[MCR] Rockies: Cirque Peak

Up the S ridge of Cirque Pk and down the N couloir/glacier today.

The S ridge is mostly wind scoured, there was one patch of snow high on the ridge that was deeper and we tread carefully there but it was fairly short and not really loaded. If there was a slab there though it would be an unfortunate place to go for a ride.

A few bits of slab in the couloir but it was mostly soft. The glacier was breakable wind crust. Exit via the Cirque/Observation valley was uneventful with sun crust in the right places.

No whumpfs and several recent large avalanches on steep lee/crossloaded slopes seemed to have run a few days ago with nothing in the past 24 hrs. Large cornices with some activity off them. If the next few days are as hot as they are forecast to be I suspect things will rock and roll again, so we're going to be biking and rock climbing for the next few days.

Ski quality varied from wind crust to sun crust to shale to isothermal bits in S facing lower elevation trees to sticky wet glop. Between the 3 of us we had 4 powder turns. Nice views though.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

www.alpinism.com

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