[MCR] Rockies, Louise Group

Subject: [MCR] Rockies, Louise Group
Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2012 10:14:04 -0600
Myself and four of my colleagues guided in the Lake Louise group, August 11-17. 
Overall we had good to great weather and good to excellent conditions on 
ascents of North Ridge of Mt Scaffer, East Ridge of Little Odaray, the Huber 
Ledges to the Huber/Victoria Col, South-East Ridge of Mt Victoria, West Face of 
Mt Lefroy (loose rock threat at the ridgeline as reported by Mike Trehearne 
earlier), Normal route on Mt Niblock, the Devil's Thumb, East Ridge of Haddo 
Peak, the Grand Sentinel and the normal route on Mt Temple. Good rock climbing 
at the Back o' the Lake too.

Of note is that the approach to Abbot Pass from O'Hara, and the normal route on 
Mt Temple, are both very busy and rockfall from other parties, and onto other 
parties, is an issue. These routes may be considered a "hike" for the whole 
family on a calm clear day with no one else around, but these are not those 
days. Everyone going to these routes would be wise to have a helmet and to have 
studied where the safest routes go. We guides protect the crux step, up and 
down, on Mt Temple with a rope and belay.

My aspirations for a traverse of the Mt Haddo on August 15th were crushed 
(literally) by a serac collapse down the North Glacier. The debris was visible 
and disturbing from the summit, and reported to have happened in the hour 
previous by my fellow guide, James Madden, who saw it from the Devil's Thumb. 
Our ascent route via the glaciers and snow patches above Surprise Valley was in 
excellent shape, save for the talus slopes left exposed by the size 3 avalanche 
that ran on glacier ice earlier in the summer. We chose to retreat our ascent 
line and that added a couple of hours to our day, but kept us out from under 
the unhappy serac. Note that we ascended, and later descended, the snows of the 
NE aspect of Haddo to the highest escape ledge leading left to the East Ridge, 
about 300 feet higher than the Haddo/Sheol Col exit.

Yesterday was the clearest and best day of my summer thus far. I could see 
North Twin and Mt Alberta to the north and the British Royal Group to the 
south, awesome.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

image/jpg


the summit ridge of Mt Temple, August 17th



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