|
ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies
and Columbia Mountains issued October 25th, 2007.
If you stepped outside in the mountains
earlier in the week you may have noticed it was WARM! Temperatures are
dropping now and all that water and slush is starting to gain some strength.
Marmot Basin ski area went from +10 C wednesday pm to -8
C thursday pm. Mt Mackenzie went from rain to -6 C overnight. The
forecast indicates that cooling should continue throughout the region for
the weekend at least.
For the Rockies ice climbers, this is pretty good
news after a spell of bad news. Lots of routes disappeared in the
monday-wednesday heat wave up to at least 2400m but the rock climbing was
good in the canyons while it lasted. Don't expect much recovery of the
mid-elevations routes in a hurry. The good news is for people dumb
enough to go alpine ice climbing. I would certainly never recommend this
activity but I am going ASAP! It is october so don't go anywhere without a fat
rock rack including pins, and don't go with expectations of thick ice.
Remember, these good conditions are counting on a forecast that may be wrong and
we have had very few reliable snowfall observations. Run away
screaming if it doesn't get well into the negative-temperatures as
forecasted or if you start seeing or running into deep snow. (see next
paragraph). Bowls above the routes and those big, fat spindrift loaded
approaches and mid-route slopes are the main concerns.
Mountaineering conditions have probably improved a
bit in the Rockies. Sadly, we have no reports from areas along the
Continental divide from Lake Louise to the Columbia Icefields. Therefore it is a
bit of a mystery as to how much snow fell there yesterday. I suggest having a
good look before you start up anywhere and keeping your eyes open for surface
windslabs up high. Again, this is counting on cold temperatures and you
should just head home if it feels warm. The snowfall amounts may vary widely
along the divide but there has certainly been lots of wind everywhere recently.
Assume there has been some windloading and look for avalanche problems in
lee terrain. Glacier travel is still an exercise in probing and levitating.
Cornices grew this week and are probably straining to adapt to the new load and
any temperature change. Don't trust them. Dry ranges scrambling is probably
good with some verglas in places and snow just above that.
A little more information was coming out of
the Columbia Mountains recently. There are reports of recent
avalanches to size 3 strating in the alpine in Glacier National Park. One
of these big naturals released in the Crossover avalanche path (Herdman
Couloir) just west of the big North Face of Mt. MacDonald. It ran to the top of
the runout zone. This would put the deposit well into below treeline and not
really that far above the road elevation. A rain crust approximately
30-50cms above the ground is the likely failure plane for these avalanches. At
present, this crust is the layer avalanche forecasters are most concerned
about for the coming winter. A snow profile taken yesterday on
Mt.Fidelity (1905m just west of Rogers Pass) showed 73 cms of reasonably strong
snow and a moist snow surface. Lots of wind and some precipitation in the
interior in the past few days so the avalanche hazard is a very real
concern. Remember that the wood, rock and ice are also
still only a few snowflakes down in places if you fall.
Glacier National Park has just put out their first
avalanche bulletin of the season. I strongly recommend that anyone thinking of
skiing at the Rogers Pass this winter bookmark their site and track the
conditions there all winter. That exercise will keep you psyched, keep you aware
and may keep you alive.
Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide
|