[MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued May 13, , 2010

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

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ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia
Mountains issued May 13, 2010


We are having one of those terrific springs where you can have excellent ski
touring and rock climbing on the same day.   Forecasts are stable for a few
days so take advantage of it. 

In the Rockies, excellent skiing conditions can be found along the Banff
Jasper Highway in the Rockies.  Very early starts are in order with a
planned return well before noon.  Timing will be critical if you want to
enjoy good corn snow instead of some skeleton rattling and if you want to
avoid high avalanche hazard.   Cornices are starting to cleave and this is
the time of year where, once they fail, can either trigger deep slabs or
carry enough mass to run a long ways-or both.  Again, timing and aspect are
the key.  Access to the Wapta Icefields across Bow Lake is still good in the
early morning but not a very good idea later in the day.  Exits down from
Scott Duncan will likely be rugged and require a significant amount of
hiking.   A number of people have reported excellent travelling on the
Columbia Icefields with near perfect conditions for ascents of Mt. Columbia.
Again, timing will be important especially when exiting down the Athabasca
glacier through the crevasse cruxes.  Some of the bigger lines for the
Rockies are getting skied with excellent conditions.  Today  on the north
face of Mt. Stanley a party reported good skiing with 20 to 40 cm of powder
well bonded to a supportive crust.   The best skiing was on the steeper
terrain above 45 degrees facing due north.

Most of the waterfall ice routes are sun-bleached and finished.  On north
aspects, in the very early part of the day, if you hate rock climbing, there
may still be some worthwhile routes.  Front range crags are drying out and
routes on Yamnuska will come back into shape with this dry sunny spell.  It
is still snowy getting to the Back of the Lake but a number of the routes
there are climbable.  In Jasper Park, rock routes east of town are likely
coming into descent shape.

In the Selkirks at Rogers Pass, excellent spring skiing can also be found.
On the Illecillewaet and Asulkan side great corn skiing has been reported by
guides and there is snow down to the highway.  Make sure your day ends early
or you will be facing high avalanche hazard and very tedious travelling.
Skiing on the Hermit side is essentially finished with the the lower
avalanche paths and slopes melted out.  There have been no reports on the
alpine rock routes on Mt. MacDonald yet but we are getting close to the time
of the time of year where the rock dries off and the access and descents,
while still snow covered, make these routes possible.  

Marc Ledwidge 
ACMG/UIAGM Mountain Guide


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