[MCR] Field - Super Bok

Larry Stanier and I went to Field and climbed Super Bok yesterday, deep into the bowels of Mt. Stephen.

We went there because the temperatures had dropped significantly, the storm snow was reported to be bonding well, and the avalanche danger had dropped to Moderate at treeline and below.

We walked across the Kicking Horse River flats directly under the route, and there was a nice frozen patch of ice to cross the river on.  Deep trail breaking on the whole approach, with very little signs of previous traffic on the approach or the route. There is a trench there now!

The grade 2 pitch under the keyhole is fat and easy.

The route itself was pretty hard due to steep, brittle ice which required lots of cleaning.  Definitely sturdy grade 5 right now.  I'd take more long screws if I went again, since alot of the gear was marginal in the chandeliered ice.

The snow felt good.  There was a thin melt-freeze crust on the surface up to about 1500 meters, and after that the dry snow seemed well settled with no settlements or cracking.  We did tread carefully under some slabs on the sidewall of the gully, and there is alot of loose snow in that gully.  As is normal for the whole Field area, when it warms up again or rains this gully will come alive.  

But yesterday all was quiet.

Grant Statham

ACMG Mountain Guide

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