[MCR] Rockies, Nemesis

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Climbed Nemesis yesterday, April 15, in the fine company of fellow  
Mountain Guides, Tim Auger and James Blench (I was the youngest  
member of the team ... that doesn't happen much anymore!). We skied  
up to bellow the climb and then cramponed on a hard slide surface. A  
size 3 avalanche ran over the climb during last week's storm. The  
slab started on the steep glacial terrain below the North Face of Mt  
Stanley and cleaned out many, or all, of the ledges that it ran over.  
Some of the slope below the climb ran to ground. We felt little  
avalanche threat on the way up as there was a supportive sun crust  
holding the valley bottom, and the skier's left side of it (the sunny  
side) together.

The climb was in great shape. There was some water weeping from the  
edges of the lower pitches when we rappeled at 3 pm.

Didn't see any snow moving on the sunny side of the valley as we  
skied out, but there was a big chunk of an ice pillar that broke off  
and exploded into the snow slope in the Suffer Machine area. None of  
the snow moved where the pillar hit it.

Sloppy slow skiing all the way to the car, which was a god sent for  
three middle aged mountain guides on old skinny skis and leather  
climbing boots.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca



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