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I instructed in Johnston Canyon today, Feb 2nd. This morning's - 26 C made for a refreshing walk in. Given the forecasted rise in temperature I pointed out to my crew that we would tightly limit our exposure to the hanging daggers in the central part of the area. Sure enough as soon as the sun swung onto them, at 11:30, they started to creak, crack and groan. Banff recorded a rise of temperature to -13 C. The sun had some punch and started to melt out the screws that it hit squarely. From noon to 2:00 pm, when the sun was it it's most direct, we witnessed three pillar collapses, all from the safety of the climber's right side ice. The smallest was the equivalent of two full sized deep freezers and the largest the size of my Subaru Outback. It was a strong teaching aid and proof yet again of how daggers don't like rapid changes of temperature.
Happy trails, Barry Blanchard Mountain Guide www.barryblanchard.ca www.yamnuska.com
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