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ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued June 22, 2013
Special MCR Summary and Flood Destruction Update
Our apologies for not sending out a summary earlier this week like normal. We were all sandbagging, pumping and moving to higher ground over the past few days.
We want to extend our condolences and offers of support to everyone who have been affected by the recent floods in the Bow Valley, Calgary and the rest of southern Alberta. We are here to help as soon as we are able to move again.
An update on mountain conditions:
The simple answer to recreation in the southern Rockies is: don't come here.
The roads are out anyway so access is next to impossible but even when things start moving again we will want traffic to be limited so the people who need to get in and out can do so. Expect only a temporary bridge to access Canmore in the near future and it could well be single lane traffic for some time. Most other major backcountry access routes such as highways into Kananaskis have had mudslides and washouts causing widespread closures.
In the Bow Valley the devastation has been astounding. The storm came as an upslope so areas to the east have been affected far more than to the west. About 200 mm of rain fell at the Bow Valley weather station (Exshaw area), and "only" 90 mm in Banff. This caused a severe run-off that was exacerbated by a lot of snowmelt.
You have all probably seen the images from our towns, but in the backcountry similar events have been taking place. For example, the Lake O'Hara road has a wash out approximately 1 m deep and 5 m wide. Highway 93N from Lake Louise is closed due to a mudslide. Further east, the parking lot at Sunshine Village was obliterated by Healey Creek. And of course the routes in Cougar Creek may well be inaccessible and unclimbable for some time.
We have not been able to determine the extent of damages to backcountry infrastructure, but expect many roads, trails, and bridges to be washed out between the mountain front and the great divide from Waterton to Bow Summit.
In the near future we can expect our mountains to be unstable due to the incredible amount of rain. Expect expanses of loose rock and rockfall. This could be especially evident on easier 3rd and 4th class scrambling terrain. The ground is saturated and there have been many mudslides. Although the immediate danger of these is probably past, we can expect more instabilities of this nature in the next while if we have even brief periods of intense precipitation.
Areas further north and west will not have been as affected. So recreational activities may be appropriate in areas such as Jasper and Glacier parks where no special bulletins have been issued. However, there have been reports of flooding and washouts in the West Kootenays (Nelson area).
Time to get your gloves on, help your neighbours and stay away from many mountain areas for the next while. We will update the situation if necessary, and on Thursday evening at the latest.
Mark Klassen
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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