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ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued may 26, 2011
A grey, soggy ass day in the Rockies and Columbia Mountains but the weekend forecasts are looking pretty good. Presently, light rain, not snow falling as high as the summit of Ha Ling.
>From the limited observations available, it seems to have been a cool week in the mountains with little change in conditions. Freezing levels along the Rockies Divide hovered around 2800m. In the Columbia Mountains snow still down to the bottom of the Asulkan trailhead. Lots of logging roads into the interior will still be snow covered. No reports from the bugaboos but if the road is open, I imagine the trail will still be a bit of an avalanche threatened ski tour.
One large wet avalanche came out of the big avalanche path(Herdman Couloir) west of the North Face of Mt. MacDonald(just east of the Rogers Pass summit) and ran well onto the fan in the past few days. This may have been triggered by a big cornice fall. The main avalanche concerns are these kind of big wet events triggered by daytime heating, intense rain or large triggers like cornices failing, again, with the daytime heating. A bit of snow may fall before the weekend so small slabs are a possibility in the alpine this weekend.
If we get a clear night and some good freezes conditions could get excellent in a hurry. Timing will be everything, have a good poke with a probe or something to see if the whole depth of the snowpack is frozen. If it is, get after something and be off before the daytime heating changes things.
Lake travel is probably a bad idea as the ice in most alpine lakes is soaked and falling apart. Easy to fall through the ice and really hard to get out of it. Rivers are coming up. Meltwater running under the snowpack is probably just starting to be a concern in some gullies. As I said last week, the bears are out and are mostly foraging in the low elevations.
Some south facing alpine rock routes could dry out but anything north facing will be snow plastered for a long time yet.
Hiking anywhere above treeline or close to the divide will be like ski touring without skis for awhile yet. If we do get a heat wave, avalanches can and will run well below treeline in a few places.
Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain 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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_______________________________________________
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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