[MCR] Cirque Glacier and Crowfoot Peaks, Rockies, January 28-29, 2015

After starting with some low expectations, Will Woods and I spent the last two days skiing on the Cirque Glacier, and the Crowfoot and Little Crowfoot Peaks.

Conditions above 2200m were surprisingly good as long we stayed away from the wind scoured ridges and cols and stuck to thicker snowpack areas. Travel in general is fast and supportive especially on the glaciers. Ski penetration was between 5-10cm with some good skiing to be found on all aspects. Still lots of rocks to watch for when off the glaciers and plenty of wind slab to avoid. 

Below 2200m a breakable crust exists in most areas and the tree skiing is very poor because of this, however the snowpack is more supportive than before the big warm up and uptracking was quite reasonable.

Snow depths on the Cirque Glacier averaged between 160-180cm. Of note is the presence of several crevasses in the upper quarter of the glacier, including a large open one that is in the fall line below the couloir leading down from the summit. It extends more than halfway across the glacier although part of it is thinly bridged. This would not be fun to encounter in poor visibility. (see attached photo)

Snow depths on the Crowfoot Glacier averaged 140-150cm with just a few sags noted on the skiers left when descending from Little Crowfoot. Skiing was quite good on the glacier and most of the rest of the Wapta appeared to be in similar condition. Reports of good ski conditions yesterday on the Bow Glacier were also given to us. 

Travel conditions up and down the canyon leading to Bow Hut are as easy as it gets right now and most of Bow Lake can be skate skied.

No new avalanches observed. Still some minor concerns for wind loading on steep unsupported terrain and the basal weakness in steep rocky terrain at tree line and above.  

All in all some fun skiing, nice summits and good travel. Nice to be pleasantly surprised!

--

Conrad Janzen

ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide

Banff Mountain Guides

[MCR] Rockies -- Lake Louise Falls, Evan Thomas Creek climbs

Fellow guide Barry Blanchard and I guided on Louise Falls today, Jan 26, and in Evan Thomas Creek yesterday. 

Despite a warm weekend and temps today hovering at or just below freezing, Louise was still in very good condition. The area saw no sun, just intermittent drizzle/sleet and fog. We found planar, plastic ice everywhere except on the crux curtain. That pitch is currently slightly more difficult than usual, with lots of swiss-cheese hooking but more limited options for solid sticks and screws. To the right of the curtain a pillar has formed that looked like it should yield nice WI5 climbing but running water and rotten surface ice today dissuaded us from investigating further. Right of that pillar, there are still several medium-sized daggers hanging in. Meltwater has dissolved much of the snow on all the ledges, and with so much blue ice now showing, we were very aware of icefall running farther and wider than usual. Not many sheltered spots on Louise right now! 

On the other hand, the climbs at Evan Thomas yesterday were definitely suffering badly from the effects of the Chinook. Judging from the amount of water flowing, they may not outlast this warmth. Surface meltwater made for very wet climbing, but more concerning was the delamination that we observed over the course of the day. Snowline was noticeably thinning low down but still hanging in; however, the first pitch of Moonlight was just body width at the base and significantly detached from the rock in the steeper middle section, and we gave it a miss. If it hasn't already fallen off, it will likely need quite a few cold days for it to bond again. The fat conditions on Too Low for Zero this year are no more (the first pitch is ice-free now) and there is plenty of creaky-looking hangfire up above just waiting for an opportunity to spoil your day. Chantilly Falls was the sole exception — it's wet but fat and blue from top to bottom. As with Louise, though, there is no snow remaining to prevent icefall from up high from threatening the climb down low. 

In addition to spontaneous icefall throughout the day, we also saw several minor rockfalls, just another reminder of the downside of the Spring-like conditions right now.

Happy Hunting!

Carl Johnston, AG/RG

Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

[MCR] Avalanche Control - Highway 93 Icefields Parkway

Parks Canada will be conducting avalanche control in the Parkers Ridge/Cirrus Mountain area of the Icefields Parkway, expect spot closures between 10am and 3pm. This will affect access to Polar Circus and Weeping Wall ice climbs and north bound access to Parkers Ridge, Beauty Creek and Jasper will be delayed during this time.
_______________________________________________
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] Road access to Mt Dennis, Rockies, January 24, 2015

The road from the town of Field to the ice climbs on Mt Dennis was closed this morning due to concerns about avalanches reaching the road. 

30cm+ of new snow fell in this area overnight accompanied by strong West winds. The avalanche hazard in this area has risen very quickly and most avalanche terrain in this area should be treated with a great deal of caution.

--

Conrad Janzen

Visitor Safety

Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks

[MCR] Rockies - Kicking Horse Canyon - Avalanche Control

Avalanche Control, Kicking Horse Canyon, January 24th, 2015. No climbing in the canyon on January 24. 

 

Thank you 

 

Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure 

via

 

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

 

[MCR] Rockies - Icefields Parkway - Weeping Wall

I climbed the lower Weeping Wall yesterday with friend Josh. We climbed the Right Hand Side and were on the bench below the upper wall before the sun came around to soften the climb. Like Mike's previous post about Murchison Falls, we experienced brittle ice and dinner plates, which required careful testing. On P2 we climbed the traditional corner line. Above the ramp, the corner was unconsolidated dry chandelier. It was fairly beat out, providing good hooks but poor protection.

Most of the lower Weeping Wall has new seeps creating fresh wet chandelier over the existing ice. We hiked up to the upper and found the choice lines there to be the same.

Brent Peters
Alpine Guide
PeakStratagem.com

Lower WW left

[MCR] Sorcerer/Murchison

Climbed the Sorcerer (1st picture) a couple of days ago and found great conditions with mostly one swing tool placements and good gear throughout the route.  There was a small cornice forming up on the climbers left side at the top.  

The driving was quite good except for 2 creek crossings that had substantial ice shelves to get over.  If you looked around a bit before you committed there were better spots to cross rather than where the tracks took you.

We climbed Murchison (2nd picture) the following day and found brittle ice that required quite a bit of cleaning.  Good protected belay spots could be found and 70m ropes would have been nice for this route.  There were no large daggers or cornices present.

The slope leading up to the base of the route had previously avalanched which made for decent walking through the big boulders.  Both Lessons of Oka and But, My Daddy's a Psycho looked to be in good shape.

Cheers

Mike Stuart 

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Planned Avalanche Control on Mt Dennis, Yoho National Park, January 20, 2015

Parks Canada is planning to do avalanche control on Mt Dennis in Yoho National Park on January 20, 2015. No ice climbing or other activities in the area tomorrow.

--

Parks Canada Visitor Safety

Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks

[MCR] Rogers Pass: Connaught Creek Skin Track

Just a reminder to folks skiing in the Connaught Drainage up towards Balu Pass to keep the skin track high up against the trim line as you head past the Cheops North #4 and other big north facing avalanche paths.  Reports came in today of skiers feeling an airblast from Cheops North #4, and also that the track is unusually low given the conditions.  With the current wind loading and weak layers in the snowpack, avalanches have the potential to run far.  
Keep your heads up out there.

Lydia Marmont
Visitor Safety
Glacier National Park

[MCR] Avalanche Control - Sunshine Access Road, Banff National Park - Jan. 19th, 2015

Parks Canada will be conducting avalanche control on Mt. Bourgeau and Mt. Eagle on the Sunshine Ski Hill access road in Banff National Park on Monday January 19th. Please no climbing or skiing in this area on January 19th.

Thanks

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

[MCR] Rockies, Kananaskis Rescue Practice Whitemans Falls Jan 21st

Kananaskis Public Safety will be doing a rescue practice at Whitemans Falls on Wed Jan 21^st.  There will be a large ground in the canyon and on the first pitch of the route.

 

We will do our best to accommodate other climbers in the area.

 

thanks

 

Kananaskis Public Safety Program

twitter.com/KCPublicSafety

www.facebook.com/KCPublicSafety

 

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[MCR] Rockies - Mount Field

We attempted to ski on Mount Field yesterday however we found a variable breakable wind or temperature crust in all open areas above about 1800m. It was a beautiful day but the skiing was not very pleasant to say the least.

Of note, there was a thick fog layer up to about 2200m and all of the terrain within the fog layer had a healthy blanket of surface hoar up to about 10mm tall. This may be important to keep in mind when the next snowfall comes.

Happy hunting (for good skiing)

Marc Piché
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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
See http://informalex.org/subscribe.shtml#unsubscribe to remove your name from this list.

[MCR] Rockies Ski - Chickadee Valley in Kootenay National Park

Fun outing today in Chickadee Valley just south-west of the divide on the
Kootenay Park side. Cold (-10C), windy, foggy and generally uninviting at
9.30 when we took off from the Great Divide Trailhead but after 30 minutes
up the valley on a well packed approach trail we were in the sun and out of
the wind.

We skied the second avalanche path on the right (southern aspect) and found
a totally facetted (recrystallized) snowpack of 50 - 80cm depth with a
melt-freeze crust about 30 cm down, which for most part did not carry.
Consequently, track-setting was cumbersome when we left an older ascending
track and the skiing was best in the main avalanche path where the snowpack
was compacted by old avalanche debris.

With plenty of weakness present in this thin, early season snowpack there
were no slab properties to be found anywhere we travelled today. Overhead
avalanche hazard seemed minimal given that it hasn't snowed in a long time,
one or more avalanches had already run after the last storm and finally the
start zones looked pretty boney and lacking volume. Main hazard today was
the risk of injury by getting a ski caught, which is why we had set our
bindings softer than normal.

Off note is the large surface hoar everywhere below treeline where we
travelled today which will be talked about once it snows again. The only
place where we found a thin sun crust (with surface hoar on top) was a
steeper gully wall on the southern aspect we skied today.

All in all a beautiful day in the mountains for as long as you didn't set
your expectations too high on the skiing quality!

Cheers,

Jorg Wilz
Mountain Guide (ACMG / VDBS / IFMGA)
 
OnTop ltd.
www.ontopmountaineering.com
+1 403 678 2717 or 1-800-506-7177

[MCR] Happy Days/Ice Nine Rockies Ice

Marco D and I delicately inched our way up Happy Days today. A rarely formed climb next to Ice Nine on Mt. Wilson. Mild weather, good snow stability, and good ice conditions gave us the confidence to attempt the line today. A thin layer of cloud kept the solar heating down today.

Quick approach up the drainage on a mostly supportive snowpack. No slab properties in the approach gully and little snow in the terrain above the route. Debris near the base indicated a size 2 avalanche ran from above the route sometime in the last week. We noted surface hoar crystals 2-3mm in size on the approach slopes treeline and below.

Happy Days climbed at WI6+ X. First decent screw is at the roof, 20m off the deck, above the fractured pillar. Although the route has seen some traffic, the climbing is challenging and by no means hooked out.

Most of Ice Nine looks be in good shape, however the last 5 meters looks quite thin.

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

Ice Nine

[MCR] Trophy Mountain Chalet, Wells Gray Park January 10-13

I was ski guiding at Trophy Mountain Chalet near Clearwater, BC with ski guide Terry Palechuk, January 10-13, on a Thompson Rivers University Adventure Tourism ski course.

 

We did not observe any new avalanches, but there had been a natural avalanche cycle at treeline and below treeline on the well preserved mid-December surface hoar size 5-15mm  (down about 100 cm) during the big storm.  It was reacting to tests in the hard range, with sudden planar and sudden collapse results. 

 

We skied conservative terrain between 2200m and 1500m elevation.  Excellent ski quality with the storm snow settling rapidly.  Surprising that we did not experience a single whumph over the 4 days, despite travelling with a group size of 10 and the buried surface hoar being so well preserved. 

 

We had generally clear skies with extensive valley fog, and treeline temperatures ranging from +2 to -8 C. 

 

The latest surface hoar layer was still forming and growing (size 5 to 12+ mm) when we skied out on January 13^th, and was noted on all aspects and right to ridgetop, something to watch for when the next storm rolls in.  There was some light sun crust on steep solar aspects. 

 

Some photos of our trip can be viewed in an album on the facebook link below.

 

Regards,

 

Jordy Shepherd

ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JordyCanmore

Twitter: @JordyCanmore

 

[MCR] Rockies: Wapta - Bow and Peyto Huts and Mt Rhondda

Got out yesterday from a few days checking out the Wapta and Bow Summit.

Bow Summit Sunday Jan 11, 2015: Upwards of 70 people in the area. Found a predominantly shallow snow pack of around 70 to 90 cm. Extensive surface hoar from 5 to 10mm was noted on the surface at Treeline and Below. Didn’t venture into the alpine. Easy to moderate sudden planar results on the December 18 layer. Got a rutschblock 4 whole block in a sheltered location near treeline on the December 18 layer down about 45cm.

Bow Lake to Bow Hut / Mt Rhondda / Peyto Hut / Return to Bow and exit to Bow Lake Jan 12 – 15, 2015:

Lots of traffic going up to Bow Hut on Jan 12. Trail is pretty well beaten but large open holes with water still lurking. Exiting the canyon to gain the trees can be interesting and not as easy as normal. Surface sluffing in the canyon likely several days prior to our ascent did not trigger any deeper weaknesses. Lots of tracks going in odd places and many folks not taking standard avalanche precautions made me scratch my head given that the hazard was rated as considerable/ considerable/moderate. Lots of surface hoar evident on the surface at treeline and below. Once in the open recent winds have been blowing the surface hoar away. It is likely still lurking in sheltered locations in the alpine and at treeline. This will be on my radar when we get the next snowfall. Spent over an hour shoveling out the front steps at Bow Hut. Changed both outhouse barrels with Kenji, Randy and one of Kenji’s friends. Strong work lads! Would be helpful if folks changed the barrels before the frozen tower of poo gets so high that it is problematic moving the barrel!!! Moderate winds with occasional strong gusts persisted all night.

Skied up Rhondda on Jan 13 on the way from Bow to Peyto Hut. Extensive wind affect made for easy trail breaking on the traverse with between 0cm and 10cm of ski penetration in breakable crust. I was not confident enough in the early season snowpack and limited information to travel unroped while ascending and traversing the glaciers. The final steep slope to gain the S ridge of Rhondda was a combination of rock hard slab and variable windcrust. Took full precautions on the ascent and descent. Moderate W winds at ridgetop all but obliterated any recent tracks in this area.

From our vantage point on Rhondda looking over toward Mt. Collie we noted extensive open crevasses and large sags everywhere on the normal travel routes. It did not look at all inviting.

Noted a Size 1.5 slab release of unknown age (last 48hours?) in steep S facing terrain on Mt. Thompson. Looks like it may have been cornice triggered prior to Jan 12.

Ski descent to Peyto hut was predominantly breakable windcrust with occasional pockets of softer snow that didn’t last long enough to be enjoyable. The closer toward Mt. Thompson we went the better the snow quality (as is often the case here) but I would rate the ski quality as fair to poor. Had another hour of shoveling at Peyto to clear the doorway and find the hut shovel buried under a foot of snow and ice at the base of the stairs. The latch on the door is broken and snow had blown in to the boot room. I improvised a solution with an eye hook found in the hut to lash the door closed until repairs can be made. It should be obvious how to accomplish this when you are there.

Looking down at the Peyto Glacier from the hut there are still lots of areas of bare ice and sags which could be problematic if you were at all off route or worse yet, unroped. Still looks like an early season shallow snowpack in that direction.

Stayed roped for most of the return journey from Peyto to Bow Hut. Extensive probing over the three days gave results from 130 to 180cm with 150cm being fairly typical. A group who attempted St. Nicholas reported probing snow depths as shallow as 70cm. Sounds like they were also cautious with regard to glacier travel precautions in this young snowpack. They noted at least one large crevasse on what would be the more normal route to St. Nicholas. They commented that the closer to St. Nicholas you went on the approach the more crevassed the area appeared.

We noted a large open crevasse near the lowest point between Rhondda and Thompson. A group making an attempt on Mt. Gordon turned back but we never met up with them to discuss why??

On the ski out from Peyto to Bow Hut then Bow Lake on Jan 14 we had moderate W winds that made the minus 5 temperatures seem colder. The tracks we made Jan 13 had disappeared overnight. The steeper slopes leading down to Bow hut were more breakable and wind affected than the slopes closer to the Onion which provided uninspiring but perfectly manageable turns. The temperatures ranged from minus 5 to minus 16 during the three days but warmer temperatures were evident descending the canyon and crossing the lake. Several Size 1 loose avalanches were noted on steep south facing terrain. A Size 1.5 loose avalanche was noted at 13:30 in a steep S facing feature. Adjacent slopes had snowballing evident suggesting the surface snow was moist. Some S and W slopes may now have a sun crust for your skiing enjoyment...

Cyril Shokoples
ACMG MG / IFMGA
Rescue Dynamics

[MCR] Rockies - Carlsberg Column & Pilsner Pillar

Greetings,

I guided Carlsberg Column & then linked up Pilsner Pillar's first pitch with a guest today.

*Carlsberg has been refreshed with new ice. Not hooked out and offering a good challenge. Doing the approach ice instead of the walk around seemed a better option this year.

The route has a mushroomed groove on the left that provides great climbing and foothods. It was a bit wet but totally climbable. The 20 meter or so pitch that sometimes forms above and right of the main flow is well worth doing right now (cord around tree for rap). Breaking up the first flow by stopping at the mid-ledge bolts then provides three good pitches.

*60 meter double ropes do not reach the ground from the bolt anchor at the base of the main Carlsberg Pitch. I threaded a little pillar just above the approach ice for the last rap - 70's should make it.

*Pilsner was excellent and technical. Placing good protection is not straight forward in some sections of chandelier and hollow ice. This route was also wet but totally climbable. The lower angled ice above is bare of snow and seems excellent for several additional pitches of plastic blue ice.

*I watched some folks rap off just a little too far climbers left over a fully dripping and precarious looking hanging dagger. This can easily be avoided by keeping the rap line to the right of a prominent bump that sits on the edge atop of the pitch.

Eric Dumerac
IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide
www.mountainskillsacademy.com
www.whistlerguides.com

[MCR] Takakkaw Falls and Mt. Field

I had a good look at Takakkaw Falls on Monday. Pictures are attached, and I thought the climb looked in good shape.  Also skied past the picnic shelter at the Takakkaw Falls campground on Dec 31, and it looked in good shape too - clean, enclosed and with a small stock of firewood.

The snowpack below treeline heading up to Mt. Field is still thin, and the lower half of the Mt. Field ski tour is very brushy with alder and small trees. Coverage is good above 1700 meters.

Did a profile just below the last steep roll that leads to the summit of Mt. Field.  In a snowpack of 145 cm total, we found well preserved surface hoar down 45 cm, which produced moderate, sudden planar shears. This is the Dec 18 layer, and I wouldn't want to be on a big slope around here until this layer gets a better bond.

Grant Statham

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Field of Dreams-Yoho BC

I attempted to climbed Field of Dreams in Yoho on Ogden January 10. After breaking trail for 2.5 hours up to our waist with our snow shoes we ended up climbing one of the pillars on the left instead. Cheers, Marco Delesalle ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide www.greatdividemountaineering.com

[MCR] Lily/ Dome glaciers, Rogers Pass, Jan. 9th & 11th, 2015

I spent the last few days skiing in the Selkirks. Overall conditions were thinner than normal for this time of year before with many alders/ bumps below tree line and crevasses/ sags visible on the glaciers. Despite this, we found excellent skiing on N through E aspects. We heard reports of suncrust on S-W aspects and avoided these areas. Here are a few specifics from each day:

Lily/ Dome loop - Jan. 9th 

• There was a 150 - 180 cm snowpack in Loop Brook below the Lily glacier.
• The Dec. 18th facet/ surface hoar/ crust combo was down 50-80 cm's and giving moderate sudden planar results in compression tests. The crust disappeared around 2250 m elevation and this layer was not as prominent at higher elevations.
• Surface snow was wind effected on the Lily glacier.
• The Lily glacier had a thin and variable snowpack (80 -300+ cm's) and was more broken than I had seen before (see attached photo). We were happy to have a rope and glacier travel gear with us.
  

Dome glacier - Jan. 11th

• Settled dry snow with no wind effect made for excellent skiing.
• Dec. 18th was down 80-100 cm's.
• Snowpack depths of 2-3 m were less variable than the Lily side, but multiple sags were still visible at the top of the roll on the Dome glacier.
• We observed new surface hoar growing at all elevations today. This may become a layer to watch in the future.

We didn't see any new natural avalanche activity over the two days. Given the test results and structure of the Dec. 18th weak layer, we stuck to lower angle and supported terrain in the treeline elevation band (1800-2200m) where it seemed to be most reactive. 

Great skiing to be had out there, but a nasty and atypical weak layer for the Selkirks lurking below.

Cheers

Ian Jackson

ACMG Mountain Guide

[MCR] Johnston Canyon

Spent the last day of a two day program at the head of the canyon today. We walked in the dark the footing was comfortable and secure with crampons.

It was a busy place today and to be honest besides the main falls and some of the immediate terrain right of the falls, fine for small or well managed groups, the zone well described by Eric Dumerac in his recent post, that offer good climbing is well worth it for small or well managed groups.

Currently The Center left and main large pillar are no place i would of wanted to be hanging out all day, on and especially not below.

However, there was a large group of novices, shoulder to shoulder, belaying and climbing for a solid 4 hours, they appeared comfortable or maybe unaware of the potential hazard or the risk they were exposed to.

A good option for larger groups who walk to the falls and find them busy, is some nice less traveled flows closer the mouth of the canyon, they are visible on the left as you walk in.
However, in heavy snow periods they can pose a bit of an avalanche hazard.
Today, there was a good path down from the trail and thick ice to stand on and the conditions would of been favourable.

Also of note, the large well traveled pillar on the left hand side of the main flow found on the right side of the canyon has a crack near the roof. I believe the crack occurred today not long after the loud audible settlement of the last standing central pillar that was being top roped.

The large pillar has a good base, but I've observed it come down before when it looked solid, give this beast respect.

As for the one on the right, it now sounds very concerning in the first half.

Limit your exposure to overhead hazard, and like Eric eluded, don't let the debris on the ground lead you to believe there is no overhead hazard still. We have both observed catastrophic failure of ice in this area, not unlike many others!
Finally, don't allow pressure to climb dictate your risk tolerance.

The debris at the base says a bit, it tells you that the pillars break and that debris can kill you. What's above your head should remind you to take shelter and limit your exposure.

Cheers

Patrick Delaney
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

[MCR] Rockies Ice Conditions: Junkyards, King Ck, Hafner, Johnston, Guinness, Chantilly

Greetings,

Mountain Skills Academy conducted ice climbing courses this past week:

Junkyards: Lower flow and Scottish gully in typical conditions, fat and plenty of room for several parties. Upper flow is also in excellent condition.

King Creek: No problem with river crossings on approach. We put a big log across the creek for a bridge just past the main flow. Main flow is in typical conditions fat and healthy. Corner mixed route is thin to non-existent.

Hafner Creek: Interesting conditions at Hafner this year. The right practice flow is harder than usual. Left flow is in great shape and has a hooked out groove that provides easier climbing. Big daggers threaten the left mixed routes and will require caution. The Flake route is overhung by big daggers and looks dangerous. The back of the canyon is about a fat as I have ever seen it and the first flow back there is really good providing longer and better ice than usual.

*Johnston Canyon: Excellent conditions here: From left to right - main waterfall left side is in but only accessed by rappelling in. Ice just right of waterfall provides really good pumpy and technical terrain. Most of the bigger daggers in the central area have come down however there remains plenty of overhead hazard here. The central area pillar that sometimes forms is not there. The main practice flows on the right are healthy and get thinner and snow covered farther right.

*Of note; we were at Johnston on Wednesday, a warm sunny day. I noticed some water running under the central hanging daggers and those that could threaten belayers standing on the left side of the right-hand practice ice. I've seen this in the past in conjunction with these daggers failing on their own or from an ice climbers swing or kick. I theorize that though some of these daggers may seem well supported, at times there exists a healthy water flow behind  these daggers which erodes and weakens them. When these conditions exist one can see and or hear the water flow.
 
Grotto Falls: The route His is no longer touching but offers a good mixed route. Hers was very brittle and pumpy. Grotto falls itself is in great shape although not fat. The mid station anchors are way off the ground but still useable.

Guinness Gully: In very good hooked out WI4 shape with an excellent trail leading to it.  Upper gully leading to Guinness Stout was investigated and the December crust/facets layer along with isolated wind slabs is prevalent and these slabs could potentially be triggered by humans.

Chantilly Falls: In good condition with some thin sections.

Eric Dumerac
IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide

www.mountainskillsacademy.com
www.whistlerguides.com

[MCR] Cascade Kronenbourg - Rockies Ice

Climbed Cascade Kronenbourg via the bolted mixed line Shooter Bar today with my guests Al and Elisabeth.

-8, cloudy, and calm winds on the backroad in Field today. Up to 30cm of new snow in open areas near the base and between pitches. No slab properties in the snow where we travelled today, below treeline.

The route seems to climb and protect well at M6 WI6 with some good hooks through the roof on the second pitch. Large daggers do threaten the approach and the first pitch, so something to watch out for during significant temperature changes.

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

[MCR] Ice climbing conditions - Rockies

The Canadian Mountain Ski Guide's Guide Training Ice Course visited a number of ice climbing venues between January 5th and 9th 2015.

 

Bear Spirit: 

 

The two central pillars provided good, hooked out ice climbing lines. Overall there is less ice on the far right hand mixed routes. 

 

Corie Dubh: 

 

After the first ice pitch the majority of the lower angle ice is covered in snow and generally provided supportive footing with a few sections of exposed lower angle ice leading to the first mixed pitch.  Following the 10cm snowfall and wind on Jan 6th and 7th only evidence of small sluffs out of steep terrain was observed in the gully.

 

Aquarius: 

 

Driving into the South Ghost was manageable and generally easy for what it can be. Minimal drifting as of Jan 7th. The approach pitches were well formed and wet, with the final steep pitch demanding delicate climbing in certain sections to avoid fracturing a thin pillar. Rainbow Serpent and Fearful Symmetry were not formed. 

 

Weeping Wall: 

 

Sniveling Gully: 

The first fixed anchor was in poor condition and teams opted to build an ice anchor here. Finding sheltered belays helped to manage sluffing of recent 10cm of snow and dagger fall hazard. Overall good ice conditions on this route. 

 

Weeping Wall Right Hand:

In typical conditions. Good ice. 

 

Moonlight:

 

Thin conditions for the first 25m. Short (10cm) screws required for adequate protection. 

 

Louise Falls: 

 

Daggers still threaten the climb. The right hand pillar was very wet and would provide challenging climbing. Water flow over the left hand pillar has refreshed the climb. 

 

Junkyards: 

 

With construction occurring in the area climbers are encouraged to utilize the powerline approach trail rather than walking on the road to access the area.

Information compiled and written by course candidates.

Stephen Holeczi

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Park avalanche control planned for Wednesday and Thursday

Please note that Parks Canada and CP will be doing avalanche control tomorrow (Wednesday, January 7) and we are requesting your cooperation to avoid all areas where we will be working:

• No climbing on Mt. Stephen by any route
• No climbing on Mt Dennis (Field ice climbs) - note that the Field back road is closed, and Pilsner Pillar just avalanched this morning
• No climbing on Silk Tassel (Mt. Field)
• No ski touring on Mt Whymper
• No ski touring in the Simpson avalanche paths (previouly called Vermillion)
• No climbing on Bourgeau Left and Right-hand

We will reopen as we complete this work, but expect this to last for the next 2 days.

 

Thanks for your cooperation.

 

Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks Visitor Safety

 

 

[MCR] Rockies, Mt. Hector, January 4th

Went for a refreshing ski tour up Mt. Hector yesterday, January 4th.

We boot packed 50 m elevation to bypass the waterfall at 2100 m. Otherwise, we kept our skis on to the col between the two peaks. Ski crampons were helpful for the final 300 m to the col. Boot crampons were also useful for the final scramble to the summit.

We found snow depths up to 155 cm on the Hector Glacier. We had pleasant ski conditions below 3100 m with ski penetration of 5-10 cm. Despite the shallow snowpack below treeline, the December 18th crust was supportive and kept our skis above the rocks.

[MCR] Rockies - Little Yoho Region

Just back from 4 days of ski touring in the Little Yoho valley area.

Snowpack depth at treeline in this area ranges from 120-140cm, with 20 cm of very low density snow having fallen over the last 36 hours. Cold temps and very light winds (treeline and below) have kept the surface snow fluffy and deep - excellent deep powder skiing between 2500 and 2000 m.  Below 2000 m the snow is still good, except you can really feel an old ice crust down about 40 cm, and the ground cover is still rough in the trees.

The Dec 18 layer is the one to watch in this area, and is buried anywhere from 40-60 cm. The grains on this layer are variable depending on elevation, but up to about 2100 m it is surface hoar on a strong ice crust - perfect recipe for a sliding layer.  Above 2100 m the surface hoar still exists, but no crust. 

As of today there was no slab on top of this layer (we only observed to treeline), but this seems perched to change anytime. Any small change (more snow, wind or warming) and this avalanche problem will ignite.

Note that Parks Canada has started publishing a new avalanche forecast for this region specifically (Little Yoho).  You can find the forecast here:

http://avalanche.pc.gc.ca

And a few facts about this region here (apologies for the awful photo):

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/little-yoho

Grant Statham

Mountain Guide

Parks Canada

____________________________

Grant Statham, Mountain Guide

Alpine Specialists

701 - 2nd Street

Canmore, Alberta

Canada  T1W 2K3

[MCR] Rockies, Guinness Gully - Ice Rescue Practice, January 5th, 2015

Parks Canada is planning an ice climbing rescue practice on Guinness Gully, Monday, January 5th between 0800-1500 hours. We will do our best to accommodate other climbers on the route but you can expect some delays.

Thanks,
Conrad Janzen
Visitor Safety
Banff, Yoho & Kootenay National Parks

[MCR] Twisted Ice Climb, Yoho National Park, Jan. 1st ,2014

I climbed Twisted today with Brian Webster and Steve Holeczi. Here is what we found:

Route Conditions:
The route was dry and in good shape and old hooks made it feel not too brittle despite the cool temperatures (-14 at the car in the AM).  The left hand pillar has a crack across it and sounded hollow. We chose a right hand line to avoid it given the temperatures; however, we still were forced to climb a couple body lengths of hollow sounding ice.

Avalanche Conditions:
Despite the avalanche danger rating of "low" below treeline in the Banff, Yoho & Kootenay avalanche forecast, we brought avalanche gear and chose our approach route carefully. Because of the strong valley winds from the recent "Yoho blow", we encountered many areas of hardslab over a facetted base. We were able to chose a route that avoided being exposed to most of the hazard and crossed short hardslab sections one at a time where we couldn't avoid them. Although any avalanche would likely be small, the terrain is steep enough that you wouldn't want to go for a ride.

These below treeline conditions are likely not widespread throughout the Banff, Yoho & Kootenay forecast region, but I would be cautious on the approaches to any of the climbs in the Mt. Stephen/ Mt. Field area right now.

Happy New Year!

Ian Jackson
Visitor Safety Technician | Technicien Sécurité de Visiteurs
Banff, Yoho, Kootenay National Parks | Parcs Natiounaux Banff, Yoho, Kootenay
Parks Canada | Parcs Canada
www.parksmountainsafety.ca | www.parcsecuritemontagne.ca

[MCR] Rogers Pass: Little Sifton traverse

Spent the last day of 2014 on the Little Sifton traverse, up Grizzly Shoulder and down Hermit. We went over the Little Sifton col but did not ascend Little Sifton peak.

No sign of recent avalanche activity on the tour, although there was evidence of several large slides in the alpine that were probably a few days old. Of note there had been a large avalanche that ran off the east face of the ridge separating Hermit from the Grizzly area. This ran over the traverse from the Hermit moraines to the exit glades between Hermit and Puff Daddy. It made us feel a bit less exposed on that traverse as a portion of the overhead hazard had run.

We did not see any critical signs of instability on our tour, and there were no critical weather factors yesterday (no new snow, cold temperatures, no wind). The solar radiation felt warm but did not seem to be causing instability. However, we did not dig into the snow so cannot make a comment on the reactivity of the surface hoar layer that was buried in mid-December. Reports are that it is of spotty distribution in this zone but reactive where it is found.

There is a variety of wind effect in the alpine with a non-reactive windslab on descent from the col. This wind effect seems to be softening with the cold temperatures and the skiing was fine.

The Grizzly Shoulder uptrack is its usual icy, steep, switchbacking nightmare and the alders in the glades are still problematic. Good skiing in the forest.

If anyone finds a pair of black Julbo googles in the info centre or info centre parking lot they could be my Christmas present to myself...they went missing somewhere around there! Reward offered.

Mark Klassen

ACMG-IFMGA Mountain Guide

mark@alpinism.com