[MCR] Wapta

Subject: [MCR] Wapta
Date: Wed, 5 Oct 2005 12:02:13 -0600
Up on the Wapta Icefield Sept 28 - Oct 4 with groups at Peyto and Bow.

The trip started warm and wet with rain starting last Wednesday and continuing through Thursday, with the freezing level well above 2600 m (which is the highest elevation we reached over the week), mod to strong sw winds, +2 at Peyto Thursday evening. Cooling off that night with snowfalls continuing over the week, light to mod winds westerly winds, max of -1.5 (Friday afternoon) and mins of -8.5 (overnight late in the trip). Storm snow Friday through Monday of 30-50 cm depending on elevation, snow all the way to valley bottom. On the ground at the end of the trip there was approx 50cm at Bow Hut, 75cm at the toe of the Bow Glacier, up to 240cm probed higher on the icefield near St Nick.

Slabs observed off E face of Baker, sz 2.5, and E Face of Olive, sz 2+, probably from the wind and rain event Sept 29. Loose snow avos off steep terrain to sz 2 during the storm cycle.

The weak layers observed in the snowpack by previous parties I suspect are gone due to the temp/rain event at the elevations we were at, the previous layers got wetted and have now refrozen, with foot penetrations of up to 90+cm early in the trip going to 40cm or so later on. I think that presently we are dealing with storm snow instabilities lower and the possibility of deeper instabilities remaining at higher elevations.

Good bridging over many crevasses although there are definitely some well-masked ones ready to gobble you up. The high country is now in winter mode and if you are going then take the full winter get up: skis, beacons, shovels et al. Forget about a fall alpine climbing season unless we get a summer-like hot spell.

Game off for me this season, talk to you in December!

Mark

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide
mark@xxxxxxxxxxxx
www.alpinism.com

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