[MCR] Rockies, Brewer Buttress June 13,14

Subject: [MCR] Rockies, Brewer Buttress June 13,14
Date: Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:01:54 -0600
My fellow guide, Peter Thurlow, and I guided an ascent of Brewer Buttress on Castle Mountain yesterday, June 14th.

We approached the Castle Hut on the afternoon of June 13th. An avalanche from this winter overran the approach trail just after the fire lookout (on the far side of the drainage that you cross) and has left a bunch of trees, branches and rock on the trail making it hard to follow for a couple of hundred meters. There is a bit of snow in the approach gully and some on the traverse from the gully to the hut.

Traversing from the hut to the route there are a number of snow runnels to cross and I recommend taking an ice axe. The route is basically dry with the only snow sitting at the very base, and on the very top. A cool day yesterday, we carried rock shoes in our packs and never put them on. A number of pitches climbed with gloves on. Having said that it was a fine day and my guest proclaimed it "the best climb of my life!".

Lots of snow on the traverse across the top to the descent gully but it carried well yesterday. We started several surface wet snow avalanches while plunge stepping down. The biggest ran the whole length of the gully cleaning off the top 10 centimetres of wet snow. There is continuous snow all the way from the top of the gully to the massive chockstone at the bottom and it would be possible to descend it, although we exited the gully for the fixed rappel anchors towards the bottom.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

JPEG image


snow runnels and patches on Goat Plateau


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