ACMG MOUNTAIN CONDITIONS
SUMMARY FOR THE ROCKIES AND COLUMBIAS;
July 2, 2009.
The past week of summer weather has dried off many
routes with sun exposure up to the 3000 metre level (10,000’ for our
American friends). Above this level you can expect to find significant snow
and wintery conditions especially at the Columbia Icefields. Most reports
indicate conditions typical for early July although a few days ago there were
still reports of windslab concerns at the Columbia Icefields.
Elsewhere in the Rockies,
strong overnight freezes have created excellent conditions on steep snow
routes. With early starts and timing that allows getting off steep snow
before radiation breaks down stability, routes requiring steep snow travel
should be in good shape. Keep in mind that during the solstice, the sun will
come around quickly. The main and front ranges are essentially dry
although a flight by the top of Castle today showed a lot of snow on the summit
ridge over to the descent gully. The more committing routes such as the
Temple North Face and East Ridge
routes, the Goodsirs, Hungabee or Edith Cavell will be a few weeks yet. The
popular SE ridge of Victoria will be quite difficult on the Summit ridge with cornices still present.
Reports from the Bugaboos indicate good early July
conditions. As long as you are on sun exposed routes and not on the higher
objectives such as the NE ridge of Bugaboo or the Becky Chouinard, you should
encounter only minimal amounts of snow to negotiate. The Bugaboo
Snowpatch col is in good condition but again, careful evaluation is required
later in the day. Significant rock fall events are common there. There
have been no reports from Rogers
Pass but it is likely
that the normal route on Tupper is in reasonable shape. The Swiss Peaks
are also probably manageable with some snowy sections. Sir Donald likely
still has snow and wet sections on both the classic route and the descent.
The weather still looks good into the weekend but
all bets are off after this.
Marc Ledwidge
ACMG/UIAGM Mountain Guide