What started out as a late start from Revelstoke, for a
casual day on Uto, ended up being a beautiful day (by ourselves)on Sir Donald
yesterday. We turned back on the summit block due to some threatening
cloud formation to the west, but enjoyed good conditions up to
there. More lingering snow than my other experiences on the NW, but
totally climbable. Pretty much clear to the summit block. A bit
white above that. Would expect to find a few slow sections along the
final traverse to the summit??
Campground is essentially still under full snow cover and an
ice axe was comforting in several places along the route, including the lower
portion of the bolted descent. West face bypass was doable yesterday with
only an ice axe, but had a few snow patch sections that were a little bit
entertaining. Passable but not yet recommended. With an overnight
freeze you’d need crampons and it would be a bit sporty!
Of note, on the drive home to Revelstoke we observed four notable
natural slab avalanches to size 2.5 – 3.0 from NW aspects directly below
ridge crest. Three were cornice triggered, one (the largest) did not
appear to be. Snowpack in the alpine, north quadrant still definitely
deserves some serious respect until the temps cool down.
Paul Norrie
Mountain Guide