[MCR] Ghost River, Alberta

Subject: [MCR] Ghost River, Alberta
Date: Fri, 03 Jun 2011 20:10:01 -0600
Spent the last week (May 28 - June 2) in the Ghost River area. Our group 
arrived at the end of the monsoon rains. The logging road was very rough right 
from the beginning with many potholes and some deeper water runnels on the 
steep hills, this made for very slow driving. In contrast the 'big hill' was in 
great shape and much to our dismay, the first river crossing was easy with 
water no more than mid-tire height. We made it across just fine in a small 
Suzuki 4x4 and Ford 12 passenger van. The sun came out for the first time in a 
week, and in a few hours we counted 8 wet slab/loose snow avalanches from all 
aspects. Upwards of 60cm of new snow was found in the alpine on easy scrambling 
objectives like BlackRock mountain, and continued solar related avalanches kept 
us down in the valleys on the rock, and away from the summits. 

There was a lot of seeping going on, but this dried out as the week progressed 
and we enjoyed some fine climbing on Silver Tongue Devil crag, Sentinal Wall, 
Wully Wall, and South Phantom Crag. As we drove out, many classic routes were 
looking dry such as The Wraith, Bonanza, Consolation, most of STD wall and 
pretty much all of South Phantom crag. Expect up to a meter of snow against the 
base of the cliffs that do not face south. The river crossing on the way out 
was still in fine shape, and the road had dried out, but was still rough.


Jason Billing
ACMG Assistant Alpine/ Assistant Ski Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

_______________________________________________
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.