Yesterday (Saturday) we attempted The Helmet via the upper Berg Glacier from Rearguard Meadows. We were turned back at about 5 am by +8 temperatures, soggy snow bridges over very large crevasses, an impending white-out (in the dark), rain, extensive overhead hazard from seracs/snow slopes/rock faces, and thunder.
Snow travel was good anywhere the snowpack was deep. Where the snow was shallower and on large snow bridges it wasn't as solid.
Steep snow/ice faces look to have been fairly active with loose snow avalanches. Robson N Face was runnelled down to the ice. The Kain Face was smoother.
Bergschrunds are very large. We have noticed this elsewhere in the Rockies and the Columbias. Our theory is that the bridges over the schrunds have collapsed in the heat but the record winter snowpack still hangs on the faces above them.
The Berg Glacier route on Helmet and the Whitehorn N Face approach glaciers are quite crevassed and we are unsure if they are passable now, or if they are whether they will be for much longer. We didn't get a good look at the Mousetrap but it looks broken up there.
We suspect that Resplendent normal route is climbable at the moment. The Kain route on Robson has potential to be good if there is a good freeze that lasts long enough to get up and down the thing.
Mark Klassen Mountain Guide
Kris Irwin Apprentice Alpine Guide
Robson S Face
Whitehorn
Whitehorn N Face approach
Upper Berg Glacier
Robson-Resplendent Col
Kain Face
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