[MCR] Access - Prohibited Activity Notice - Mt Green/Ross Peak, Glacier National Park, September 1-5, 2015

Climbers and scramblers please take note of the following closure: All slopes and climbing routes on Mt Green and Ross Peak will be closed to all activities Tuesday September 1st  through September 5th.  The closed area has the same boundaries as the Ross and Smart Winter Restricted Areas.
Explanation:
Blasting operations are scheduled to take place on Mt Green on Tuesday September 1st, 2015 but due to weather concerns may not happen until later in the week.  The purpose of these operations is to safely remove, by detonation, unexploded artillery projectile that was fired as part of Parks Canada's Avalanche Control Program.

Thank you,

Lydia Marmont
Visitor Safety Technician
Mt Revelstoke & Glacier National Park

[MCR] Sir Sanford, Aug 22-28, 2015

Hello 

Just back from a trip to Great Cairn and Mount Sir Sanford.  Summited the peak via the NW ridge route on Aug 25th.   I decided to approach the Sir Sanford glacier via the looker's right side from the hut.  It looked a little more manageable then the moraine approach below Ravelin.  I wouldn't recommend this approach after doing it.  The glacier and rock slabs made it a tricky one.

From the bivy described in Dave Jones Selkirk North guide book, it was a 14 hour round trip to the summit and back (to the bivy).  The pocket glacier above the bivy is quickly receding making it tricky to negotiate this piece of terrain.  Due to the rock slabs.  We did how ever find a way through the slabs in the 4th class range.

The upper ridge above the Ravelin/Sir Sanford col was holding snow on the North aspect of the peak.  From the storm we had on Aug 20-21.  I had to pitch several sections that normally could be short roped. Which was again time consuming.  The west face ledges were free of snow and easily short roped.

There is a large shrund open guarding the hour glass and upper NW face.  I negotiated it via the climbers right side doing about a 30 m traverse pitch to line us up with the NW face.  This pitch will not be around much longer because of glacial recession.  There was no other option here.  The only other way i could see this passable is a big snow year plugs this shrund.   From the end belay of this pitch, it was about 80 meters of just off vertical alpine ice climbing in the grade 2 range ( 2 more pitches) to the saddle.

The upper NW face again was bare ice which i pitched for another 4-6 pitches to the summit ridge.  The summit ridge has no crux cornice which is described in D.J. guide.

The Aug 20-21 storm deposited roughly 15 cm's of storm snow above 2700m.  Which was up to 25 cm's on the lee side in loaded pockets.  This storm snow has covered a lot of smaller crevasses.  Big enough to fall into…..  On descent, It happened. I did however have the rope on and a tight rope from my client.  A ski pole was useful to probe for the remainder of the hidden gems.

There is a few Rappel options off the rock buttress to negotiate around the steep ice of the hour glass area.  i used the one described in D.J.'s guide (directly off the buttress).  Which is two 30m rappels.  Noting, the first rappel getting to the top of the second rappel is a rope stretcher.  One could easily rap off the ends here.  So heads up.

Descended on day 3 via the Ravelin approach beside Sir Sanford glacier.  The moraine that is pictured in the book is very aggressive but worked good.  Considering all other options.  This sort of moraine approach would not be possible in the rockies because of compact mud and dry gravel moraines typical of the rockies.  Selkirk moraines are just more water saturated and mushy.  Even on a year like this.

One other trip we did after some rest was up the Silver tip glacier to Silver tip peak on Snow and Ice.  From Great Cairn hut I approached the looker's right side of the glacier.  Again, this glacier has taken a beating by recession with many melting out  large crevasses.  Also to note is the large caverns forming from recession on the sides and underneath the glacier within a 100 meters or so of the glacier edge.  This approach i found through the glacier will not exist in a few more years.  The last option however would i did observe for future attempts on the Black Friar, other peaks and for ski tourers venturing in this area is to skirt the hillside high above the glacier (again looker's right side, below Azimuth notch).  After summiting the peak via the N ridge, we descended the East ridge/south slopes back to Great Cairn.  This would be the ideal way up for less experienced folks heading  up to Silver tip Peak.

Of course now conditions are changing with the current weather. 

Over and Out

Jonny Simms                             

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

1(604)815-9225

Golden, BC

http://jonnysimms.com

[MCR] Rockies - Maligne Pass - Aug. 25-29

Hello all,

  I just got back from the decommissioned Maligne Pass trail, coming in at the Sunwapta Station and exiting at Maligne Lake. The trail alongside Poboktan Creek is in excellent shape and you should expect no difficulties. After you hit the Poboktan / Poligne junction and head upstream, you will cross 7 small bridges before reaching Avalanche Campground. All bridges are still in place although the 5th bridge is quite damaged and should be used with caution. Avalanche camp is in good shape with 4 bear hang cables, a green throne, 2 fire pits & tables, and three generally good tent pads, although they are starting to becoming quite rounded over.

  From Avalanche camp heading to the pass, the trail is faint but easy to follow until just after the 8th and final bridge over the Poligne. At that point the trail is quite good all the way down to Mary Vaux Camp. Mary Vaux camp was the same as Avalanche camp in regards to bear hangs, tent pads, etc.

  The trail deteriorates past Mary Vaux camp, becoming occasionally faint through the forest and with a moderate amount of deadfall on the trail. Some of the drainages coming off Llysfran Peak & Mt. Unwin have washed out the trail but it is easy to pick up on the other side. About 1 km away from Schaffer Camp we entered a large meadow of willows about shoulder height, which we continued to hike through on and off through the remainder of the trip. A good argument for long pants. The trail in these sections is well rutted so while it's not easily visible, just follow your feet. About 800 metres south of Schaffer camp the trail appears to ford the Maligne River. Instead, hike about 50 metres downstream on the same side of the river, and the trail will reappear in the willows to your right, heading towards a small rise of land. Schaffer camp is in fair shape, although one of the tables is missing some planks.

  The bridge over the Maligne River about 4 km north of Schaffer camp is washed away so this will require a ford. Rather than fording at the old bridge site where the signage still directs you, we forded about 100 metres downstream where the river is a little wider. At the time and point of our crossing the river was only 30 cm deep and presented no difficulty. The trail is also significantly damaged in the drainage around GR591355. However there is some modest signage on either side to help you along.

  Finally, Trapper Creek campsite is in good shape but two of the bear hang cables are missing clips so you may want to bring an accessory carabiner. The bridge over Trapper Creek is also damaged but passable.

  All signage is still in place. No wildlife sighted but lots of elk, deer and bear tracks and scat along the trail and in the campsites. A very beautiful and historic trail to hike if you get the opportunity.

Nathan Dahl

HG

[MCR] Mt Robson conditions

Summited Mt. Robson via Patterson Spur to the Kain Face August 27th at 930am with one client, over 3 days. Was excellent travel: crampon deep foot pen on the glacier and frozen bucket steps to the summit after the plastic ice of the Kain Face. Softened to boot top on the way down once back on the glacier. 

The Thoni Trail from Kinney Lake to the Paterson Spur since my last trip up the mountain one month ago, has improved. There has been significant traffic all the way to the Robson Resplendent col judging by the trodden out moss, boot prints and missing loose rock. Flagging has been added all the way to the alpine and I have added many cairns to help mark the way above the trees. 

Mouse Trap. 

Hard to tell from photo but ice and snow has run recently all the way to the flats covering standard route to RR col. 


Mt. Resplendent looks good from the R-R and was summited via Patterson Spur. 

Safe Travels 

Crosby Johnston 
ACMG Mountain Guide

Cell 778 266 0022
altusmountainguides.com

Sent from my iPhone

[MCR] Southern Alberta Waterton Park and Castle Region

I spent most of last week in the Waterton Parks area doing some
scrambling and hiking in Waterton Park along with a 2 day traverse of
Victoria Ridge to Newman Peak.

On August 24th Brian Jim and I did the ascent of Blakiston Peak
and the Hawkins Horseshoe traverse descending into Roe Lakes. This
excellent trip is mostly easy scrambling with a short section of 4th
class below the summit of Blakiston Peak. (Used a 15m rope for this section).
A spectacular ridge walk under smoky skies. The trip is about 18km
long with about 1800m of total elevation gain.

On Aug 26th-27th Brian, Elaine and I completed a 2 day traverse of
Victoria Ridge to to Newman Peak, descending into the Avion Ridge
col to Waterton lakes Park. Distance is about 36km over the 2 days.

Vehicles were left at Red Rock Canyon in Waterton Park, the other
left at the Shell compressor plant north of and west of Twin Butte.
We followed the gravel road for 4km, then approx 6km on a good trail
to gain the alpine. A creek was still flowing lower on the trail,
and this is the only water other than Bovin lake.
The rest of the trip (other than dropping to Bovin Lake) is all along
an alpine ridge line. Though the skies were smoky, this trip is
probably one of the most spectacular yet simple ridge walks in the mountains.

The trip is mostly hiking with a few sections of exposed scrambling.
The descent from the ridge to drop into Bovin lake used the Northerly
bump on the ridge descending easterly on red rock (some 3rd class) to
gain access to easy scree that is descended into the lake. This slope
was covered in Blueberries but no sign of bear.
An old trail marked on the map (seismic line ?) is used the following
morning to regain the ridge south of the lake. This well used horse
trail leads to the next bump just below Loaf Mountain.

A short section of exposed 3rd-4th class rock is ascended on the
North ridge of Spionkop Mountain which is the crux of the trip.
Difficulties are turned on the right, but stay close to the ridge.
The rest of the traverse is simple hiking.

If done earlier in the year, there may be some snow for water along
the ridge. However, the drop to Bovin lake is worth while, gives a
great place to camp and the trail gives easy access back onto the ridge.

Peter Amann
Mountain Guide










Peter Amann
www.incentre.net/pamann/
pamann@incentre.net

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 27th, 2015

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 27th, 2015 It seems like there has been very little change in the past few days with the smoke/haze making it hard to see and slow to warm up most days. It has often been much clearer in the alpine and I would guess that most of last fridays snowfall has melted from the rocks. But, we have very few observations to go on so that is certainly a guess! It looks like it may be a somewhat damp weekend in the alpine anywhere west of the Rockies Divide. Drier fx out on the east slope of the Rockies. Perhaps most importantly, there is at least some precipitation forecasted for most of Washington state and those big fires. Glacier travel is still not ideal in most places but hopefully some of that recent snow has stuck and softened the icy world slightly. Rockfall from the glacial edges is still probably the biggest current hazard, but melting snow, clumsy feet and snagging ropes can all disturb the choss. To once again quote Dick Culbert's 1974 "Alpine Guide to Southwestern British Columbia"-"As an instructive generalization, novices in the mountains are afraid of falling, while more more experienced climbers are afraid of things falling on them" Finally, it is probably best to leave your skis in the house awhile longer. 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, Mt Lougheed, August 26th, 2015

Climbed peaks 1, 2 and 3 on Mt Lougheed (NW to SE) today. Much nicer day up high with cool, light to moderate winds, less smoke and decent visibility. Not much snow left except on the north aspects and it actually helped with some of the choss on peak 2.

Good info on Lougheed in Andrew Nugara's "More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies". We hiked up through the forest left of the drainage and found it pretty reasonable. Above treeline in the giant scree bowl we followed a stream bed on the climbers left for quite awhile and it helped ease the pain. I think we followed the guidebook directions, and started climbing at a fairly prominent little cliff right on the ridge crest. Good, easy climbing(on what I think is Chert) leads directly to good walking above. Generally I was surprised by how good this route is in the land of choss.

The 2nd peak put up some stiff rubble resistance. At the one real rock band we walked along a ledge to the actual ridgecrest to gain the upper mountain. Decent rock and some big air below for 6m or so. It was only on the ascent of peak 2 that we felt the travel was really crappy. Good trail down from 2 and up 3 and as the book says, the exit out Spencer creek is quite gorgeous.

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

[MCR] Rockies: Mt Hector North Glacier

We climbed the north glacier of Mt Hector today. On north aspects the snow from the most recent snow lingers down to 2650 m. Just a few cm at that elevation, ankle deep near the summit. No wind slabs where we were.

On sunny aspects most of the snow has melted off right to mountain top.

The route is in good shape with most of the gazillion crevasses that you need to bob and weave around fairly obvious. Most.

Mark Klassen

ACMG-IFMGA Mountain Guide

Banff-Lake Louise, Canada

[MCR] Rockies - Pinto Lake - August 23

   Just got back from an overnight trip into Pinto Lake. The trail leading up to Sunset Pass from the Parkway is in fine shape and is well marked. The trail that the descends down to the lake looks like it's seen some recent work and you can easily step over or detour around any deadfall across the trail. Only the last 500 metres or so of trail before the campsite is a little indistinct, but there is occasional flagging and cairns to help mark the way through this boggy section.

  The campground is in good shape but basic. A few benches have been improvised around the campfire ring and there are lots of good trees nearby to rig a bear hang. There was very little trash at the site, and the green throne outhouse was tidy. A great place to visit.

Nathan Dahl

HG

[MCR] Bow Valley alpine conditions, August 22nd - 24th, 2015

I spent the last 3 days working for Cloud Nine Guides on some Bow Valley
classic alpine routes. We climbed Brewers on Castle on the 22nd, the Gmoser route on
Mt. Louis on the 23rd and the East Ridge of Temple today, the 24th. All routes
were in good shape with dry climbing and only minimal snow patches on
ledges on route. We were able to fill up water at the normal source at Castle Hut
and at the base of the Black Towers on Temple. The upper glacier ridge on
Temple is currently in excellent shape with the new snow. The snow varied
from neve to bucket steps and made for easy travel.

Lots of folks on the scramble route on Temple today and it was easy to make a group
of four for the hike down.

Very smoky day - we could barely see Mt Fay from Temple!

Ian Jackson

IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide - Cloud Nine Guides Inc

Learn more about our Guiding Services, Expeditions & Mountain Skills Courses at: CLOUDNINEGUIDES.COM

Follow us on our trips via FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & The C9GBlog

[MCR] Mt Athabasca, August 23, 2015

I guided an ascent of Mt Athabasca up and down the AA Col on August 23.

The recent snowfall accumulation of approximately 30 cm has made the rubble on the AA Col route less tedious, but has also formed windslabs on lee features. Six people who climbed the Silverhorn on Aug 23 triggered a slab and were carried down 30 metres. They were fortunate they didn't go further than that. On the same day, a party of four turned back from the Ramp route on Mt Athabasca when they encountered windslab. Furthermore, a size 2 slab has cut out of the steep ice face below the AA Col next to Mt Andromeda.

Steep ice routes on lee features should be avoided for a while.

Grant Meekins
ACMG Mountain Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

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[MCR] Lake O'Hara snow, August 24th, 2015

The snow from friday has softened up the glacier travel somewhat at higher elevations. It has also left some small drifts along the ridges and verglas in gullies in its wake. There was some minor concerns with a weak layer above the bare ice earlier in the week but that seems to have disappeared anywhere I was travelling with the new load and the past two days of sun and warmth.

Certainly not enough snow to make Lefroy or Glacier peak attractive but Cathedral and Odaray glaciers certainly benefitted from Friday's 10-15cm. I expect Huber glacier would have the same benefits. Hungabee is plastered once again and will need at least a day or two of heat to dry out the upper NW face. Grassi ridge, Tarrant/Morrison buttress and Wiwaxy towers are already mainly dry.

Expect some rockfall on the shadier aspects and higher elevations as the melt continues with warmer temperatures in the forecast.

Photos are from Mt. Odaray, 10am sunday through a thin smokey haze. Forest fire from somewhere to the SW, just for clarity.

Larry Stanier
ACMG Mountain Guide
laristan@telus.net

[MCR] Kananaskis, Mt. Indefatigable, Joy August 23

I guided Joy on Mt. Indefatigable yesterday, August 23rd.  The recent snow had entirely melted with just a few small seeps of water right at the base of the route. Those wet areas were easily avoidable. No snow on the north side of the ridge either. 

Jordy Shepherd

ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide

www.PeakAlpine.com

www.facebook.com/JordyCanmore

[MCR] Athabasca from Boundary Peak, 22/8/15

 

[MCR] Columbia Icefields

Up on Boundary Peak yesterday.
15cm to 20cm of unconsolidated snow on the North Glacier but the travel was still pretty good.
Evidence of wind effect at higher elevations with scouring on the top half of the Silverhorn and two size 1 slabs off the steep terrain to the lookers right of the Ramp Route on Athabasca.

We didn't observe any solar effected slides during the day despite it being a Blue Bird.

The crevasses that we encountered were still open and easy to see but I'd speculate that at higher elevations where the wind had drifted the snow then some of the holes will have weak bridges concealing them (more of a Fall scenario than the end of August!).

Cheers,

Steve Blagbrough.

ACMG/IFMGA

 

 

[MCR] Lake Louise snowfall amounts

We are at 2900 m on Mt Whyte right now and there is over 20 cm of fresh snow at this elevation from yesterday's storm. Snow line was at 2000 m in the forest this morning but that will be rising rapidly with the bluebird day we have up here.

[MCR] Trail Condition Report for Yoho Lake/Pass and Wapta Highline Trail for August 21, 2015

Hi Folks

This was a fabulous day to test your rain-gear, as we were blessed with an endless supply of 'liquid sunshine' followed by wet snow.

On the hike in from Takakkaw Falls to the Burgess Shale Quarry site ( via Whiskey Jack Trail, Yoho Lake and Pass, Wapta Highline to quarry) were many muddy sections and water crossings on the trails, particularly between Yoho Lake and Pass, which made it most difficult to keep your boots dry.

However, on return in the afternoon, a surprising amount of water had already drained, which made travel much easier.

Given the next few days sunny weather forecast, trails should improve rapidly and can be enjoyed by anyone planning to hike in that area.

Yoho Lake campsite is in good condition, with only very few, small puddles here and there.

OF NOTE: On an otherwise public trail system, you can ONLY access the Burgess Shale Quarry (above Wapta Highline Trail) through a guided hike with Parks Canada or the Burgess Shale Geoscience Foundation.

Happy Trails, Martina Wakeman

ACMG Hiking Guide

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 20, 2015

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 20, 2015 The big question in the Rockies this weekend is how much snow will fall on Friday and how soon will it melt off? Most forecasts seem to indicate between 10-20cm of snow will fall above 3000m with amounts tapering off as you reach treeline. There is less snow forecasted in the Columbia Mountains but a dusting of 5-10cm at higher elevations is likely in store. This is not likely to be enough of a change to help the majority of the glaciers and alpine ice routes, which have been extremely dry with lots of rock covered ice and subject to a lot of rock fall this summer, but it may be a step in the right direction. With a sunny forecast for the weekend and the beginning of next week, solar aspects should melt off fairly quickly. Expect an increase in rock fall while the snow is melting. On high North aspects this new snow may create a few wind slabs to watch for and cooler temperatures will likely slow some of the rock fall for a few days. Combined with last week’s snowfalls, some crevasses at high elevations may be hidden and weakly bridged. Saturday might be a day to stick to lower elevation rock climbing and let things dry out, but Sunday could be a good day for sunny alpine rock objectives. Expect some snow and verglass to persist on objectives above 3000m. Routes in the Columbia Mountains will probably dry out a little sooner. Enjoy the weekend! Conrad Janzen 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] Coast Tantalus Range Conditions

Just got out of the Tantalus Range yesterday.
In general there are lots of open crevasses and hardly any snow. As expected, there are many loose rocks this summer caused by the lower than normal snow levels. Most standard routes are still doable but will take longer than normal with the lack of snow, difficult moat crossings and glacier travel. Some of the normal rappels are now longer than 30m to reach the snow or glacier.
See attached photos for ice and snow conditions.


Dione South Face

[MCR] Bow Glacier Wapta

My friend Mary and I had a longish but fun day yesterday climbing Mt.
St Nicholas above Bow hut from the road. We went up the small pocket
glacier on the left of St Nicholas returning the same way to the base.

Presently the glacier is dry with a trace of new snow on the surface
above 2700m in protected areas where we travelled.

Of particular note, and something to pay attention to, especially
this upcoming early winter, is the number of crevasses that are open.
The slope that is often skied un-roped above the hut has many large
and open slots, crevasses and mill wells.
The skiers right side above the hut seems much steeper due to the
shrinking and recession of the ice. The areas along the edges have
areas of unsupported shell ice due to water erosion.

On our ascent we weaved around many of these slots, (which was fun
and informative) which we avoided on the descent by heading hard left
near an exposed small rock island adjacent to the bench that leads to
the left pocket glacier on St Nicholas.

The glacier that leads around the right side (standard ski route) of
the peak is also very crevassed with large holes visible leading to
the Olive - St Nicholas col.

I am certainly much more aware now of the potential hazards in this
area that we consider as the "local ski slope" above Bow hut.

For those that flock up to the area in early November for their first
turns.....Heads up!

Quite a dramatic change in this area over the summer.

Peter Amann
Mountain Guide





Peter Amann

www.incentre.net/pamann/

pamann@incentre.net

[MCR] Silverhorn/ Ramp Route, Mt Athabasaca, Aug 17th, 2015

Tim Haggarty and I climbed the Silverhorn route and descended the Ramp route today. We found good conditions with cool temperatures and ~ 5cm of recent snow making for quick travel up the route and good footing on the decent.

Crevasses and bergschrunds are all easily crossed on both routes, but there are more open ones than normal for this time of year. 

We had cool temperatures (4 degrees at the parking lot at 4 am) and overcast skies so rockfall was not an issue for us. However, there was evidence that rockfall had crossed parts of both routes on warmer days, so heads up. 

Snowing lightly with poor visibility as we left, but it didn't seems like things were changing that quickly.

Ian Jackson

ACMG Mountain Guide

Visitor Safety Technician

Banff, Yoho & Kootenay National Parks

[MCR] Tonquin Valley Aug 9-14

I was fortunate to spend 6 days hiking and climbing in the Tonquin
Valley, based out of the Wates Gibson hut with the ACC 55+ group.
The hut was full of adventurous climbers and trekkers heading in
many directions every day.

Our group climbed McDonnell Peak on August 11th via the Fraser
glacier. We accessed the glacier via the right side on loose moraine
features, but avoided crevasses and steeper sections of ice. The
upper slopes were still snow covered and gave easy access to the col.
Another party that climbed Simon Peak used the left side of the
Fraser glacier which may have been easier and less convoluted.

Thunderbolt Peak was climbed on August 12th. We descended from the
hut to Chrome Lake. After another 5 minutes or so down the trail, in
the first dip in the trail, a cairn on the uphill side marks the
start of a flagged route up through the timber to treeline. (MG 16746
35738) A short talus slope above treeline leads easily to the NW
ridge and easy scrambling to the summit. Descent can be made by the
first main drainage to the west, leading down (with some steep bush)
to just south of Chrome Lake. You can also retrace the route up.

Other parties in the hut climbed Simon Peak, Paragon, Benington, the
SE ridge on Outpost to Memorial and down west ridge, as well as an
unnamed peak at the end of the Eremite Valley.

As is the ongoing trend of this summer, the ice routes are in poor
shape. Many of the classic routes in the Eremite Valley (Anchorite,
Alcove and Angle peak) we basically down to rock and lots of dirty ice.

The standard route on Outpost which uses a ramp leading to the North
glacier seems to now have a large stream crossing through it. This
may be due to a shift in the water flow on the glacier above. (I
certainly don't remember this from years past)
This route may still work but no parties went that way.

On the rock routes conditions were as good as it gets.

We spent a day in the Eremite Valley hiking. A spectacular loop was
done heading up the valley to the lake below the col, then bearing
left onto a large bench feature under the ridge of Thunderbolt where
we descended past numerous lakes and streams and regained the trail
near the bridge that crosses the creek upstream of Chrome lake.

Overall conditions were excellent and the bugs were almost non
existent. Lots of wildlife in the area including a grizzly mother and
two cubs that stormed through the front yard outside the hut!. (We
think the closing of the outhouse door scared them, almost as much as
they scared one person who was brushing their teeth just out back)



Peter Amann MG
Dave Smith MG

Peter Amann

www.incentre.net/pamann/
pamann@incentre.net

[MCR] Mt Victoria, Huber & Odaray, Lake Ohara, Rocky Mountains

We climbed Mt Victoria from Abbotts Pass August 14th.  The route was in great shape with only the Sickle and the next ridge bump after it requiring crampons and an ice axe.  I was amazed at how much ice had melted off the route since I was there 2 weeks ago. 

 We chose not to descend Victoria toward the Huber ledges after looking at a photo of the ice slope and bergshrund crossing getting to the Huber glacier.  There has been a large amount of rock fall in line with where the bergshrund was easy to cross a couple of weeks ago and it looks like the bergshrund snow bridge is gone now.  The overnight temps were also very warm and there was a significant amount of rockfall coming out of areas like this.

  Of note the NW face of Lefroy has a lot of loose rock on the remaining steep ice and there was non-stop rockfall with rocks hitting the slopes which bounced well below the elevation of the last part of the Fuhrmann Ledges traverse into Abbots Pass.  This is a significant hazard to this route as the temps never cooled enough to slow the stream of rockfall even overnight.

  Silvia Forest was also in the area with a group and she reported good conditions on Mt Huber coming from the Huber ledges.  The bergshrund crossing on Huber was easy to cross on an ice bridge and the upper face was 2-3 pitches of alpine ice.  Mt Odaray was also in great shape with dry rock and the glacier was easy to navigate through the crevasses.    

Kirsten Knechtel

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

www.kirstenknechtel.com

 

[MCR] Spearhead Range, Coast Mountains

Conditions on the Spearhead Range glaciers are as dry as can be expected for this time of year. Lot's of exposed ice on all but the highest elevations. Expect rockfall from pretty much any of the steeper ice/glaciers in the range if they have any rock at the top edges or imbedded mid-slope. Recent warm temps and any rainfall in the future will keep melting out embedded rocks even on the standard slopes - always be looking up! See the attached picture of the Decker, Trory, and Tremor Glaciers taken on August 13.

Brian Jones, Mountain Guide

Canada West Mountain School

www.themountainschool.com

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 13th, 2015

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 13th, 2015 It is a dry world in the alpine these days. Lots of potential for alpine rock climbing and scrambling but as Grant Statham said in july, it is not a great summer for snow and ice routes. Some rain in the forecast but that won't improve conditions at all around and on the glaciers. I have recently been to a few familiar places where crevasses and bare ice are appearing under dirt and scree at the edges of glaciers where I have never even seen them before. Not a pretty sight. Rockfall from pure rock faces is perhaps slightly less in this dry world(less water for the melt freeze cycle) but there is certainly more rockfall than usual from all the rock covered ice and the rot/melt going on at the glacier edges. Creeks are low but there still seems to be water in most drainages in the main ranges. Enjoy all that fine rock climbing(mainly by avoiding all the bad rock climbing:)and try and keep most of your snow and ice fantasies in check for now. 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-My owen and Duchesnay from Float Creek August 8-11th, 2015

Nice 4 day trip starting up the Ottertail. There is currently a decent river crossing for Mt Vaux on a log between the outlet of Haskins Creek and the 5km switchback on the Ottertail fireroad. We chose not to go to Mt Vaux(the Plan A) as our 2nd day journey up Float Creek to O'Hara looked burly. And it was.

It took us most of a day to get 1/2 way up Float creek on the left bank and it sucked. However, after a nice camp where the contours flatten out we made nice, easy time to a beautiful camp just below the head of Float creek and climbed Mt Duchesnay from there in the afternoon. It is an excellent-non-technical scramble from the pass-well worth doing. Next day we climbed Mt. Owen via the North ridge-east face, again from the Float creek pass. Glacier was a little dry(what a surprise:) but still passable and safe in current conditions.

We walked out today to O'Hara over Odaray pass. Upper Float creek and McCarthur creek is a beautiful, very wild feeling place. No signs of human activity and even the summit registers and cairns were mostly taken down(lightning?). Go there but do keep it wild. It is a special place.

Larry Stanier
ACMG 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] Lake O'Hara Photos, Rockies, August 10, 2015

Some photos of Mt Hungabee and other peaks around Lake O'Hara from August 10, 2015 are attached. They can also be viewed here on the Parks Mountain Safety Facebook page.

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Visitor Safety

Banff,Yoho and Kootenay National Parks

www.parksmountainsafety.ca

[MCR] Bugaboos August 1st to 8th

Hello there, sorry this is little delayed,

We spent the from August 1st to the 8th in the Bugaboos.  We experienced the driest glacial conditions that I have seen in my 12 years of going there.  

The bridging up the Bugaboo glacier on the way to Pigeon Spire is fading fast with very limited options to get across some of the larger crevasses.  The Snowpatch rappels are a good option for an afternoon descent from the Pigeon/Howser col area.  

The second notable observation was the amount of natural rock fall that occurred throughout the week.  A lot of the slopes that would normally hold snow for the entire summer are melting out and resulting in some fairly substantial rock fall.  

Travel to some of the more obscure locations i.e. South East ridge of Brenta spire were greatly hindered by the lack of snow and slow travel over talus slopes.  

Otherwise, there was a skiff of snow that fell last Thursday on the high north faces but is most likely melted out by now.  Great travel dry travel on all the routes that we climbed.  

Enjoy the return of summer!!

Eric Ostopkevich MG

Geoff Osler SG/AAG  

Bugaboo Glacier looking up towards Pigeon.

Glacier below Marmolata.

[MCR] Mnt Fay/Little 15/08/09

See attached.

Jonny Simms                             

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

1(604)815-9225

Golden, BC

http://jonnysimms.com

[MCR] Yoho Peak / Mont des Poilus area, Yoho National Park August 8th

I was in the Mont des Poilus / Yoho Peak area yesterday, August 8^th.  Very dry conditions, with the creeks and rivers raging due to the rapid ice and snow melt.  See photos of the current status of construction of the Alpine Club of Canada Louise and Richard Guy Hut and the snow/ice conditions on Mount Des Poilus at:  https://www.facebook.com/JordyCanmore

 

Regards,

 

Jordy Shepherd

ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide

Email: jordy@peakalpine.com

Web: www.PeakAlpine.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JordyCanmore

 

[MCR] Rockies: Hungabee

Tom and I had a look at Hungabee today. It still is carrying a lot of snow even though most other 3300 m peaks in the area are bone dry. The only other peak that had a significant amount of recent snow on it was Lefroy.

I talked to someone who had climbed Hungabee today and he reported that there was "a foot of snow" and rockfall starting by midday. We decided against going up there as that peak holds a lot of hazard even when it is dry.

[MCR] Columbia Icefields August 6 p.m.

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Just back from the Icefields this afternoon after 4 days of guiding with a Yamnuska group working with my colleague Sharon Wood. Intermittent rain and thunder showers were the general pattern however last nights storm left the snow line down to 2700m in the region with unknown totals of snow accumulation; I suspect at least 5 cm or greater. Snow fall amounts tapered off as we headed south and by Lake Louise the snow line was significantly higher. I would describe general conditions on the higher peaks as "fragile" at best. Weak snow bridges where one has to cross large crevasses and a thin layer of well bonded recent storm snow giving the temporary appearance of retarding rockfall. Ice faces and lower glaciers are all ice and in many places the surface is harder and more glass like than what we usually experience this time of year. I have felt the chronic absence of a significant overnight freezes contributes to this fragility and makes me skeptical of the illusion of the cooling effects of cloud cover or a slight overnight freeze.

 

Cheers!

 

James Blench – IFMGA/UIAGM (an an old dog longing for alpinism in good conditions).

[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 6, 2015

ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 6, 2015 Wet and cool conditions have prevailed for the last couple of days, laying down some snow above 2600m in the Columbia Mountains, and 2800-2900m in the Rockies. In both regions it has been a drier than average summer, resulting in bare ice or poorly bridged crevasses on glaciers into the high alpine. There are also plenty of areas with increased rockfall hazard as a result of the dry conditions. Ice face and gully routes are generally out of shape, except for the highest peaks such as Mount Robson. Recent reports there have found decent travel conditions with a good overnight freeze above 3000m, but very dry below. It will take a couple of days of sunny weather this weekend to clean off any of the new snow on higher alpine routes. The forecast is looking generally good for the coming week, with the chance of some rain mid week. Id be looking for lower elevation rock climbing for the next couple days, or a very high alpine route where the new snow may actually help conditions in the short term. Once the snow clears off it will be a great summer to tackle those longer rock routes and ridges. Stephen Holeczi ACMG Mountain Guide
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field. Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.