[MCR] Rockies: A2, Mt Athabasca and Mt Wilcox

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

My fellow guide, Erica Roles, and I guided out of the Columbia  
Icefields Campground May 20 -25. The first couple of days were spent  
instructing at Parker's Ridge, we punched a trail up to the practice  
slopes and gulley. The snow above treeline was carrying well.

May 22nd we climbed A2 via the North Little Athabasca Glacier tongue,  
Athabasca/Boundary Col and upper Boundary Glacier. Given the clear  
skies overnight and good freeze travel was dreamy, perfect cramponing  
on the frozen surface right up to 9,700 feet where the snow started  
to feel a bit wintery still on the north aspect (that bit of  
information steered us away from the Ramp route on Athabasca  
suspecting a wind slab there).

May 24th we climbed Mt Athabasca via the AA Col route with a marginal  
overnight freeze. The snow carried very well, boot top penetration  
all the way up and down. We didn't use crampons.

There has been a very large serac collapse across the north face  
basin of Athabasca and there looks like there is more to come having  
looked down on some BIG cracks in the hanging Silverhorn Glacier.

May 25th we climbed the south ridge of Mt Wilcox and this was the  
most problematic ascent of our week due to the amount of snow that is  
still sitting in Wilcox Pass. We persisted linking bare ground with  
supportive snow.

Relieved to say that summer mountaineering is doing well at the  
Icefields, exceptionally so given a good freeze.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com


Yamnuska Mountain Adventures Snow and Ice Long Weekend groups, May 22.
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