To add to Conny's post from a few days ago we
climbed the East Ridge over Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, with
a planned bivy in the saddle between the lower and upper ridge. There
are about a dozen steps you need to take in the snow, spread
throughout the upper ridge, but this can be easily done without crampons.
The rest of the route is in great shape.
This bivy spot is much better than the normal one
at the base of the route with lots of snow from the cornice for water and
no rodents to speak of. We descended the West Face route which is quick (3
hours) but the scree/talus bash is a bit of a grunt. If you choose to go
down this way you should take runners, bug dope, bear spray and a bike for the
ride back to the parking lot.
Had to drive through Red Deer yesterday as a bad
accident closed the Parkway 10km north of Bow Summit in both
directions. You might want to check the road report for the
latest update.
Have fun!
Mike Stuart ACMG Alpine/Assistant Ski
Guide
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