[MCR] Sir Sandford and Adamant Areas, August 20-27th, 2011

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Enjoyed a great week of climbing in the Sir Sandford and Adamant areas with Jeff last week!
 
The Sir Sandford NW ridge is in prime shape with dry rock, easy travel through the 'Hourglass' with good ice anchors, and good step kicking with minimal ice above this to the summit.  A 60m rope was useful for the descent rappels on the rock W of the 'Hourglass'. 
 
We descended from our high bivy to the Great Cairn Hut via the N side of the Sir Sandford Glacier toe.  While it worked out OK it is dependent on snow coverage and puts you on some smooth rock slabs with serac hazard for about 10-15min near the bottom.  The hike over Pallisade Pass and down the Haworth Glacier to the hut is certainly an easy safe alternative.
 
After a rainy day hike up Alpina Dome and a rest day near the hut in rain showers, we spent two days traveling up the E side of the Silvertip Glacier and over Azimuth Notch to the Adamant Glacier...then over the Thor/Gibraltar Col to the Gothics Glacier and doing a N-S traverse of Pioneer Peak before heading down to the Fairy Meadows Hut.
 
The final day was spent climbing Austerity's NW Ridge and Ironman from the Granite Glacier before heading home.
 
Great coverage and travel on all the glaciers with really easy travel through some normally highly crevassed areas.  Looks similar to April on many of the high glaciers out there....can't wait for ski season!  
 
Bergschrund crossings are in good shape everywhere for this time of year (with the exception of Pioneer Pass).  Still a challenge finding good snow anchors above 2900m due to the unconsolidated snow remaining up high and limited access to ice at these elevations.  Surface sluffing on steep solar aspects later in the day, N aspects remained good all day. 
 
Another party in the area reported mostly dry conditions on the Gibson-Rohn route on Ironman, snowy conditions on the upper portions of the South Buttress of Adamant which eventually turned them back at about 3100m but should be melted off by now, dry conditions on the W Buttress of the Horn, and good travel over the shoulder of Ironman from the Austerity Glacier to the Granite Glacier.

A great week to be out climbing in the Selkirks! 

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.banffmountainguides.com
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