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ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 02, 2013
It?s been a fairly cool end of April, with plenty of snow left in alpine regions.
In the Interior ranges, there have been reports of good skiing still to be had, with up to 30cm over the past week in the alpine. A pronounced crust is present everywhere on solar aspects, and below 2000m on shady aspects. Valley bottom travel above 1100-1200m is reported to still be adequate with a good overnight freeze, but is dwindling fast. The biggest concerns reported have been isolated wind slabs or storm slabs in steep, lee alpine terrain, and solar triggered wet snow avalanches in the afternoons.
There have been good snow and travel conditions in the Rockies as well with cool temperatures over the last few days. Wind slabs and loose snow avalanches can still be triggered in steep alpine features, especially where they overly harder crusts and bed surfaces. On Wednesday, one person in the Aemmer couloir on the North face of Mount Temple was taken down 300m in a loose snow avalanche caused by another party above, luckily with no injuries.
Starting this weekend we could see the first really big warm-up of the spring,with freezing levels to 3000m or higher. This will likely cause a natural avalanche cycle at some point during the week. A Special Avalanche Warning (SPAW) has been issued for Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks for May 4-5 due to these warming temperatures and how they will affect many hiking trails in the runout zones of avalanche paths. Each day will be warmer than the last through to the middle of next week, with higher overnight temperatures resulting in little to no freeze of the snowpack by the end of the weekend. I wouldn't be surprised to see some deeper slab releases, especially on solar aspects, and some really big cornice failures. Ice climbs at lower elevations are mainly delaminated or have given up for the season. Only high, north facing climbs will be in good condition, but I would wait until the temperatures drop again before committing to these climbs and other alpine li
nes.
You may be able to sneak out for a quick trip in the hills with a decent overnight freeze, but your window of opportunity on any snowy or icy adventures will likely be quite small this coming week. However, your window of opportunity on sunny, low elevation rock climbs will be quite large, and many crags in the front ranges and Revelstoke region are mainly dry.
Stephen Holeczi
ACMG Mountain 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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