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As reported elsewhere, great conditions when the
heater is turned down low in the morning.
The snow strength has been excellent all day on the
glaciers and on open snowslopes. Snow on boulder fields and most importantly on
moderatly technical mixed ground is not recovering much strength overnight
and loses strength really fast in the sun.
Victoria is still snowy but climbable. Definetly
would not want to return to the Abbott hut off the SE ridge after 8am or so.
Huber ledges are dry.
Lefroy and Glacier are melting out fast. The
biggest deal there is that ice and several rockbands are growing fast on the big
snow slopes and could make for some very awkward transitions, especially
downclimbing.
Hungabee and Biddle still have big snowpatches
on their normal routes and need at least another week of melt.
Glacier travel on Opabin and Abbott pass,
Odaray, Cathedral and Huber is excellent as of today but the ice is growing
fast. I haven't used crampons anywhere this week,
but I sure wouldn't leave home for the snow without them.
Lots of rockfall in the daytime heat and that will
be the norm till things cool down.
Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide
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