[MCR] Purcells, Bugaboos

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

I guided in the Bugaboos from August 10-15 and made ascents of Lion's Way, the West Ridge of Pigeon Spire, the Northwest Ridge of Eastpost Spire and the Kain route on Bugaboo Spire; all of these routes were in great shape. Of note was a rockfall event that we witnessed while gearing up on the glacier below the Bugaboo/Snowpatch Col at about 6:30 am on Monday morning, August 12th. A hot tub sized boulder, along with an accompaniment  of cooler sized rocks tumbled free from the Bugaboo side. The hot tub strafed a perfect mid line trench down the switchbacks that everyone uses to access the col. It did an impressive triple gainer when it hammered into the exposed rock pile towards the bottom of the slope and then smacked a crater into the snow and etched a trough to a stop. We chose not to ascend the common steps and set steps up the Snowpatch side, which had little evidence of rockfall (I repeated this tactic on our approach to the Kain Route). We kept tight to Snowpatch and gazed into it's moat on several switchbacks and it felt much less exposed although it is steeper and there are no deep steps. We rappelled the Snowpatch rappels down the other side of Snowpatch on our descent from Pigeon Spire, no rockfall there.

Happy trails,

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