[MCR] Rockies: Lake O'Hara conditions August 11th, 2012

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Things are currently almost good as they get around Lake O'Hara. 

Mt. Victoria is in great shape from Abbot pass up the south ridge. Descent to Huber glacier, as of friday, is mostly either hard ice or firm dirt in the upper 2/3 and then snow on the bottom slope to the still manageable bergschrund. 

Huber ledges/glacier route is still in great shape as of friday. West face is almost dry but rockfall is still a concern out of the west and northwest face.

Lefroy west face is starting to look pretty scrappy, thin and icy on the upper 1/2.  It would be a REALLY bad idea in the heat or rain right now. 

The only route, I feel, that is worth considering on Glacier pk is via the bottom 1/3 of the Ringrose/Glacier couloir to the "Glacier".  Work hard to minimize the time spent beneath Ringrose pk. and in the couloir- Saw two quartzite microwaves bouncing down there around 11am saturday. Everything north of the Ringrose /Glacier couloir over to Lefroy looks icy and tedious. 

Hungabee is coming around and is certainly climbable via the north and west ridges. The rockfall potential off the west face in any kind of heat still has me scared off till the big snowfield melts back some more. 

Biddle is probably as good as it gets- which ain't saying much:)

Odaray via the South Ridge and Tarrant/Morrison buttress was in great shape last week and probably still is.

Cathedral is as always, a beautiful walk in the sky. Expect low angle ice.

Rockfall is the "main" big deal these days. Bare ice is around and the rocks do seem to love to roar down ice at least as much as they love to ricochet off other rocks. 

No cataclysmic icefalls like the "Ghost Glacier" event in this neighbourhood but the upper Huber glacier has been pounding the slopes below it for a few weeks with everything from "fridge" to "destroy your block" size ice avalanches. 

Larry Stanier
ACMG Mountain Guide
laristan at telus.net