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ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies
and Columbia Mountains issued September 13th, 2007.
Tuesday night's impressive thunderstorms
left snow all over the main ranges. 17mm of rain fell at Lake OHara Lodge
so 15-20cms of snow along the Divide in that area is a reasonable
guess. Two days of heat has melted most of it on sun effected rocky terrain
up to approximately 3000m's. Less snow fell in the Selkirks and as of yesterday
afternoon Sir Donald was drying out quickly. I would assume similair conditions
would be found in the Purcells and Monashees.
Isolated windslab avalanches could possibly be
triggered by climbers on high elevation lee slopes. This hazard will
persist longer on northerly aspects.
There will probably be lots of verglas in the shade
and rockfall in the sun with the recent snow, warm days and cold
nights.
It is still generally good conditions in the alpine
for september. The only places with really poor climbing conditions would
be the previously mentioned loaded lee slopes, the plastered,mostly
north facing alpine rock routes and the sadly dry big mixed gully
lines. Low angle mixed ridges such as Victoria, Assiniboine and Edith
Cavell remain climbable but probably snowy for awhile.
The new snow may have improved the glacier walking
but the crevasses have gotten a little trickier to read and the snow
bridges are not significantly stronger.
Winter still feels a long way away.
Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide
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