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ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 7, 2015
Apologies for the blank reports earlier; technical glitch.
The last few days in the Rocky and Columbia mountains were cooler, as the influence of a NW flow produced upslope snow flurries in areas to the east of the Continental Divide. Wednesday afternoon and evening was a return to winter, with snow to the valley bottoms (melted now) and lows of -10 up on the high icefield areas.
Fortunately, that is changing now and an awesome weekend appears to be in the forecast! Starting Friday the skies will clear and all areas from Revelstoke to Jasper to Banff are forecast for bluebird and sunny, with highs in Revelstoke of 21, Jasper 21 and Banff 12 degrees. For the remaining keen skiers and riders reading this . . . another critical piece is that the overnight lows will range from 0 to -6, so expect a solid freeze on the snow.
All of this points to an excellent weekend for high mountain travel on skis (icefields trips), or north facing couloirs that remain on your hit list. Corn snow is a sure bet on the sunny slopes if you're good with your timing. Be sure to get up early to take advantage of the solid freeze, and then be like the Swiss and make sure you're eating Roesti on a sunny deck by 2:00 in the afternoon.
As for rock climbing - most valley bottom crags are in full action now, except the north facing ones that could still be cold and wet. Yamnuska looks great, although plan for a slippery and wet descent, as the backside trails will be snow covered still. Even south facing rock climbs in alpine areas like the Bugaboos or Rogers Pass could be really good this weekend if you are prepared to tough out the snowy approaches and descents.
The hiking trails are melted clear (with wet patches) in the valley bottoms, and snowline on the Banff-Jasper highway seems to be at about 2000m. We're ahead of a normal schedule for this season, but anything at treeline and above will still be locked up in snow.
Have a great weekend out there!
Grant Statham
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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