[MCR] Conditions - Mount Fay & The Neil Colgan Hut Area

Hi everyone,

I spent the past few days at the Neil Colgan Hut with two guests on a 3 Day Cloud Nine Guides Mount Fay & Neil Colgan Hut Program.  We used the Perren route for access and climbed the West Ridge of Mt. Fay on Sunday and scrambled up Bowlen on Monday morning before descending.

The two short ice faces used to access the West Ridge of Fay still have a couple good snow bridges over the bergrschrund.  With an early start we avoided any rockfall on the ice pitches.  In order to avoid this same hazard we descended via the SW face in the late morning.  Despite the usual scrappy scree, it felt less threatening than the north side descent because of less sun exposure at that time in the morning and generally less steep terrain.

The other north face routes on Fay seem to have changed little since the last report on them.

Generally, lots of rockfall was observed by mid/late morning with the warm temps and mild overnight freezes.

Pierre Hungr

IFMGA/UIAGM Mountain Guide

Cloud Nine Guides

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[MCR] Mt Assiniboine, NE Ridge, August 2

I guided the NE Ridge of Mt Assiniboine on August 2.

The high freezing levels of the previous two days had helped clear the mountain of snow, and we were able to summit without crampons. This may have recently changed for the worst...

The new rappel anchors are very useful and much appreciated.

On another note, I found a pair of glasses and several sets of contacts that had been left behind in the Hind Hut. I brought these out with me and they can be claimed at the Yamnuska office in Canmore.

Take care,

Grant Meekins
ACMG Mountain Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

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[MCR] Mt Robson Patterson Spur route info.

With recent inquirers about Mt Robson Patterson Spur route please see attached information, rather than calling the Cariboo Grill in Valemount.
Fell free to call me at 778 266 0022.
For porters in Valemount contact: info@robsonenergy.com or http://robsonenergy.com. They might have someone available.

This is the route I took for the most part up and down.
http://www.gravsports-ice.com/icethreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/14445/Mt._Robson_-_Patterson_Spur_(S

This is a link to Reiner Thoni's blog with some more information on it.

http://theoutsideout.blogspot.ca


Here is a link from Reiner's blog that shows the route into the alpine from Kinney Lake.

[MCR] Bugaboos Conditions Photos

Hello,

Here are some photos taken yesterday. The second one is a close up of the upper Bugaboo glacier which people have still been using the to access Pigeon Spire and East Creek.

All the best,

Marc Piché

marc.piche@icloud.com

ACMG Mountain Guide

[MCR] Selkirks: Fairy Meadow/Gothics/Adamants

Just back from a week based at the Bill Putnam Hut.

The Granite Glacier is quite dry and is challenging to travel. Much of the glacier is bare ice but requires travel across snow plugged crevasses, especially towards Austerity and Adamant. It looks more promising heading towards Unicorn and perhaps Colossal with more snow in the glacial depressions heading that way.

A party traversed Pioneer Pass and reported several pitches of steep ice up to Grade 3/4.

The Echo Glacier below Friendship Col is mostly snow free. The right hand lobe carries a lot of rock and the ice is dirty with rockfall potential there. The left hand lobe is significantly cleaner with less rockfall hazard but it is steeper.

The Gothics glacier is easier travel although there are still many crevasses showing.

Precipitation from early in the week lingers in the form of snow on ledges above 3000 m.

Mark Klassen

Todd Anthony-Malone

ACMG

[MCR] Mt Robson conditions

Had the pleasure of summiting Mt. Robson July 30th with one client via the Patterson Spur to gain the Resplendent Robson col. The new climbers trail that starts at Kinney Lake, works nicely to access that side of the mountain. This took 10 hours with a fit client from the car park to the RR col.    
Thanks to the Thoni family from Valemount for working on this "Thoni Trail". Call the Cariboo Grill in Valemount and ask for Rudi, Andreas, Riner or Patricia Thoni. They can find you porters and know the best way out of the forest into the alpine. 

The ridge above the Mouse Trap had settling snow on the ledges.

Close to 1 meter of new snow had fallen on the flats under the Kain Face from the last storm systems. This made for boot top to shin deep trail breaking. The Kain Face was holding at most 30cm of well bonded new snow on the lower angle sections. We experienced cool temps on the upper part of the mountain. If temps warm up snow instability can be expected. On the steeper sections of the Kain Face the ice was still showing. 

From the Kain face to the summit ridge was crampon deep wind scoured snow. Making for faster travel. 

Traversing the cornices to the summit travel turned back to shin deep boot penetration. 

Once back on the glacier below the Kain Face travel deteriorated to knee deep snow in places with the warm temps.  

Having climbed and attempted Mt. Robson  from many different angles I think the Patterson Spur is the easiest and potentially the safest way to climb the mountain from the highway.  We were less than 48 hours round trip. A large majority of the objective hazards are eliminated on the Patterson Spur. However this route is exposed to rock fall hazard, especially if other parties are above you on the last section to the Robson Resplendent col. 

All the best. 
Safe Travels

Crosby Johnston
ACMG Mountain Guide. 
altusmountainguides.com




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[MCR] Rockies - Abbott Pass Conditions

Hey Everyone,

We've had a few of our guides working and climbing out of the Abbott Pass Hut area the past few days. Yesterday 2 Guides did a single day traverse from Lake O'Hara up via the Huber Ledges to Victoria, descending via the hut while the another of our groups finished up a 3 day Abbott Pass Alpine program, and descended from the hut after climbing Victoria the day prior.

Conditions on the peak were excellent, and the snow from last weeks storm had mercifully spruced things up a bit. Travel up the Huber ledges was dry and water available in lots of places between Wiwaxy gap and the toe of the Huber Glacier. The recent storm snow made for excellent travel while we ascended the glacier to the ridge on Victoria providing supportive steps overtop of the glacier ice or older snow surfaces below.

The bergschrund was easily crossed, as 2 loose snow avalanches from the storm had come down and filled in a good portion of the hole immediately below the line of ascent. Easy to dig to ice above the schrund for screw or v-thread anchors. Above the bergschrund, the usual scrappy gullies still had plenty of snow in them and we short roped comfortably, step kicking in moist supportive snow though out in about ~10-15cm of snow (up to 40cm deep in some of the bigger drifts).

We left the crampons on for about 2/3 of the journey back down Victorias summit ridge to the Abbott Pass Hut. Tough to tell if the residual storm snow was hiding bare ice in places as we down climbed through some of the rock steps on the ridge. Slowed us down a bit, but seemed least scary option, and less of a pain then taking them on an off.

As we passed the sickle on the way to the hut, we were able to pull the crampons and carry on the descent without them from there.

None of our trips over the past week have even contemplated Lefroy. Looks like a great place to get into trouble. Rockfall would be a significant concern. Huber however, looked like it would climb well on snow or ice right to the summit with some cooler temps and an early start. 

Victoria is back in good shape after the storms last week! Have fun out there!

www.cloudnineguides.com/climb-mount-victoria-and-lefroy

Mike Trehearne 

IFMGA Mountain Guide

Simon Meis

ACMG Apprentice Alpine Guide / Ski Guide

Kyle Chartrand

ACMG Apprentice Alpine Guide