[MCR] Twisted Sister, Stewart Creek

Spent the day guiding 'Twisted Sister' in Stewart Creek.  The approach is in great condition with almost no snow.  No avy hazard on the climb at this point either but that could change quickly.

 

My guest said "I wanna rock" so we used the normal 5.7 pitch to get started after discussing the thin WI3R pitch to the right and deciding that "we're not gonna take it" due to the detached and sublimating ice for the first ten meters…but a delicate touch might still make it work.

 

The rest of the route is in and has just enough ice to climb comfortably but not enough to put in a lot of protection.  Mostly a few 10cm and 13cm screws until the last pitch which started out hollow but improved quickly and finished nice and fat.

 

We used Metolius cams from #2-6, a couple medium nuts and a few pitons for the rock pitch and anchors. 

 

We also cleaned a pin anchor on the third pitch with a light tap and a moderate pull so I think it is worth being a little suspicious of the old fixed gear on the route. 

 

A long walk but a fun day out! 

 

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.banffmountainguides.com

[MCR] Lake Louise area snowpack

Just to keep things in perspective for us Rockies folk, ACMG Honorary Member Chic Scott climbed Mt St Piran in the Lake Louise area on Nov 1 and had this to report:

There was about 10 cm at Lake Louise and about 20 cm at the Little Beehive. In some places on Piran we had to steer clear of deep drifted snow slabs. Some places we were up to our thighs but most of the time it was boot top depth. On top of the turf it was VERY slippery.

So. No powder skiing yet. And I went rock climbing today.

Mark Klassen

IFMGA/ACMG Mountain Guide

Ski trips 2012: www.alpinism.com/skiing

[MCR] Trick or Treat & The Sorcerer; ice climbs; rockies.

Climbed Trick or Treat today.

Climb was in good shape, but with somewhat dry and brittle ice.

Approach was also in good shape, with a thin layer of wind-hardened snow stabilizing the scree. We followed faint tracks and animal trails, generally to the climbers left of the creek bed initially, then generally to the climbers right higher up.

As of last Friday, The Sorcerer (Ghost River) was in, but thin and dry.  Stubbies were needed and in some sections the ice was less than 10cm thick.  We retreated from the base of the steeper climbing (last 2 pitches), which at the time looked unprotectable, or at least very hard to protect.

Approach was dry and we wore sneakers to the base of the route.

---

Josh Briggs

Consulting Geologist / IFMGA Mountain Guide

☎ 403.609.9153

✉ briggsinternational@gmail.com

[MCR] Murchison Falls

Chris Gooliaff

ACMG AAG/ASG

Visitor Safety Specialist

Banff/Yoho/Kootenay National Parks

[MCR] Ice conditions on the Icefields Parkkway

Chris Gooliaff

ACMG AAG/ASG

Visitor Safety Specialist

Banff/Yoho/Kootenay National Parks

[MCR] Selkirk Mtns - Rogers Pass - Bruins Pass Nov.2/2011

Greetings early season keeners,

 

I couldn’t afford a helicopter, so went for a tour with fellow guide Anne Keller up Connaught Ck. today, eventually  ending up at Bruins Pass via 8812 bowl.

 

Weather was broken cloud with no snowfall, and I noted moderate wind transport from the west along the higher Alpine ridges (above 2300m.)

 

Quite good early season coverage (emphasis on EARLY), with @60-80cms of snow in the valley bottom and upwards of 120cms once you are above 2000m.

 

The snowpack feels like a typical well settled early season snowpack, with no significant shears observed.

 

There are 2 exceptions to the above statement:

- one is some isolated wind slabs (approx. 10cms thick) that had formed higher up where the wind had some effect, may be more prominent in the higher alpine which I didn’t observe.

 

-  the second, which is more of a concern, is a well developed Surface Hoar layer(those feathery crystals that form on the surface during clear calm weather). This layer formed in October and was probably buried October 20^th – we observed this layer in a profile done Oct.27/2011 at 2300m. on McCrae Pk. (@ 30km. south of Revelstoke in the Selkirks)

 

– (I know not everyone is familiar with this all these test – but I include it for those who are)- we found well preserved crystals 10-15mm. in size positioned 45cms from the ground, which produced clean shears(Sudden Planar) in 2 compression test at the high end of the moderate range, we also tried an Extended Column test which did not propagate across the wider column – then we did a Propagation Saw test which failed once we had cut just 25cms into the weak layer and the failure propagated to the end of the column.

 

-          What that means to me is that I would be a bit leery of steeper glaciated features above 2300m. (like Youngs Peak Headwall and Mt. Rogers), until I get a better handle on the distribution and reactivity of this layer.

No significant avalanche activity observed today.

 

Cheers,

Scott Davis

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

 

 

[MCR] Northern Selkirks- Durrand Glacier Chalet

This is posted on behalf of Mountain Guide Ruedi Beglinger.

 

This morning (November 1st 2011) I flew to the Durrand Glacier Chalet, Northern Selkirk Mountains, to check the early winter snowpack. Height of snow at the Durrand Glacier Chalet snow study plot (tree-line 1946 m elev.) 153cm. Foot penetration was 75cm and ski penetration 25cm. The snowpack at tree-line and in the alpine showed good consolidation. While skiing from Woolsey Peak down Boogie Basin we experienced great powder snow. I have placed a short video on YouTube, please find the link below.

We had a great day skiing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liJ2fYXJ_QY

Ruedi Beglinger

I.F.M.G.A Mountain Guide

www.selkirkexperience.com