[MCR] Little Yoho, President

Today I climbed the President to within 100m of the summit, turning around for "aesthetic" reasons. A determined party with a bit more of a penchant for suffering would have taken another 60 minutes to reach the top.

 

Steady light to moderate SW winds with constant flurries and about 5 cm snow accumulation at higher elevations throughout the day. Total snowpack depths (HS) ranged from a few cm at valley bottom to 15 cm lower on the glacier to 130 cm near the col. The upper ridge is covered in deep unconsolidated snow. In general, postholing above 2800 m was mid-thigh deep.

 

Test profiles just below the col (2850 m, NE aspect, 40 deg slope) showed a weak layer consisting of low density snow (2 cm F) down 40 cm producing very easy results (block slid off while being isolated). The overlying slab was soft (1F-) and didn't seem to have much in the way of tension in it -- no cracking or shearing.

 

Yesterday hiking in via the Iceline trail we observed one size 1.5 natural avalanche off the steep rocky face of the Michael/Vice President ridge, and today we saw debris from a recent size 1 natural avalanche running off the NE face of the President.

 

The President glacier is very heavily crevassed, but there is a straightforward route up to the col that misses the maze and involves just a bit of winding around monster crevasses/bergschrunds near the col. If you're not familiar with the glacier it can be scoped well by hiking 10-20 mins up the Isolated Col trail.

Regards,

Tom Wolfe
Mountain Guide ACMG/IFMGA

www.ontopmountaineering.com

Canmore, Alberta

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