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ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 12 2012
What a week! Summer definitely arrived in western Canada this past week and brought along with it the usual pros and cons of bluebird, hot days. This weeks forecast looks like it will bring in some potential thunder showers and rain for a few days and then back to the sunny weather. Might be a nice little ?break? for all those stir crazy climbers that have been making the most of all this recent good weather after the rains!
Over this past week, conditions in many areas have changed significantly, but there are still some serious hazards to be aware of.
The front ranges are now nearly completely clear of snow. Still possible to find patches in shady gullys, but for the most part alpine rock is at its prime with Castle, Louis etc being climbed a bunch. Heat and sunny aspects have been the only deterrent on front range rock routes this past week with temps being in the 30?s! In the next few days, thunder showers will be the big hazard to look out for.
Moving West, the Lake Louise group still hasn?t seen enough of summer and the sun to make most objectives reasonable. The lack of overnight freezes, high winter snowpack, and looming cornices has made most snow objectives unappealing. The huge slab release on Stanley indicates that there is still the potential for some of those lurking monsters to be found on neighboring peaks. Even with a good overnight freeze, one needs to proceed into this untouched territory with caution and be prepared to move fast to be up and down before the sun heats things up. One reported ascent of Lefroy, but Victoria sounded like it still needed some more time. The Columbia Icefields has had numerous reports of ascents of Athabasca, with varied travel conditions, so temperatures will play a big role in route choice.
Reports from Rogers pass, have been generally positive. Lower elevation ridges like Uto and Tupper would likely be good to go, but I imagine Sir Donald would still have a fair amount of snow lingering on it and the bypass would be sketchy. Expect snowy and muddy trails and bivy sites, bear potential and probably mosquitoes!
Bugaboos have also had reports of good rock climbing. Most routes on Snowpatch, Crescent, and Bugaboo are manageable right now, but still hold some overhead cornice hazard and snow on the rambly bits. Pigeon might still take a while to fully clean up, and the Howsers still look very wintery. Glaciers are still highly snow covered, but changing daily.
Overall, this past week has definitely packed a punch on the snowpack, and the mountains have started to clean themselves off. It is still EARLY though, and one should expect the higher elevation peaks to still need more time to really be good for ascents. Lots of big cornices still loom, increased rockfall with melting snow, and postholing snow and glacier travel can be expected. There has also been some noteworthy increase in serac action in the Victoria area and on the Athabasca ramp, so some of the ?usual? routes should be reevaluated as the mountains change their shape year to year. Early starts and overnight freezes, and a big attention to overhead hazards would be good practice.
Be patient?summer is short, but there will still be more of it! Be flexible with your plans if you don?t get the freeze you needed and stay aware of your constantly settling surrounding environment. And finally?wear lots of sunscreen!!
Sarah Hueniken
ACMG Alpine Guide
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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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_______________________________________________
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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
See http://informalex.org/subscribe.shtml/unsubscribe to remove your name from
this list.
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