[MCR] Bow-Sherbrooke

Subject: [MCR] Bow-Sherbrooke
Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 12:46:22 -0600
Spent Sat thru Mon April 29-May 1 on the Wapta, starting at Bow and ending at Sherbrooke.

The Bow approach is still holding together but could be gone soon I suspect. Continued loose snow and wet slab avalanches in the moraines on the approach to size 1.5 with rain showers to 2700m on Saturday.

Still very good coverage on the glaciers. Not a lot of thick crust formation at upper elevations although that is changing with recent warm temps/rain and now cooling. The surface hoar is 50 down and reactive to compression tests. Still, I felt confident enough in stability to take the shortcut under the east side of St Nick on Saturday and to go over the Balfour High Col on Sunday with -3.5 degree temps and no wind but with 6-10cm of new snow and no visibility.

-7.5 on Sunday at Scott Duncan and it was frozen hard although the crusts were still only a few cm thick. We took the direct classic exit rather than go under the cornices that were in the sun on Niles. Many recent wet slab avalanches to size 3 on the west aspects in Sherbrooke Valley (Sunday? no snow or rain effect on the debris and the sun came out for a few hours on Sunday PM). Propagating a long way. I suspect on either surface hoar or perhaps a crust.

Skating across Sherbrooke Lake. The trail out has a few bare patches and is very narrow in spots. The Parks trail crew was in there cutting out the recent blowdown and I suspect they will have cleared the trail by Wednesday but the trail is not long for this world.

Fresh snow on the lawn in Banff this morning and wind transport off Rundle but the skis have already got storage wax on them and I'm packing for a road trip. There's gotta be summer somewhere south of here.

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