[MCR] Twisted Ice Climb, Yoho National Park, Jan. 1st ,2014

I climbed Twisted today with Brian Webster
and Steve Holeczi. Here is what we found:

Route Conditions:
The route was dry and in good shape
and old hooks made it feel not too brittle despite the cool temperatures
(-14 at the car in the AM).  The left hand pillar has a crack across
it and sounded hollow. We chose a right hand line to avoid it given the
temperatures; however, we still were forced to climb a couple body lengths
of hollow sounding ice. 

Avalanche Conditions:
Despite the avalanche danger rating
of "low" below treeline in the Banff, Yoho & Kootenay avalanche
forecast, we brought avalanche gear and chose our approach route carefully.
Because of the strong valley winds from the recent "Yoho blow",
we encountered many areas of hardslab over a facetted base. We were able
to chose a route that avoided being exposed to most of the hazard and crossed
short hardslab sections one at a time where we couldn't avoid them. Although
any avalanche would likely be small, the terrain is steep enough that you
wouldn't want to go for a ride. 

These below treeline conditions are
likely not widespread throughout the Banff, Yoho & Kootenay forecast
region, but I would be cautious on the approaches to any of the climbs
in the Mt. Stephen/ Mt. Field area right now. 

Happy New Year!

Ian Jackson
Visitor Safety Technician |
Technicien Sécurité de Visiteurs
Banff, Yoho, Kootenay National Parks |
Parcs Natiounaux Banff, Yoho, Kootenay
Parks Canada |
Parcs Canada
www.parksmountainsafety.ca
| www.parcsecuritemontagne.ca
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