[MCR] Rockies, Curtain Call, Teardrop

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

I guided an ascent of Curtain Call yesterday, Feb 6th. The snowpack below the climb consists of a 10 cm eggshell sitting on 20 cms of structureless facets, horrid stuff, but easy to walk through. We had snow shoes and didn't really need them. The upper pillar of the climb fell off at some point and scoured the slopes below for several hundred meters. The slide surface makes for good cramponing once you get to it.

The climb is in similar shape to three? years ago with crux being a half metre roof on the second pitch. The roof is the truncated edge of the collapsed pillar out of which a new pillar has formed. Narrow and nervous and airy, exciting climbing.

Today, Jan 7th, I guided an ascent of Teardrop (the Upper Weeping Wall). We intended to climb Snivelling Gully as our approach, but the first pitch looked undermined by water so we did a pitch of Weeping Wall Left Hand and then traversed into Snivelling Gully. This worked well. We then avoided the wet gut of Snivelling Gully and climbed ice on the climber's left flank to gain the last pitch, which is well formed. Teardrop is big and on the easy side of normal. The crux last pitch climbs grade 5ish ice without having to surmount any leviathan ice petals that some years make this pitch more difficult.

Overall both climbs, Curtain Call and Teardrop, yielded confidence inspiring screws 8 times out of 10.

Happy trails,

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