the bed surface for this avalanche.

The surface hoar layer was 100cm where we dug and is 70cm above the glacial ice. This confirms that there is a persistent weak layer in the alpine in this region.  

Also interesting was the presence of a 3cm hard crust below the facets.

The height of the snowpack on and around the glacier was variable between 1.5m to 2.8m with many crevasses still visible.

There is new surface hoar growing at this time into the alpine waiting to be buried.


Avalanche Control and Visitor Safety Team
Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks
Parks Canada                                                

                                               

via

Peter Tucker
Executive Director
B: +1.403.949.3587
M: +1.403.689.4324
ed@acmg.ca  |  www.acmg.ca

 

[MCR] Maligne Lake area, Jasper

I went out for a ski yesterday into the Bald Hills at Maligne lake.

The snowpack was about 20cm at the parking lot. At Treeline there is
about 30-40 cm of unconsolidated weak snow. No significant layers
were found in the snowpack, though an isolated old crust near the
ground is variable and quickly decomposing. I did not go into the alpine.

Skis tend to break through to near ground in most places as the
snowpack is unsupportive. Some wind effect was visible on westerly
aspects and many ridge crests were blown clean.

Though some skiers have been skiing the trees adjacent to the summer
trail, the ski quality looked poor. Most tracks went straight down
veering back into the up track to maintain any movement.
The fire road was reasonable and is getting some compaction.
There are hazards just under the surface, as expected.

Very typical mid November snowpack for the eastern slopes of Jasper
Park., but still a great place to stretch the legs.

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

_______________________________________________
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] Kootenay Pass, Southern Selkirk Mountains

Just back from trip to Kootenay Pass. Here are a few observations from
the day.

The storm from earlier in the week changed things a bit. The coverage
is better, though still nowhere at the mid-winter levels. Be careful on
wind-swept rides and lower elevations, the rock are still there. As
well, at lower elevations there is now a crust on or near the surface.
Depending on the elevation and aspect, it could make for some pleasant
or unpleasant skiing.

A weak inversion had formed and the air temperature was hovering around
zero above 1700m elevation. It felt strangely spring-like on the
ridges. It was about -3C lower down at the highway. There was little
or no wind during our tour.

There was widespread surface hoar development at all elevations and on
all aspects. It was up to 12mm in sheltered, moist areas and almost
nonexistent on warm solar aspects. I hope this doesn't become our first
persistent weak layer of the season.

We had a great run off of Wolf Ridge down the main avalanche path to the
power line. This is a solar aspect and the snow was moist at about
1900m elevation, then dried out as we skied lower into the inversion.
At about 1700m elevation the crust became apparent. It was supportive
so the skiing was good as we swished through the surface hoar.

Our last run of the day was off the Camel's Hump down to the power line
on a north aspect. The snow was of good quality until we hit the crust
at about 1700m elevation. The crust here was not supportive and made
the skiing challenging.

It was great day for a tour in the sunshine.

Craig Hollinger,
ACMG Assistant Ski Guide.
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] Rogers Pass - Mt Macdonald ice

Perfect day climbing in Rogers Pass today with sunny skies and no wind. A friend and I climbed some ice seeping out of the Little Face on Mt Macdonald. The ice was fat and mostly in good condition with excellent screws throughout.

 

The approach was a little tedious in ankle to chest deep snow at times in alder. On the way down we went straight down the avalanche path on old avalanche debris, which in hindsight was the way we should have gone up from the bottom as it was only ankle to knee deep.

 

The river crossing was easy on logs 50m uphill from the upper end of #2 snowshed.

 

The windslabs in the avalanche path were settling and bonding well, no concerns today with calm conditions, although we did carry avalanche gear.

 

The closure takes effect on Tuesday the 26^th, so there's only 2 more days left.

 

Alex Geary

ACMG Ski Guide & Apprentice Alpine Guide

[MCR] Hilda Ridge/Parkers Area

Skied Hilda Ridge near Parker's Ridge in Jasper National Park today. Had very pleasant temperatures for touring up through from the highway with no wind though there has been significant wind effect on Parker's Ridge proper and looked to be unskiable at this time. Very little support in the snowpack below treeline with some improvement as you break out at treeline. Variable snow depths from 5 to 100cms distributed in open areas. Of note is a 4cm rain crust down 45cm that was quite touchy in our snow profile at 2300m on an east aspect. We have seen recent natural avalanches in this area and elevation band that appear to be sliding on this same surface. We can only suspect we will find it on all aspects at this time and would be concerned that if you trigger the wind slab present on easterly aspects you would potentially also trigger this layer. Be sure to plan your descent prior to committing to anything below treeline... your skis will thank you! Check the avalanche bulletin
for more specific details and tracking of this rain crust at www.pc.gc.ca.

Deryl Kelly
Visitor Safety Technician
Jasper National Park
_______________________________________________
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 - Carlsberg Column

We climbed Carlsberg Column today and it's in good shape. The ice was brittle, but overall the protection was good, and there was a lot of stuff to stand on.

An honest pitch of grade 5 ice today.

There were 5 parties vying for Guiness Gully today - better get up early is you want to climb that one on the weekend.

Grant Statham, Steve Holeczi
Mountain Guides
Parks Canada
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

[MCR] Selkirks.

Ski touring at Mt McCrae yesterday. 15-20 cm ski penetration.  130 cm at treeline. 15 mm surface hoar on the surface up to 1900 m with a 3 cm temperature  crust below 1300 m. 2 mm “needle like” surface hoar above 2100 m. Wind effect in the Alpine. No significant shears observed in pit at 2200 m. Nov 11 SH not found in this location.

 

Craig Ellis

ACMG/UIAGM Mountain Guide

 

 

[MCR] Polar Circus

Made an attempt on Polar Circus today, but decided to turn around just after the Pencil by pass pitch due to slaby snow conditions. There seems to have been quite a bit of wind up high in this area. Most notably on the the upper snow slopes we saw a fairly uniform semi supportive wind slab that was up to 40cm's thick overlying a punchy basal layer. Not very confidence inspiring.

The lower pitches were in good early season condition. The Pencil is no where near touching.

The snow on Solar aspects was getting moist with day time warming.

Eric Ostopkevich
Ski Guide/Apprentice Alpine Guide
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] weeping wall

Weeping wall is in VERY early season conditions.  MB Board climbed half the left side and I climbed half way up the right side.  Lots of thin ice, running water and funky ice shells.  As the sun came around, the running water picked up considerably.  After retreating, we watched numerous loose snow avalanches (size 1) release off the rock slabs around the area. 

James Madden

ACMG Mountain Guide

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures.

[MCR] Moonlight, Snowline, 2low4zero

Yesterday, friends Carlos, Nathalie and I climbed Moonlight and
Snowline.

The approach bootpack travels along the left side of the creek until nearly below the routes where it was possible to cross the creek on a marginal ice dam.

P1 of Moonlight was brittle. The bolts in the cave are a high reach. P2 was very wet.

P1 of Snowline was quite thin. There is an old piton on the right at 5m, an old bolt on the left at 15m, and the old station on the right at 25m. Bring a rack of 10 and 13cm screws. I ran the pitch 65m to the prominent ledge where I found a bolt anchor between Moonlight and Snowline.

2low4zero has a lot of ice. Only the first bolt was visible.

Brent Peters
Alpine Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
facebook.com/icelinescanadianrockies
peakstratagem.com

[MCR] Murchison Falls

Today, friend Nathalie and I climbed Murchison Falls.

The approach slope right of the climb has slid recently to sz 1. There was evidence of wind effect in the bowl.

The climb has a lot of ice for early season. The approach ice is thick enough for screws. We climbed the next pitches on the left, finding featured, brittle ice. We climbed the final 70m in 2 pitches, there were great cave belays. These pitches sported technical mushrooms and severe lensing. The bolt anchor was accessible.

The Parkway is covered in compressed snow.

Brent Peters
Alpine Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventure
facebook.com/icelinescanadianrockies
peakstratagem.com

[MCR] Purcells , Bugaboos skiing

I have been out ski touring around the Bugaboo Lodge for the last three days.

 

On Tuesday I was up Black Forest to 2000m , a SE facing run adjacent to the lodge. After Monday nights' storm that dropped between 20 and 60 new snow overnight, trail breaking was on average 60 cm. ski pen on well supported snow except for below 1800 where occasionally I broke through to weaker snow underneath. On the way up the average depth of snow was 70 to 100 cm up to 2000m. Wednesday I was up Black Forest again, the storm snow had settled to a ski pen of 40cm. and snowpack depth from 2000m to 2400m. was average 100-120cm.

 

For this time of year the snowpack is stronger and better supported than usual in that typically shallow snow area and there were no shears that I was concerned about there.

 

Below 1850 m. with HS thinner, there is definitely weaker snow below Monday's storm snow and although the skiing is fantastic, a light touch on the skis was vital so as not to bury the tips in a most disappointing manner.

 

On Thursday we toured 5km. south of the lodge in Bugaboo Creek on a run called High Five, on N & E facing terrain. At lower elevations, 1750m. to 1950 there was on average more snow , 80 to 120c, and at 2250 we found an average of 140-160 cm. The storm snow had settled to 20 cm. ski penetration and that area has a stronger snowpack without any real significant shears.

 

Avalanches: There were a couple of large avalanches from the Monday storm on very steep N. facing slopes in the North Frenchman area , with fracture lines about a metre deep.  A couple large avalanches came down south facing slopes above the Bugaboo Road near where Kain creek crosses the road that came to within 200m of the road. Locally, around where we've been skiing on quite tame terrain, there were a few small releases to size 1.5 about 20cm deep on very steep N. aspects, that came out during Monday night's storm.

 

Very strong SW winds on Tuesday really pounded all the alpine terrain and lots of wind effect and slabs at treeline and down a couple hundred metres in open terrain below treeline.

 

Generally the snowpack depth and strength is better than usual for this time of year around the Bugs and one could operate a heli program successfully with the snow cover we have. That being said  it isn't a huge snowpack, just better than normal. At the lowest elevations lots of bush is showing, so there has not been the highly coveted heavy wet snowfall yet that lays the bush flat.

 

Let's go skiing! 

 

Dave Cochrane

Mountain Guide

 

 

 

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[MCR] Selkirk Mountains - Rogers Pass - Asulkan drainage Nov.20/2013 - additional info

Greetings,

 

After my posting regarding the cycle of Nov.19 in Asulkan Brook, I received some relevant info from a recreational party that was in the Asulkan drainage during the Remembrance long weekend that I felt was important to share.

 

Aaron Sheldon and friends were skiing out of the Asulkan hut during that weekend and noted some interesting observations when the weather cleared on Nov.11 – “Sunday night came in dry, cool, and clear with lots of long wave cooling. On the last day of our touring, Remembrance Day, we witnessed extensive surface hoar frost, and surface faceting. We toured to within a 100m of the summit of Abbot Ridge and saw the faceting and frost the whole way.”

This may help to explain the extensive cycle in the Asulkan drainage and also point to the potential of a buried Persistent Weak Layer(PWL).

May be worth poking in the snow if you plan on getting up high during the upcoming clear weather.

 

Cheers,

Scott Davis

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

 

[MCR] South Coast ~ Fitzsimmons Range Front-Country

I hope this finds Everyone enjoying the start to another winter season.
 
Fellow Guide Dave Sarkany and I made some observations in the front-country of the Fitzsimmons Range today. It was a beautiful day to be up in the hills and out ski-touring. We had a good look at the windward side of the Spearhead Range and as far back as the Overlord Glacier area. Early-season conditions prevail. July's temperatures really beat up the glaciers this year and the crevasses are more thinly- bridged and larger than normal. I would exercise avoidance or certainly a good measure of caution, in glaciated terrain, for some time.
 
We had a good dig in the snow and discovered one notable layer on a moderately-angled, 2030m (6660') East-aspect that traps snow being blown in from the usual southwesterly direction. The layer of note is down 60cm from the surface here and shows a likelihood for wanting to propagate, if triggered. Fortunately, triggering it takes some force right now - unless you find yourself in a thinner spot, of which there are currently many. I would be cautious of steep, bulging terrain with thin spots matching this description right now and give the layer a couple of more days to strengthen, which it should - especially with this week's weather forecast.
 
Look for terrain features that collect snow on lee aspects and avoid rolling terrain because that's where the rocks are hiding, and they're not far beneath the surface. The amount of snow in the alpine is variable right now with some places holding up to 160cm of snow.
 
Watch for rocks and stumps. Consider waiting a while for the glaciers to recover before planning trips into those zones. And, run away from anyone proposing to ski below treeline right now.....
 
Safe travels and enjoy the start of the season.
 
Best regards,
Dale Marcoux
ACMG Ski Guide
 
 
 

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 21st, 2013

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 21st, 2013 Winter is here. Anywhere remotely mountainous in the Rockies and Columbias has a snowpack and some frozen water. It seems that we have also just had our first widespread avalanche cycle of the winter season. Limited reports from the Rogers Pass and the Rockies Divide show fairly numerous avalanches in the size 2 range and a couple of size 3's. The peak of the activity seemed to be on Tuesday the 19th. There was also one skier triggered size 2 avalanche in Kananaskis country. www.facebook.com/KCPublicSafety Ski travel sounds like it has been a bit of work going uphill in the new snow but lots of good turns going down at higher elevations. I hate to bang on the same old gong but it is movember. Like a lot of moustaches, the snowpack is still thin and unconsolidated. There is the usual stumps,rocks, and rhubarb to avoid at lower elevations and some recently naked, now scantily covered crevasses to avoid on the glaciers. There has been lots of reports of high winds, so windslabs may be a concern for the near future. Given the forecasts, the snowpack should gain some strength over the next couple of days in most regions. However,it looks like it might get really warm on the east slope of the Rockies this weekend. All that storm snow, a chinook and some sun may mean some dramatic sloughing on the eastern climbing terrain and some weakening of the snowpack in the eastern skiing terrain. Some scattered snow heights. Reports of around 80-120cms at 2000m in the Bugaboos, 125 cms at 1760m in the western Monashees, 130-160cm in the Rogers Pass alpine, 100cm at Bow summit. Ice is forming all over the place. The big concern in most places would be overhead snow hazard but also expect some thin ice and remember that routes may be a bit more work than they were in their fat and "picked out" state last march. This is the last ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the season. The National parks and Kananaskis Country have been putting out avalanche bulletins for awhile and the Canadian Avalanche Center is likely putting out its first bulletin of this winter tomorrow. Follow these bulletins and feel free to send in observations if you see anything "interesting". Call your friendly neighborhood Visitor/public safety crew or contact the CAC public avalanche bulletin writers at forecaster@avalanche.ca or 250-837-6405. Thanks for tuning in and we wish you a safe and ecstatic winter! 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] Rockies: Bow Summit

Today was a cold one to be out on the skis for the first time of the winter. It was a cold and clear -25 in Banff this morning.

We went to Bow Summit for an avalanche skills field day. There is about 100 cm of snow at road level, with probably half of that having fallen in the past few days. It is fairly unconsolidated and travel was heavy both up and down. There is some strength in the lower part of the snowpack so we weren't breaking through to the ground except in bushy areas, but the storm snow needs to settle some for the skiing to be any good.

There was an extensive avalanche cycle yesterday, with many loose snow avalanches running out of very steep and unskiable terrain. There were also many slab avalanches below cliffs, in gullies, on steep lee slopes and on steep rolls of the Crowfoot Glacier. Most avalanches were size 2 and seemed to have run at the storm snow/old snow interface.

There was moderate to strong wind loading occurring on the highest peaks and ridges today, but no wind at lower elevations. We had a maximum temperature of -15.5 at mid-day.

Mark Klassen

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

Banff-Lake Louise, Canada

www.alpinism.com/2013/avalanche-skills-training-2/

www.alpinism.com/2013/guided-powder-skiing-in-japan/

[MCR] Selkirk Mountains - Rogers Pass - Asulkan drainage Nov.20/2013

First off, my apologies for failing to sign my last post (Rogers Pass Avalanche cycle) – but it was late at night J!

 

Today I went up the Asulkan drainage as far as Asulkan hut – thankfully Adam and Chris (two local Revy nurses) spent 8 hours putting the trail in yesterday – way to go BOYS!

 

Weather – Cold(-15 in the parking lot) and clear until some cloud started to filter in from the north around 1PM – you could see some wind transport happening in the higher alpine but no real wind below 2500m.

 

Avalanches – likewise a large cycle occurred near the end of the storm on Monday night/Tuesday morning – lots of fracture lines visible on most steep alpine features. One avalanche from the Sapphire Col side of the valley ran all the way to the Mousetrap, turned the corner and ran another 100m. Down the drainage. The Lookout Mountain side had no real activity.

 

At around noon today the Dome Col released a natural avalanche on the East facing slope below the col – it was pretty much full width of that slope (probably a 100-150 metres wide) and looks like it may have gone on the old summer snow interface (meaning it was deep). It stopped on the bench below but then the much steeper section below the bench also released even larger (we couldn’t get a good look at it). Obviously things are still adapting to the new load of the last storm cycle!

 

Travel Conditions – the storm snow has started to settle a bit but still real deep ski penetration (40-60cms) – great skiing and the snowpack is a little deeper than over in Connaught Ck. Don’t even think about going on the glaciers unless you are fully rigged up – tons of holes everywhere – lots of new issues after this summer had its way with our Glaciers!

 

Snowpack - limited observations as all we did was check out the Tree Triangle – HS was @160cms there and the snowpack was pretty much a lot of recent snow that is slowly settling out – It would be interesting to get a look at some of those fracture lines in the ALP – most looked like storm snow depths but others looked like they may be involving the October interface. Fellow Guide Dave Sproule was over at the Practice Slopes (in the Illicilliwaet Drainage) and noted some 5mm surface hoar down @60cms .

 

Cheers,

Scott Davis

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

[MCR] Black prince access - Kananaskis country

Begin forwarded message:

From: Ramin Sherkat <sherkat@netidea.com>

Subject: Black prince access - Kananaskis country

Date: 20 November, 2013 12:01:03 PM MST

To: "mcr@informalex.com" <mcr@informalex.com>

Greetings,

I was traveling in K Country this chilly but clear morning (Nov20th).

Access to our original destination was denied, so we thought we'd check out Black Prince.  As Neil mentioned in his post yesterday, the bridge by the parking lot was washed out in June.  

Things change quickly in the mountains!  Where Neil was able to cross yesterday on logs and snow/rock mushrooms, today we only saw running water over thin ice (see picture attached).  

I figured it was worthwhile sending this photo out.

Cheers

Ramin Sherkat
ACMG Ski Guide




Ramin

[MCR] Rogers Pass avalanche cycle Nov.19/2013

I sent this last night but it didn’t get through so here it is now!

 

Finally made it to the pass by noon today after several road delays etc., just enough time to check things out.

 

Weather – 40+ cms of snow in the last 24hours! Oh ya, and really strong SW winds (in excess of 100km/hr). Temps have stayed in the negative range but warmed slightly during the storm. Today we experienced the trailing edge of the system with squalls providing snowshowers in the 2+cm/hr range and gusty winds at ridgetop and temps just below freezing at the trailhead.

 

Avalanches – Lots! Numerous size 2.5-3.5 avalanches off large alpine slide paths ran to valley bottom (pretty much all of the paths off the north side of Mt. Cheops ran, as well as Frequent Flyer- which ran over the previous uptrack, and the Grizzly slide path – the one that faces Connaught Ck,)– looks like they had all ran within the last 12 hours near the end of the storm. I guess that means we are officially at threshold! During my limited skiing below treeline I didn’t hear any whumphfs or see any cracking etc. – mind you I wouldn’t extrapolate that too far into the TL and ALP terrain!

 

Snowpack – Lots of new snow modified by winds from the last system – I found windslabbed snow into the Below Treeline terrain so I expect it to be much worse up high.

 

Travel Conditions – Deep in both directions – thanks to those that broke trail up the valley this morning – they did a good job of keeping the track as high on the climbers right side of the drainage as possible.

 

General Comment – Okay this kind of storm needs a bit of time to settle – so keep it real when the sun comes out!

[MCR] Black Prince, Kananaskis, Rocky Mountains

We skied Black prince today, Tuesday Nov.19th.

Too much snow on the road to go to the Highwood....flowing over the hood of
our car!

Observations from Black Prince:
1) The foot bridge over the creek is gone(june floods). There are a few
logs over the creek just before the missing bridge, that will get you over
the creek.

2) The canyon below the Black Prince 'tree cone' has gotten deeper/steeper
from the floods with more downed trees in it. We elected to ride a bench to
the climbers left of the canyon so we were not in the terrain trap.

Snow: 33cm of new snow in the parking lot (1750m). 45cm of new snow at
2250m (our high point) Total snowpack depth of 95cm at 2250m. The snowpack
at 2200m on a SE aspect was 45cm of storm snow over 30cm of previous storm
snow over a melt freeze crust over 20cm of moist facets. the snowpack was
basically all unconsolidated and all low density. no slabs were observed.
the snowpack was collapsing on the base facets while trail breaking.

Weather: No wind was observed today (while skiing); not a breath, save a
light (not moving snow) breeze at our high point. When we drove past King
creek at 14:00 there were drifts all over the road from NW winds. It was
snowing 1-2cm/hour until 1pm when it tapered off.

Avalanche activity: we heard one avalanche off the blackprince headwall, but
could not see it.

Trail breaking was a good stiff challenge with ski pen ranging from 45-65cm

The main take home message is that here is a massive amount of snow
available for wind transport and it will be a scary place when the wind
comes and forms slabs.

So happy that winter is here!

Neil Warren
Ski Guide
CAA Professional Member
www.neilwarrenskiguiding.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] Kananaskis. Black prince to Engadine lodge this afternoon

I happened to be driving between Black Prince and Mt. Engadine Lodge during a clear spell this afternoon and it looked "busy" to the west. Around 30-40cm in places along the road, -8 to -13c and blowing like hell from the west up high around 3:30.

Saw 4 BIG loose snow avalanches release within about 15 minutes, all out of steep terrain on the west side of the Spray road. One started as a large cornice failure. All of them would have blown an untethered ice climber way out into space and it would have been a world of hurt to be in the way at a belay.

Surprisingly, I saw no slab avalanche fracture lines amongst all that terrain in good light. However, I wouldn't put much weight on that observation. It looked like it may have been calm for awhile during all the snow today as even windy places like Tent Ridge were fairly evenly white. However, as the K country bulletin says, that is likely to change with all the current and forecasted wind.

The wind was howling from the North through Whiteman's Gap and it was apocalyptically dark over Banff at 5pm.

Cue the organ music.

Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide
laristan@telus.net
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] Kootenay Pass, Southern Selkirk Mountains

Went out for a quick ski tour up Cornice Ridge in Kootenay Pass today.
Much better conditions than I expected. Here are a few observations
from my trip.

There was about 80cm of snow at the highway and around 110cm up higher.
The air temperature was -5C during the afternoon and the wind was
moderate out of the south-west. The wind was transporting a significant
amount of snow building up the cornices on the ridge (that's why it's
called Cornice Ridge).

I dug a hasty pit at 1900m and found a thin melt/freeze crust down
40cm. The snow below that was well consolidated. I dropped in off the
summit of the ridge and skied down in the bowl below. With the wind the
new snow just below the ridge was starting to form a soft slab, but the
only concerns I had was the sloughing with each turn. After my run, I
gained the ridge again and skied back to the car. I managed to leave
some p-tex on a couple of poorly covered rocks on the lower part of the
ridge. Be careful down low.

It was a busy day in the Pass, the parking lot was as full as I've ever
seen it. Great start to the season.

Craig Hollinger,
ACMG Assistant Ski Guide.


_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] Selkirk Moutains - Rogers Pass - Connaught Ck. Nov.17/2013

I have held back from posting the last few weeks, as I figured things were pretty marginal out there – but now that the snow (and the people J) have arrived, I figured it was time to send out some info.

 

All observations are limited to Connaught ck drainage (behind the old hotel).

 

Snowpack – snowpack depth and strength has increased over the last week – above 2000m. there is roughly 100cms – below that it is between 60-80cms – I have no observations above 2400m. The clear weather on Sunday night through Tuesday morning formed some isolated surface hoar (mostly around 2000m.)and suncrust on steeper south aspects now down 30-45cms. (I haven’t seen any action on either layer yet).  Otherwise the snowpack appears to be settling and consolidating. The Oct. layer at the bottom of the snowpack has been intermittent, and what I have seen is a hard melt freeze crust that appears well bonded to the snow above – below the crust feels a bit rotten. It would be interesting to see what this looks like on a high elevation (Above 2500m.) north aspect.

 

Travel – much improved after this last storm – it is no longer “Totally Marginal” and more like “Manageable” with great skiing in between. If you find yourself breaking trail, expect an honest effort with 30-45cms ski penetration. The summer trail is now as good as it gets and much less frightening after this last dump. The crux is getting down that last 1000ft. above the trail where the terrain is steeper, the snowpack shallower, and the alders are in full bloom!

 

All that said – there are a ton of hazards lurking below the surface – I have been wearing my helmet and skiing in control (means lots of wiggly turns) – just sayin’!

 

Avalanche Concerns – Fresh windslabs above 2200m., along ridgecrest windward and lee slopes from last nights winds, where my biggest concern – some of these pillows are 60-100cm deep. and fairly stiff. I haven’t seen any avalanches the last couple of days but visibility has been poor limiting observations. Cheops North 4 (aka STS Couloir) has been previously active, with several size 2 avalanches over the last couple of weeks.

 

People – lots of folks out having fun – worth keeping your head up to make sure someone isn’t skiing on top of you J!

 

Cheers,

Scott Davis

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

 

 

[MCR] Rockies Grizzly Bear sited in Field

Just a little heads up. Spotted a Grizzly happily eating grain on the tracks just opposite the Carlsberg pull out in Field. A very content creature. Sauntered the other way when "hey beared" at.

Maybe this storm will encourage a long nap.
Happy winter

Merrie-Beth Board
ACMG aspirant 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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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[MCR] Wapta Icefields Conditions

For those interested, myself and Grant Meekins just came back from a week based out of Bow Hut on the Wapta.

Conditions on the ski in were not very inspiring. The average snow depth was 15cm's, but we were able to ski from the car right to the hut. The canyon didn't present too much difficulty, two sections had to be walked.

Temperatures were mild throughout the week, and we received 35cm's of snow in the alpine, along with moderate to extreme winds from the S - W.

We made ascents of Mt.Gordon, Mt.Olive, the Onion and a trip over to Mt.Rhonda. Snow cover on the glacier was as thin as we have ever "skied" it. Average snow depth on the glacier was 80cm as of yesterday, with open crevasses and exposed ice on the convex rolls. The normal way to Mt.Gordon was impassable due to open crevasses.

The only day we had visibility (Tuesday) we saw several natural slab avalanches up to size 2.5 on NE and N aspects triggered by wind loading.

Our main concerns were windslabs in the alpine that could be easily triggered by a skier in steep terrain, falling into a crevasse while skiing unroped, and cranking a rock in the shallow snow near and below the hut and ruining our skies and our ski season.

We managed those concerns by generally avoiding avalanche terrain, using the rope on the glacier (sometimes both up and down) and carefully probing a route if we wanted to ski it unroped. The ski down from the hut, was more side slipping, kick turning and snow plowing than anything else.

Not much info these days as the season gets going, so hopefully that's useful for folks in the Rockies.

Cheers
Jason Billing


Jason Billing
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
ACMG Alpine Guide/Apprentice Ski Guide
403.609.7602



_______________________________________________
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.
See http://informalex.org/subscribe.shtml#unsubscribe to remove your name from this list.

[MCR] Field - Guinness Stout

Climbed Guinness Stout today via Guinness Gully. It was in good condition, though both routes were a little thin in places. High Test also appeared to be in, although we didn't walk over there to have a good look.

If no other Australians come forward, my friend John and I will claim this as the first all Australian ascent of both routes this season.

The photo is of Guinness Stout.

Alex Geary
ACMG Ski Guide & Apprentice Alpine Guide

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 14, 2013

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 14, 2013 The past week has seen a fair amount of activity in the mountains. The main hazard continues to be wind slabs on E to N slopes, especially in lee and cross loaded features, with avalanches to size 2.5 reported in Glacier Park, and a couple of near misses with ice climbers over the past couple of weeks from overhead start zones in Kananaskis Country. Cornices are starting to become a concern too with isolated failures to size 2 observed in the last 48 hours. Over the next few days there is a snowfall warning for parts of BC and Alberta, with amounts of 5 to 20 cm predicted with moderate to strong winds from the W and SW. Expect a spike in avalanche hazard starting tomorrow and continuing through the weekend with touchy storm slabs in the alpine and treeline capable of producing avalanches big enough to bury you. Ice climbing in the Rockies has turned a corner after a bit of a slow start. Many routes are in great shape and getting climbed regularly. The early season caveats of routes being thin, tricky to protect and stiff for the grade still widely apply as do the hazards of running water and poorly bonded ice. Gravsports-ice.com is the place to go for beta on what's in. It's still too early for really good skiing, but plenty of people have been doing it. Total snowfall amounts over the past week amounted to little more than 20 or 30 cm, less in many areas. Ski travel below treeline is still epic – generally less than 30 cm of snow covering rocks, logs and stumps throughout the western ranges. In the Rockies and Columbia ranges, skiing in select destinations in the alpine is now possible, but expect poor overall coverage. Alpine lee features in snow belt areas in the Selkirks and Monashees have had some moderately successful forays. Expect alpine snow depths in the Selkirks to be less than 120 cm and in the Rockies less than 80 cm. Glaciers will have deeper snow but use extreme caution – crevasses at this time of year are thinly bridged but well hidden. I'm thinking right now of the glacier just above Bow Hut, which in August had 3 meter wide holes that are now covered by maybe 100 cm of unconsolidated snow. Tom Wolfe 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] King Creek and Guinness Gully

Hey All!

Spent the last few days out ice guiding at King Creek & on Guinness Gully down in Field. 

King Creek is in and good to go, as is Guinness. 

Short screws and a gentle touch required on Guiness in places but good pro throughout. Busy times in King Creek over the weekend - currently there's room for about 5 ropes at the main area, but the far climbers left end is currently underwater due to a shift in the position of the creek provided by this past summer's flooding. Maybe it will freeze over later this winter, but for now it's a no go.

On a side note, one of my guests left behind a pair of black Arc'Teryx gloves in the parking lot. If anybody happened to pick them up yesterday, I'm sure he'd love to get them back! Good Karma offered in return.

Have fun out there!

Mike Trehearne

Cloud Nine Guides

Route Photos & Blog:

http://www.cloudnineguides.com/blog/game-on-ice-guiding%21

www.facebook.com/cloudnineguides

[MCR] Revelstoke - Waterworld

Great conditions for rock climbing in the sun this afternoon, the rock was surprisingly warm, no cold fingers or toes. We took a wrench down Gangplank and tightened the loose bolt I'd heard about on the rappels. There may still be some multipitch rock climbing left if the sun comes out again this week.

 

Alex Geary (ACMG Ski Guide & Apprentice Alpine Guide)

Pierre Hungr (ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide)

[MCR] Amadeus, Kananaskis

Hello to all,

Quick update to Jeff's MCR from last week.

Amadeus continues to be in great shape. The mixed pitch is free from snow. The ice has weeped across the slab making the belly flop transition less intimidating than normal. It is possible to protect this move with a 10cm screw and the subsequent traverse with a 3" cam. The ice pitch continues to seep. If you have Goretex, bring it. You will be thankful.

The soft slabs from last week have hardened up considerably, but are still well anchored. No settlements today. This made for a fast bum slide back down to the trail in the trees.

Brent Peters

Alpine Guide

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

www.PeakStratagem.com: IceLines - Select Waterfalls of the Canadian Rockies

www.facebook.com/icelinescanadianrockies

[MCR] Urs Hole

The route is in early season conditions, thin in a number of places with running water beside the climbing line or just under the thin ice shell.

Judging from a distance it appears the bowl above is currently below threshold for a full path avalanche.

The June floods have changed the terrain just before the start of the climb and also the walk (under the snow plug) to the upper pitches. It seemed to involve climbing around bigger rocks.

Of importance...the anchors on this route are in need of replacement.
The anchor at the top of the upper grade 3 pitch has lost the nut that holds the washer and chain in place hence only a one bolt anchor currently.

Many of the anchor bolts look like this one...or worse.

[MCR] Mt McCrae correction

Sorry, Mt McCrae is in the Southern Selkirks, not Monashees.

[MCR] Southern Monashees – Mt McCrae

Today we went skiing on Mt McCrae with some friends.

 

Access

We only made it up the FSR to 1100m elevation due to snow (30-40cm), although our friends made it another 150m. We were both driving trucks with winter tires. This made for a long slog up the road to the trailhead, which felt even longer when another friend flew by on his sled.

 

Snow conditions

Excellent early season skiing, didn't hit a single rock or stump all day. At Treeline, there is a snowpack of about 100cm: 80cm of storm snow is overlying another 25cm of facets and small depth hoar on top of a 2cm crust with moist snow to ground. In the Alpine there were new cornices building and wind loading observed.

 

Avalanches

One recent avalanche was observed at 2250m on a North facing slope. It was roughly size 2, and appeared to be the entire storm snow sliding on a layer of facets. It likely occurred on Thursday during the heavy snowfall.

 

Terrain

In the lower alpine and treeline we skied with caution, avoiding terrain over 40 degrees big enough to avalanche, as the snowpack had a lot of tension and didn't feel like it could be trusted.

 

Enjoy the skiing out there, but be careful as it is still early.

 

Alex Geary (ACMG Ski Guide & Apprentice Alpine Guide)

Pierre Hungr (ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide)

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 7, 2013

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 7, 2013 While "between seasons" is still the best way to describe climbing and skiing conditions in the Rockies and Interior ranges, the alpine is decidedly winter. The first reported avalanche involvement of the season in Ranger Creek (Kananaskis Country) reminds us of the fact that snow levels up high are at the point where large dangerous avalanches are possible. Ranger Creeks is a popular, reliable early season ice climbing destination with serious avalanche hazard potential – rated "Complex" terrain in the K-Country ATES scale due to the massive (and often unnoticed) overhead slopes – and it seems every year around this time somebody has a close brush. This year it was a very close brush, with one of the six climbers involved having only a boot showing above the surface. Like many ice climbing destinations, this is one to give a miss when there has been significant recent snowfall and wind. When in doubt, bring your full avalanche gear – why not? Unfortunately for ice climbers, it seems we're having a slower than usual start to the ice climbing season. Very little activity is being seen except in a few areas. Climbers seem to be contenting themselves with the drytooling destinations for the time being, or making exploratory forays to check on the status of climbs – which so far are mainly patchy or dry. Skiers too will have to wait for another big snowfall, or two or three, before conditions improve enough for decent skiing. Not to say skiers don't try – they always do, 12 months a year, and I saw tracks up in Ptarmigan Cirque a few weeks back that spoke to the eagerness of a few. But with less than 50 cm of snow – more like 20-30 cm below treeline if you're lucky – the full array of autumn hazards exist. While more snow will be found on the glaciers, bridging will be extremely weak and thinly covered crevasses will make the skiing more of an exercise in hazard management – roped up and ready for action. The weekend forecast hold little hope for skiers – scattered flurries for the most part. But with the cool weather conditions continue to improve for ice climbing. Bringing your tools for a walk might not be the worst way to spend a day in the mountains, and who knows, you might get lucky. But be prepared for thin and poorly bonded ice with running water and challenging climbing for the grades. Tom Wolfe 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] Amadeus, Kananaskis

Hello,

Was on Amadeus, Barrier MTN today. The mixed climbing was snow covered and required a little more work to clear off. The ice was in great shape and taking short and mid length ice screws.

On the approach there were some areas with soft wind slabs which were settling but because of the still below threshold depth did not move, still anchor'd. Above the climb looked wind scoured in spots from moderate S/SW winds but still had a cross loaded appearance. 

Play safe,

 

Jeff Bullock
IFMGA/ACMG Certified Mountain Guide

www.alpineairadventures.com

[MCR] Delayed access for skiing and Ice Climbing in Jasper National Park

A Superintendent's Order has been issued in Jasper National Park for the access to Tonquin and Edith Cavell areas effective from November 1 through February 15th annually. This order is issued to prevent human roads and trails from facilitating an unnatural level of predator access to the threatened woodland Caribou. If you violate this order you can be charged under the Canada National Parks Act. This will affect skier access to the Tonquin and Edith Cavell as well as the described exit for Winston Churchill Traverse (Alpine Ski Tours in the Canadian Rockies 1). Slack-country access off Marmot Basin south of Marmot Pass into Portal creek is restricted as well. Normal access to the Brazeau Icefields via Poboktan Creek to the Poligne Creek confluence will not be affected but you will not be allowed to access south from this point. Ice climbs on the Highway 93a that will be unaccessable during this time are 'Looking out the Back Door', 'Fall of Dune' and 'Sorrow Falls'. Again,
these are just delayed access and will be open to skier/climber traffic for the Tonquin after Febuary 15th and for the Brazeau area after Febuary 28th.
For more detailed information on these closures visit this link of important bulletins for Jasper National Park... http://www.pc.gc.ca/caribou

Deryl Kelly
Visitor Safety
Jasper National Park
_______________________________________________
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.
See http://informalex.org/subscribe.shtml#unsubscribe to remove your name from this list.

[MCR] Avalanche involvement - Ranger Creek

Avalanche involvement - Ranger Creek, Kananaskis Country
 
A group of 6 people (2 parties of 3 people) was involved in an avalanche this morning in Ranger Creek, near the base of the ice climbs "Lone Ranger" and "The Chalice and the Blade". The avalanche came from above and hit all 6 members of the party. Two people were partially buried and the other four were only hit by debris. Of the two partial burials, one person was buried with only her boot showing, and the other person was buried up to his arm-pits. The party was able to self-rescue and everyone survived the incident without any major injuries. Nobody in the group was carrying avalanche rescue equipment (transceiver, shovel, probe).
 
We are posting further details on our Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/KCPublicSafety and an updated Public Avalanche Bulletin has been issued at http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/bulletins/latest/kananaskis
 

Kananaskis Country Public Safety