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Greg Golovach and I were at Lyell Hut with a group the past few days. Thursday and Friday were spent passing the flask around trading stories while blizzards, rainstorms, hail, lightning and wind raged outside.
Today dawned mostly clear with a weak freeze but cloud caps on the high summits. Dreams of a quick run across the icefield to the peaks were dashed by a breakable crust that made travel tedious. Greg climbed Lyell 2 while I climbed Lyell 4 via the north ridge, both ascents were in fog. Lyell 4 was sporty, the snow arete was very steep and the rock pitch snow covered. The upper ridge has large cornices and is steeper than I remembered, perhaps due to it being a winter ascent this time round. I swear I was climbing 75 degree rime feathered snow up there.
I fixed another nut at the rap station so it seems pretty solid with two wires and a fixed pin of unknown vintage. I also fixed a knife blade at the top of the small rock pinnacle below the rock pitch.
This afternoon freezing levels were up to 3200 m with moist and wet snow on the surface. The walk back to the hut was desperate with calf to knee deep double penetration in sopping wet snow. Mark Klassen Mountain Guide
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