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ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued July 3, 2014
Summer has finally arrived in the Rockies and Interior, with warm weather and clear skies over the past three days and forecast into next week.
Alpine routes are being reported in great shape right now with good overnight freezes providing excellent travel on firm snow which is melting and settling very quickly right now.
With the heat and the short nights very early starts (and early descents) are necessary to avoid difficult or dangerous isothermal snow conditions which have been developing as early as mid-morning. Deep postholing, weak crevasse bridging, rock fall, avalanche hazard, and increased serac activity are hazards that will increase as the day heats up.
Sun exposed alpine rock routes, such as Mt. Louis, Achilles Spire, Mt. Tupper, Uto Peak, Castle Mountain, and south facing rock routes in the Bugaboos are getting climbed and reported in good early season condition, meaning there will likely be some seepage or snow patches to work around.
Snowline in the Rogers Pass area was around 1900 m a few days ago, and in the Icefields Parkway it was around 2400 m on the north side of Mt. Athabasca yesterday. Last weekend during a mini traverse I made with a group from Bow Lake to Peyto Lake we had excellent snow coverage on the glacier and straightforward travel. On the North Athabasca glacier yesterday there were isothermal conditions (with some thigh-deep post-holing in thin areas) lower on the glacier already at 10:00 am.
I noticed a couple of recent, though small, slab avalanches in the Icefields area this week, and echo Marc Piche's concern from last week: ?Considering the challenging winter we just finished and in particular the deep instability that was the cause of many very large avalanches, it might be prudent to treat large snow slopes in the alpine with caution. In the past, these deep persistent instabilities have occasionally come back to life in the early summer before the snow pack has completely settled for the season.?
Other considerations as you plan your days will include afternoon thundershowers and increasing flow rates in creeks and rivers with the thaw up high.
The Athabasca climber's parking lot has now been replaced with a large Snowcoach staging area, so the days of driving around the gate are over -? plan for an extra 20 minute walk (at the start and end of your day) from the parking lot at road level.
Tom Wolfe
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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