Kirsten and I just returned from 5 days up at the icefields parkway with 6
women. We had a mixture of weather and conditions. On Monday (July 19th) it
rained hard most of the morning and cleared off late afternoon. Tuesday morning
was clear and plus 5 at 2:30am at the Athabasca parking with a very good freeze
on the glacier. We climbed the North face bypass and the Silverhorn on
Athabasca. The Silverhorn schrund is starting to open up, as is the North
Face, but the Bypass schrund is easily passed climbers left. Of note was a
size 3 icefall from the seracs just right of the Hourglass, that left a huge
pile of debris on the bench below the North face. A scary sight, that must
have occurred only a couple days prior.
On Wednesday (July 22) we hiked in to the Wooley/Diadem bivy site in the
rain. The next morning, despite mixed conditions, we were able to climb Diadem
without an overnight freeze. We were down by noon, but this still felt too late
to be coming down. There is more hazard on Wooley and Daidem then the book
suggests, with serac exposure and acres of rockfall and cornice failure
potential as you cross climbers left towards the top of the upper glacier. The
sun hits this face very early and an early start is crucial. Nonetheless a
beautiful area to visit!
Sarah Hueniken
ACMG Alpine Guide
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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The
ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in
continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable
nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information
provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions
Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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