Just finished a trip to the Lyells. We managed to climb Lyell 4 and 5 (Walter
and Christian) before getting turned back by approaching an approaching
lightning storm. We brought skis for the trip and had excellent travel and
skiing conditions. Wednesday there was a very good freeze below 2100m which
supported on foot until noon on a SW facing glacier at 3000m. We skied the
summit of Lyell 5 on Wednesday and had excellent corn skiing on the way down.
It got quite warm Wednesday afternoon at the Hut . There were several slab
avalanches that released in the afternoon, size 1.5- 2 west aspect 30cm deep,
3000m.
Yesterday (Thursday) the freeze wasn't quite as good. Starting at the Lyell Hut
(2850m) the snow supported with skis on but just barely when walking. We skied
around to the 3-4 saddle and climbed the north ridge of Lyell 4. We had mostly
excellent conditions with firm snow and the cornices weren't too wild. The
were a couple of short sections of unconsolidated snow which made for some
waist deep wallowing, there is now a nice trench. We down climbed/ rappelled
the north ridge but decided to forego Lyell 1-3 due to the approaching storm.
Yesterday afternoon and night saw thundershowers and heavy rain with the snow
line down to 2400m.
Still lots of snow and it was possible to ski down to 2100m on a SW aspect. At
1900m on north aspects there is still 60cm of snow. I didn't probe on the
glaciers but good coverage and not many crevasses showing yet.
Larry Dolecki
Mountain Guide
www.icefall.ca
_______________________________________________
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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