Hello,
I just returned from 5 days at the Columbia Icefields ending July 8th. A few observations to add to the previous posts.
We climbed Mt Athabasca via the AA col route and found the bergshrund covered in old avalanche debris and easy to cross. The crust on this side of the mountain was about 10-15 cm thick and seemed to hold up longer than the other side reported by Grant. Wet snow was still found below the crust. A couple of hundred meters above the bergshrund the route is mainly scree. The Silverhorn and North Face routes looked to be in good shape, with lots of ice, and were climbed by other parties. The ramp route was still holding a fair amount of wet mushy snow that we chose to avoid. A few good freezes could make this a good ascent option. I would still avoid areas with steep snow.
It's starting to feel like the summer is finally taking hold at the Icefields.
Jesse de Montigny
ACMG Ski Guide and Assistant Alpine Guide
Yamnuska
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continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable
nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information
provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions
Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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