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Parks Canada Visitor Safety climbed the North Ridge of Mt Assiniboine on July 14, 2015. Conditions were dry right to the summit. Some rime and verglass was present above the Red Band from overnight showers, but this melted off during the descent. No crampons were needed. The "Gmoser Highway" approach from Assiniboine Lodge has a couple steep snow patches to cross near the bottom but the rest is dry. An ice axe may be useful here. The Hind hut is clean and in great shape.
Following discussions with BC Parks and other stakeholders, this climb was undertaken to clean up the old rappel slings, aging fixed anchors and random pieces of gear scattered along the North Ridge. Two full backpacks of old nylon, rusted pitons, carabiners, rap rings and fixed nuts were removed leaving the route in clean condition (see photos). With some exceptions the gear removed was in poor condition. Four permanent chain anchors were installed where the majority of climbers rappel while descending the ridge. These anchors replaced large nests of old tat and rusted pitons. Significant cleaning was also done at these rappels sites to minimize rockfall in the future, although plenty of loose rock remains. The locations of these anchors are shown in the attached photo. Each anchor is set up for a 25m rappel. The rappel anchor in the Red Band is located climbers left of the normal ascent gullies and a good trail and cairns lead down to this anchor. This location should help minimize exposure to rockfall from parties above, as well as necessitate the building of clean anchors on the ascent when using the right hand gullies. The upper three anchors are almost directly on the ridge and should be found easily. Parties climbing the route this summer should not expect to see any other old anchors or fixed protection on the ridge, and should be prepared to create their own anchors in all other locations as needed.
_______________________________________________ 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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