[MCR] Yoho NP, Guiness Gully / Field Ice

Subject: [MCR] Yoho NP, Guiness Gully / Field Ice
Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 23:13:15 -0700
Headed over to Field today. The blue skies and temperature inversion that seemed to be holding just east of the Divide did not prevail west of the pass. Field was -20C at 8:30am under a low ceiling, and never warmer than -17C.

From the road, most climbs in the valley look like they still have a fair bit of room for improvement for "normal" January conditions. Massey's looked quite skinny down low but otherwise in. (Access via the river crossing didn't look quite doable yet, with enough open water still visible to make it look not straightforward to connect the frozen dots.) Overhead hazard notwithstanding, Pilsner and Kronenberg seemed not yet in, but Carlsberg looked ripe.

Headed up Guiness with the prospect of brittle, cranky ice and weren't disappointed. Sublimation during the recent cold temps has left the first pitch looking anemic with much of the ice an aerated veneer. Screws were short and/or in delaminating ice. As usual, ice on the upper pitches improved in quality, but was mainly still delicate with creaky hooks. Snow above and between the pitches was 30-50cm of decomposed sugar to ground with a few remnants of soft slabs. Guiness Stout looked typically fat, and High Test also in.

Hopefully the forecasted warming trend over the next few days will get some water moving again there and help regenerate things. Let the healing begin.

Carl Johnston
RG, AAG

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