I was in the Icefields area July 25-27, climbed Regular Route on
Athabasca July 26 and Silverhorn on July 27.
Max temps in the 20s in the campground, 12 degrees at 2 AM. The rivers
on the glaciers not letting up all night. Snow conditions are OK
though, with the snow remaining stable and firm on the trail on the
Ramp during our descents at about noon.
Ice and glacier conditions are deteriorating rapidly in the entire area
though. Athabasca is very crevassey. About a quarter of the way along
the Ramp the trail is going over a bridge spanning a very wide hole. It
is hard to see how good the bridge is, but the adjacent bridge is dicey
looking. It may be best to relocate the trail, starting below the
Silverhorn schrund and going high around this crevasse. However this
puts you closer to the ice cliff at the base of the Silverhorn and
although it looks benign it did spit out several beer-fridge to dining
table sized ice chunks late in the afternoon on the 26th and this ice
avalanche crossed the trail being used on the regular route.
Other noteworthy crevasses exist from the end of the Ramp to the large
saddle above, weak bridges here. Also getting to the Silverhorn is
problematic and I had to climb down into a crevasse and cross a wobbly
ice block to get to the base of the route. There may be a better route
across a bridge on the far right.
The following are not ice climbs at the moment (see photos): Hourglass,
Skyladder, W Shoulder Direct. Athabasca N Face is ice but very dirty
and ugly looking, huge schrund and can't be recommended. N Face bypass
is narrow and looks the same as the N Face.
Alberta has snow on the summit ridge and in gullies above the Japanese
route, there may be rockfall concerns there. The Sunwapta ford was
swimming at 9 AM the other day apparently. Bryce looks the best of the
bunch. (See photos).
Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide
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