| ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 24th, 2007
Winter returned to the Rockies this week, with snowfalls occurring throughout the range. The most recent storm started May 23 in the Jasper region and slid south through Lake Louise and Banff on May 24. It snowed to valley bottom in all areas, with amounts reported to be in the 15-20 cm range to below treeline.
This precipitation event follows other snowfalls that occurred earlier in the week. That, combined with winds, caused parties to turn back from an attempt on the North Glacier route on Mt Athabasca due to winter-like windslabs on Monday. At the lower "approach" elevations there is still snow too but unless there is an overnight freeze the snow is wet and weak causing travelling to be tedious. Of course this sort of weak isothermal snow is a source of avalanche danger as well. Numerous avalanches have occurred over the week, up to size 3 releases near the ground in the Bow Summit area. The bottom line is that alpine conditions are less than optimum right now and, if anything, more suited to skiing than alpine climbing. Good skiing was reported on the Wapta Icefield, once past the isothermal snow below the top of the Bow Canyon.
Although lower elevations have received a soaking, forecasted clear skies to begin the weekend should have some rock climbs dried out by Saturday. Indeed, in the Jasper area the front range rock climbs were drying quickly Thursday afternoon. South facing routes would be your best bet but keep an eye out for rock fall as water could still be running on some routes, particularly those with shaded corners or chimney systems.
Further west in the Columbias it is a different story. No precipitation occurred at all in the most recent Alberta storm event. However, it is still basically winter and adventurers should expect OK spring skiing (if temperatures remain cool) rather than alpine climbing conditions. Valley bottom rock climbing in the Columbias should be in full swing with forecasted highs in the low 20's on Saturday, although showers are expected to begin on Sunday.
Expect the potential for a big change to occur in the middle of next week if the forecast holds; highs of 19 degrees (Columbia Icefield) to 25 degrees (Banff) are expected. Once we get the first heat wave after the present snowy spell all bets are off for the alpine until the snow has a chance to consolidate. Low elevation rock climbing will be the order of the day at that point.
Mark Klassen Mountain Guide
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