[MCR] Kemosabe ice climb, Waiparous Creek, Rockies: Feb 29, 2012

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Thick, blue, slightly brittle ice on Kemosabe today. Some hanging daggers on the right of the upper pitch threaten the area below.

The upper pitch felt harder than the grade, but we may just be getting soft.

Driving approach was shorter than I remember at just less than one hour from the Ghost River turn off to the parking at marker 131(on Ghost FLUZ map). Drive was in 2WD condition most of the way.  Creek crossing at marker 129 was straightforward with a thin breakable crust and water over a (apparently) solid base.  Parking before this creek crossing would only lengthen the walk by ~ 20 minutes. We walked west on the cut line following the ridge south of Waiparous creek straight towards the route from marker 131. Good travel on some old tracks and knee to thigh-deep bottomless facets off the tracks: 1.5 hours from the parking. It looked like driving farther up Waiparous creek on the winter road towards marker 135, then walking south into the drainage, may shorten the approach time, but we did not try this option.

Josh Briggs
Aaron Beardmore

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: photo 2.JPG
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 90517 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/mcr/attachments/20120229/dc13c60a/attachment-0003.jpe>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: photo 3.JPG
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 131558 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/mcr/attachments/20120229/dc13c60a/attachment-0004.jpe>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: photo 4.JPG
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 113564 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : <http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/mcr/attachments/20120229/dc13c60a/attachment-0005.jpe>
-------------- next part --------------

---
Josh Briggs
Consulting Geologist / IFMGA Mountain Guide
? 403.609.9153
www.briggsconsulting.ca