[MCR] Mt Matier & Joffre Range

The trail to the Anniversary glacier is generally dry & in good condition other than the occasional deadfall but becoming slightly overgrown with berry bushes after the junction with the hut trail. The last 50m going into the stream channel from the boulder hopping to the moraine is overgrown with alder and could use a tune up if anyone was keen on taking a pruning saw.

Lack of any freeze during this prolonged heat wave made for slushy steps and balling crampons. We took a line up the glacier on a snow ribbon right of the lowest rock island and then traversed left between the two small icefalls.(crevasses) There had been much stone fall on the climbers left side of the glacier. The Anniversary is quite broken, the size of the holes shocked me and made me think about where we ski in winter. A maze of crevasses was navigated directly near 6700' but could be passed more easily on the right, and more crevasses just before the col bypassed again on the right. Overall a safer route would be to use the far climbers right side of the glacier accessed below the Route 66 campsite or the approach trail from the hut.

One additional crevasse must be bypassed on the climbers right  (typical in late season) above the Joffre-Matier saddle to the final headwall of the standard north face route.

The Twin One glacier has good ice climbing objectives & spectacular scenery in the crevasses below but not threatened by two active icefalls.

Tim Pochay

IFMGA Guide

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