[MCR] Icefields/Diadem

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Kirsten and I just returned from 5 days up at the icefields parkway with 6 women.  We had a mixture of weather and conditions. On Monday (July 19th) it rained hard most of the morning and cleared off late afternoon. Tuesday morning was clear and plus 5 at 2:30am at the Athabasca parking with a very good freeze on the glacier.  We climbed the North face bypass and the Silverhorn on Athabasca.  The Silverhorn schrund is starting to open up, as is the North Face, but the Bypass schrund is easily passed climbers left.  Of note was a size 3 icefall from the seracs just right of the Hourglass, that left a huge pile of debris on the bench below the North face.  A scary sight, that must have occurred only a couple days prior.

  On Wednesday (July 22) we hiked in to the Wooley/Diadem bivy site in the rain.  The next morning, despite mixed conditions, we were able to climb Diadem without an overnight freeze. We were down by noon, but this still felt too late to be coming down.  There is more hazard on Wooley and Daidem then the book suggests, with serac exposure and acres of rockfall and cornice failure potential as you cross climbers left towards the top of the upper glacier. The sun hits this face very early and an early start is crucial. Nonetheless a beautiful area to visit!

Sarah Hueniken
ACMG Alpine Guide