Visitor Safety specialists went for a conditions check on Monday into the North
basin and climbed on the North East Ridge by-pass route on Mt Athabasca.
Considering all the snow in the alpine we carried shovels, probes and wore
beacons today. By checking the volunteer register we found that the area had
not had a solid overnight freeze for a few days. We had +4 degrees in the
climbers parking lot at 0430am. The north glacier had very marginal travel
conditions with a weak crust and boot top to knee deep penetration all the way
into the basin. An intrepid group of three blazed a trail ahead of us for
several hundred meters before turning back and their steps were the only
supportive steps we had all day. The North Face has shed a bunch of snow and is
quite unconsolidated and hip deep leading up to bergschund. The 'schrund was
not difficult to find a place to cross but the weak bridge did make it prudent
to find a narrow crossing. The face was all snow and had no exposed ice on
the by-pass route. A crust was found down 25cm that seem to bond well to the
snow on top and there is no evidence of avalanches on that interface. Once on
the NE ridge the snow was wet and deep and we had to clear our crampons on
every step. We got to the traverse to the Scottish Gully and found it
overflowing with wet snow and the gully itself quite choked up with snow.
Considering the consequences of a wet slide on the traverse and potential for
wind slabs in the gully we turned back from this point. There are a few small
slabs out on the exit slope to the north face direct route and that same
interface we found on the by-pass route likely exists here. The routes in the
basin need a bit more time to come into shape and a few nights with a solid
freeze would be needed to make travel more reasonable. The seracs are shedding
ice and a large chunk released into the basin while we were on the face. +4
degrees at 10:30 am at 3200m when we turned back.
Deryl Kelly
Visitor Safety Specialist ACMG
Jasper National Park of Canada | Parc national du Canada Jasper
www.pc.gc.ca/jasper
_______________________________________________
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.
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