[MCR] Rockies Ice climbing conditions

We just finished a 4 day ice climbing school (Jan 9-12) and offer these observations:

- Balfour Wall - good shape, good toproping.
- Louise Falls is in good shape and the pillar is perhaps a bit easier than usual.
- Carlsberg in classic grade 5 conditions and quite wet at the bottom.
- Guiness Gully thin and barely protectable on pitch one still, but the climbing is not too hard.
- Moonlight/Snowline in good shape with screws the whole way.  2 low for 0 looks awesome but hard to protect.
- Arterial Spurt thin grade 3 with stubby screws to protect 5 thin, rambly pitches.
- Ghost River - the driving was fine as someone else has dug through the drifts already.  Valley of the Birds was excellent with all routes in good shape up to the Eagle.  Also, Weathering Heights in good shape and the other routes in the Planters Valley still well formed.

Other than in Field we stayed away from avalanche hazard and so didn't have to think about it too much.  Mostly when we did think about it we focused on what big slopes had already avalanched (or not), and what faced into the sun and would warm up through the day.  We did not expect large natural avalanches but it seems like with some minor change in weather (warmer, more snow, wind) we might see this start again.  None of us were keen to cross large, steep slopes and human triggering can be expected.

In Field we are generally wary of warmth and/or rainfall to trigger avalanches in those gullies and this was not the case yesterday (Sat).

Grant Statham, Percy Woods, Brian Webster
Mountain Guides
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