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Flew to just above Extinquisher Tower on Aug 4 then headed up on foot to the Robson/Resplendent Col.
Aug 5th we attempted the Kain Face from the R/R Col. Solid overnight freeze. We turned around 3 pitches up the Kain Face in a whiteout and retreated to the R/R Col. Clocked in at a 13 hour day, had we been able to continue up we would have bivoauced high on the mountain -it is a long ways.
Aug 6th we were able to get a heli bump onto the Dome and set up our camp there. Another good overnight freeze.
Aug 7th we climbed the Kain Face in fine frozen condition. We crossed the bergshrund on climbers far right and got ice screws for the first 2/3rds of the face. Snow overlies the ice on the upper 1/3rd and we used picket anchors. The traverse to the roof is now icy and has become steeper and more problematically featured over what it was in the 80s and 90s. Some frontpointing was required with three pitches run anchor to anchor with intermediate ice screw protection, and to think I use to just short rope across there with 2 quests! Gone are the days.
Overall the mountain has lost much snow since my last trip there on July 21st. The Roof is now icy and we basically pitched out the whole thing. There was significant snow cover remaining above 11,500 feet and by the time we got there it was knee deep saturated snow, got water in my boots. We had some small surface sloughing occur, thankfully nothing bigger. We were able to get ice screw anchors save for the very last one which was a braced stance in snow with a couple questionable pickets as back up. The snow remained mush until we stepped onto the North aspect on the summit traverse where it was frozen. Butterflies and flies right to the top which we reached at 16:00, 12 hours after leaving the Dome. The snow didn't improve on the descent and we rapped the whole Roof. Saturated snow on the traverse back to the top of the Kain which we rapped, as the rest of the mountain, with one rope. Three snow anchors off of the top and then V threads all the way to the bergschrund. We got back to our tent at 02:00 on Aug 8th aided by the harvest moon. A long and difficult ascent given the poor snow conditions, but the mountain is changing fast, and, I think, for the better.
Other observations: Mt Resplendent looks to have 2 crevasses cleaving its summit ridge, looked to be a challenge to get around. Gaining the Robson Helmet Col from the Dome looks to be very difficult due to a huge open bergshrund and other smaller ones.
Happy trails,
Barry Blanchard UIAGM/IFMGA Mountain Guide Yamnuska Mountain Adventures 1 403 609 4615 cell 1 403 609 1321
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