[MCR] Athabasca/Andromeda/Icefields

Just back from a couple of days in the Icefields.

Yesterday there was a fair bit of precipitation, first in the form of rain up to at least 10,500ft and later with the cold front snow down to 9,000ft. Skies cleared at about 3am this morning and there was a solid freeze above 10,000ft.  Up to 15cm new low density snow, bonding well to the underlying wet snow, made for good, secure travel. Plenty of wind from the NE, scouring exposed alpine features and creating soft slabs in lee areas. No reactivity in this slab observed, loose avalanches in steep solar aspects observed from late morning onward.

Generally excellent spring-like conditions reported by a variety of guides today on Athabasca (AA Col, N Face Bypass) with areas of isothermal snow underlying the new snow in thin snowpack areas (Boundary Glacier/A2).

Tom

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Tom Wolfe
Mountain Guide ACMG/IFMGA
Canmore, AB
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