[MCR] Lake Louise/Icefields

The Alpine Guide Exam has been operating in the Lake Louise group and at the Columbia Icefields August 30-September 2.

Groups have climbed routes on Louis, Castle, Victoria, Popes, Grassi Ridge, Babel, Fay and Temple E Ridge as well as spent a day on Athabasca's N Glacier.

Lower elevation rock routes are dry. The snow from late August has had a lot of heat applied to it during last week's warmth and by Sept 2 had settled into good travel conditions. A bit of snow and hail from storms Friday night and Saturday has not changed things much. That said, pure ice routes are still in not that great shape and bergschrunds remain an issue, although they can be crossed on most standard routes. Lefroy and most routes on Mt Fay do not look appealing.

At the Icefields there seems to have been more snow recently and ice routes look like they are in a better shape. There was significant wind loading evident on the Silverhorn route on September 1.

Rich Marshall

Marc Ledwidge

Todd Craig

Greg Golovach

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guides

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