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ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies
and Columbia Mountains issued June 19th, 2008.
It is finally starting to feel like early summer in
the mountains. Observations from the alpine have
been limited, due both to the difficulty of getting through
the treeline snow and the recent extended monsoon season. Below treeline along the divide we are perhaps a little
ahead of schedule for snowmelt for this time of year. In the alpine it looks
like late may. The alpine snowpack has, however, now gone through
several weeks with periods of melting, freezing and settling. I am slowly
becoming confident that the winters persistent week layers
are becoming less of a concern, at least up to 3000m. It is impossible to
say at this point what may be happening on high north facing
terrain on peaks like Robson, Clemenceau and Sir Sanford. Big spring
avalanches are still a possibility/probability anywhere in the alpine if and
when we get some really hot weather. As I recall, we have only seen one
REALLY warm spell in the alpine and that was a while
ago.
Glacier travel and snow and ice face conditions are
all about the melt freeze cycle for the next while. The snow is simply not
strong enough in most places to be counted on for good traveling without a cold
clear night Big ridge routes like Mt. Victoria, Edith Cavell and Sir
Donald are very white and would be serious undertakings between the cornices,
moats between the snow and rock and the avalanche danger late in the day on
the descents. Yesterday, on a ridge at 2500m at O'Hara I had to shovel away
approx 150cms of wet snow to find an anchor that was visible at this time
last year. There are white looking ice smears all over the alpine but none
that I have seen look very attractive. My guess is that most of them are the
consistency of something between a stiff slushy and shaving cream.
Expect a nasty couple of weeks of sun triggered wet
avalanches and rockfall still to come in the alpine whenever the heat is on.
Consider leaving those ice tools locked in your cupboard and get out rock
climbing on a dry place in the sun. Alpine rock routes like Mt. Louis
and Castle are drying out but expect some postholing on flat ground and in
gullies above 2300m.
Rivers and creeks are still high. I can't help
feeling that one of the biggest hazards right now is falling through all that
wet snow into a running creek, crevasse or a moat somewhere. Walk carefully and
don't trust the snow for a while yet.
Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide
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