[MCR] Columbia Icefield - Twins

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Spent the last 5 days on the Columbia Icefield, in the Twins/ 
Stutfield area (April 27 - May 1). We climbed N, S and W Twin; Twins  
Tower; Stutfield W & E; and Kitchener on the way out today.

Up until today it was pretty wintry up there with overnight lows in  
the -20 range. Lots of dry snow, mostly wind affected, making for  
some secure bucket steps but also making us wonder a bit at what  
layers may be still lurking deeper in the snowpack. No avalanche  
activity noted in the area though and on the surface we mostly were  
dealing with windcrusts. There is a lot of snow waiting to peel off  
though as soon as it warms up and I would be leery of steep, sunny  
slopes on the first few hot days. It was starting to get cooked up  
there today, so a melt-freeze cycle may be beginning.

Of note was the thin nature of the snowpack up there, it seemed more  
crevassy than normal to me. Lots of sags and bergschrunds in  
particular were quite evident. Looking at the trench towards Columbia  
it seemed more crevassed than I remember it. There also was a lot of  
ice exposed on the peaks, especially on the Stutfields, and the  
initial slopes of the S Twin had thin snow over ice so we had to  
pitch it out over 100 m of ice climbing there.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide
www.alpinism.com

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