[MCR] Lake O'Hara neighbourhood

The heat has been turned on now that the monsoon is over. The big snow slopes are still mostly snow covered but there has yet to be a solid overnight freeze this week. Big and frequent wet avalanches have been running in the sun and that will probably continue for a while yet.

 

Climbed Odaray, Lefroy and Huber in the past 3 days. Rock was dry but snow was moist. Today the east facing summit snowslopes on the normal route on Huber were getting spooky by 10am. 

 

Lots of big snowpatches are still melting out on the rock faces too. That means LOTS of rockfall in the daytime heat.

 

Biddle is probably climbable(why?), Hungabee will still be a rockfall nightmare on the normal route for a while yet. Tarrant Buttress is drying out on the lower steep ground, big drifts on the easy ground up high and maybe snow in the last pitches.

 

Finally, the Abbott Pass trail from O'Hara is in mediocre shape. The monsoon has spilt lots of new rocks over the upper 1/3 of the trail and has turned the scree descent from the helipad down into a firm gully. BUMMER! The big canyon that spits boulders onto the lower trail still has lots of snow in it-consider that gun to be still loaded.

 

Larry Stanier

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

laristan@xxxxxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

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