[MCR] Mount Joffre / Petain Glacier

Subject: [MCR] Mount Joffre / Petain Glacier
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:00:35 -0600
This is a relay message from Tom Wolfe who is currently in the field:

Laurie Skreslet and I have been leading two patrols of Outward Bound youth 
courses in K-Country the past two weeks.  We travelled in the 
Picklejar--Mist--Sheep--Elbow region on the first week, finding many snow 
pockets on NE slopes starting at treeline.  Mist ridge still had old remnant 
cornices most of the way--good for refilling the water bottles.
This past week was spent in the Aster Lake area.  My group travelled over Elk 
Pass and the Petain Glacier to Upper Kananaskis Lake.  We hunkered down for two 
days below the Petain Glacier weathing a wild storm with strong N winds that 
left up to 10 cm of storm snow in the alpine (July 12-13).  Travel over Petain 
Glacier was good with 5-10 cm foot penetration and >125cm snow pack.
We climbed Mt. Joffre en route via a direct line on the North Face, finding 
excellent travel with good steps on slopes up to 47 degrees.  Good ice screws 
down 50-80 cm and good T-slots.  7 pitches to summit slopes through the rock 
band.
Travel down from Aster involved crossing several steep icy snow slopes--ice 
axes and hard boots definitely recommended.
This week we're continuing from our camp at Point Campground north to exit over 
the French Glacier to Mud Lakes.

Tom Wolfe
AAG/SG ACMG
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