[MCR] Ice fields parkway, Whimper Wall and Balfour Wall.

Climbed the Whimper Wall (just south of the Weeping Wall)tuesday. We plowed a mighty trench through the facets and the windslabs to get to the base of the Whimper wall from the Weeping Wall. It did allow us to stay high on the face and not have to walk up onto any snowslabs in the flat light. On the descent in better light we walked staright down to the road. Nasty wind affected snowpack in that area. We walked in either knee deep sugar with our feet on the ground or thundered through the scary windslab with our feet almost on the ground. I kept one hand on the rock almost the whole way and really liked that.

 

Ice was really good on the left hand lines. Some running water but it could be avoided.  Decent fixed threads as of today at the very top of the left hand lines. 60m to a station at the top left of the right hand(shorter) line. 45m to snow but we rapped across the big hard wind/spindrift slab at the base till we were below an old fracture line.

Whimper wall has almost no hanging daggers or crowds. The weeping wall has some daggers threatening some lines and crowds are almost as common. Snivelling gully was sounding very wet and the daggers that threaten the route are growing.

 

Balfour wall a few days ago. Good ice and little snow.  

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide  

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