[MCR] Wapta:Bow Hut Area/Spray River Falls, Sulphur Mtn, Banff

Was up around the Bow Hut yesterday and things were looking pretty grim.  The snow depths ranged from  40-60cms below the hut to 130-160cms around the toe of the glacier.  We walked around (up to 2700m) with the rope on  and found variable snow depths - the lowest being about 40cms!  The ski quality was poor as the winds have been very active there lately.  We couldn't see much for other terrain around as it was snowing lightly most of the day.  Bow Lake is barely frozen, especially close to the shore.

 

Climbed Spray River Falls today and found it to be in challenging shape.  The second pitch was sporting some large mushrooms getting into the cave belay on the left side. The crux pitch was quite brittle and required lots of cleaning but the gear was solid throughout.  Overall the pitch seemed a half a grade harder than normal.  The approach was quick with less than 20cms of snow on the ground.

 

Have fun!

 

Mike Stuart
ACMG Alpine/Assistant Ski Guide

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