[MCR] Rockies - Junkyards icefall

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Cooler temps the last couple of days have helped to dry out the Junkyards a bit and firm up the slush. Anchors lasted all day today, for the first time in a while it seems. 

Nonetheless, a couple of chilly nights have done nothing to offset the weeks of warmth the area has experienced lately, and the main falls are pumping right now. This afternoon, having just finished talking about the instability of the ice adjacent to the falls, as if on cue we witnessed two separate catastrophic failures to the right of the falls, a few minutes apart. Both events involved multiple car-sized blocks — we could feel the impact through the Scottish Gully — that ripped down the treed gully toward the Transalta construction site. Some big debris made it as far as an area of low-angled ice that is often used for cramponing practice. Wasn’t able to see if any hangfire was left, but I wouldn’t have much confidence in anything up there right now, regardless. 

Just a reminder for me that there are likely plenty of other features elsewhere that have been similarly undermined and are in a late-April creaky state these days. That's something I know I’ll be keeping in mind for the next while as I wait for the eventual return of winter. (I just hope we’re not waiting til next November for that!…)   

Carl Johnston
ACMG Alpine & Rock Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures <http://yamnuska.com/>
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