From mcr at informalex.org Mon Aug 10 00:13:30 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2009 21:13:30 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [MCR] East Ridge on Temple Message-ID: <281547.67448.qm@web57808.mail.re3.yahoo.com> Climbed the E ridge today and similiar to Barry's posting a week or so ago, minus the traffic.? Route is in great shape and maybe 95% dry.? Only crossed snow for maybe 2 steps low down on the brown slabs below the exit gully.? Easy travel on summit glacier and final crevasse was easy to jump over (3 feet).? Temps were generally cool (approx 15C) due to forest fire haze and scattered cloud.? Winds were calm until mid-day and light from the NW thereafter.? ? Also, was on Yam on Friday and?while desending ?around the west end noticed a good size rockfall (after the fact).? Looks like Windy Slab/Pony?Express area?got nailed taking out?a number of trees and part of the trail.? Maybe a large class?2.0 rockslide......? ? Cheers, ? Scott Grady SG __________________________________________________________________ The new Internet Explorer? 8 - Faster, safer, easier. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mcr at informalex.org Tue Aug 11 00:30:02 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:30:02 -0600 Subject: [MCR] Rockies: Goodsir Towers Message-ID: <24161E2F-AEF6-410B-A3B1-6FB83A638811@alpinism.com> Spent the past few days in the Goodsirs. The high road in to the Ice River has a lot of deadfall on it right now and we got stopped about a km short of the end. The lower Ice River road that starts at km 19.5 on Beaverfoot main may be OK, it was fine in June when I scoped the roads out, but the high road was clean then too. The trail in has numerous deadfall areas too and that slows travel occasionally. Climbed the South Tower on August 8 via the SW Ridge up and down and it is dry as a bone. The W Face couloir still has some snow but looks like it receives regular rockfall. The SW Ridge is similar in character to the SW face of Assiniboine except it is steeper, looser, more exposed and longer. I can't recommend it. August 9 and 10 were cloudy and showery with thunderstorms the evening of the 9th so we got snookered on our ambitions for the N Tower. The upper two-thirds of the couloir leading to the North- Centre col is snow covered and looks like good travelling. There is a bit of snow on the lower part of the V ledge on the North Tower, the upper part of the V looked dry but I don't think you can see into the depths of that cleft from where we were camped. Lots of mosquitoes. Mark Klassen Mountain Guide www.alpinism.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mcr at informalex.org Tue Aug 11 12:07:04 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:07:04 -0700 Subject: [MCR] Rogers Pass / Glacier Circle Aug 6-9 Message-ID: <200908111607.n7BG74nx000532@rm-rstar.sfu.ca> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mcr at informalex.org Tue Aug 11 22:33:08 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:33:08 -0600 Subject: [MCR] Tonquin area Message-ID: <20090812023331.96F5B12B0A8@sparta.incentre.net> 5 days once again playing in Tonquin. I also wanted to say as others in recent reports how much bare ice is visible on many of the glaciers in this area. Climbed McDonnell Peak on Aug 8th and have never seen the Fraser glacier so icy. Still good snow under the unnamed peak to south but the basin is mostly ice. The col between Benington and McDonnell is melting out and recent parties used the rock to the right to either traverse down to the snow or work the rock back and forth then gaining the snow near the shrund at the bottom. Experienced strong parties were taking 12-14 hours on the east ridge of Benington. Climbed Clithroe Peak on the 9th. A nice but loose scramble/short-rope summit. We went up the left side then traversed to main summit in the middle of the peak. We descended directly below the summit block into a gully which was descended on the sides on good ledges till about 1/2 way down where the gully turns left...Here we traversed right to the next gully and grassy slopes that led easily and cleanly to the bottom. (see photo...red is up, green is down) One party tried to climb Erebus via the 5.4 route from the Eremite-Erebus col but because of recession of snow and ice could not get on the rock. The gully on Anchorite is almost disappeared with only a thin strip of dirty ice left....Alcove Peak's snow face has a huge shrund from one side to the other and the Outpost glacier seems to be melting back quite a bit. Looked at the standard traverse to Simon Peak from the upper slopes of McDonnell but it looks quite ugly to get from the rock to the snow slope that traverses across to the col on Simon Peak. This used to be fairly straightforward but now should probably be done earlier in the year. the summit slopes of Simon peak are now ice Heading out today some dusting on Cavell to about 9500ft....should dry off in a few nice days. Peter Amann Peter Amann ACMG Mountain Guide pamann at incentre.net -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Fraser glacier from Mcdonnell.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 114019 bytes Desc: not available Url : -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: Simon peak.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 117772 bytes Desc: not available Url : From mcr at informalex.org Wed Aug 12 14:26:35 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 11:26:35 -0700 Subject: [MCR] Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col Message-ID: <71D1CCD30DF54D008DDF2A0EE6019F37@mail2world.com> The following is a report from Tay Hanson, Senior Park Ranger for BC Parks. A major rockfall event occured yesterday that originated from above the climber's right side of the col. Coincidently, the old raps stations on that side of the col had been removed the previous day because of rockfall concerns. Also note that a new toilet was installed at Applebee to relieve the morning line-ups! Rain initiated rock and mud slide on 090711 at approx 0900 hrs. All rappel stations have been removed from the climbers' right hand side of the col. This rap route was established during a time when snow and ice covered the scree slope but currently presents an unacceptable rock fall hazard to climbers lower on the col. Two chain stations have been added to the rap route on climbers' left allowing for 3-4 30m rappels over the bergschrund, or more safely, 1 double rope rappel to below the rock island and then another to well below the bergschrund. As you can see, the col is in disastrous condition and is best avoided. Also included is a pic of Applebee's new rock toilet. Jeff Volp ACMG/BC Parks

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Unlimited Email Storage – POP3 – Calendar – SMS – Translator – Much More! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: B-S Col Rap Stations, Aug 11 '09.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 87122 bytes Desc: not available Url : -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Applebee Toilet.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 243950 bytes Desc: not available Url : From mcr at informalex.org Wed Aug 12 20:00:16 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:00:16 -0600 Subject: [MCR] Bow Valley Rockfall Hazard Message-ID: I have been working around the Bow Valley extensively over the last few weeks with a group of guides from Yamnuska, and wanted to pass on our general observations regarding a noticeable increase in rockfall events and related hazard right now at most rock climbing sites in the Valley. All of the intense, saturating rainfall the Rockies have received lately seems to have undermined a lot of slopes below and above local crags and dramatically loosened things up in general. From my observations, rock conditions seem more typical of early season cragging (e.g. loose holds, perched rocks, ledge debris and seeping rock) than late summer, and are overall worse than I can recall seeing. We have observed numerous rockfall events, and even at heavily used areas there seems to be an exceptional amount of loose material lying in wait for the right impetus to bring it down. In some cases, there have been very substantial hazards encountered on usually immaculate routes. As winds pick up and warmer temperatures dry out whatever remaining material is presently gluing things in place, we expect this to get worse before it gets better. The forecast for another storm cycle into the weekend probably won't help things in the near term either. Play safe! Carl Johnston ACMG Rock Guide Yamnuska Mountain Adventures From mcr at informalex.org Wed Aug 12 21:32:53 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:32:53 +0100 Subject: [MCR] Bugaboos Message-ID: Hi, This photo of the B-S col was taken on the 10th - the day before the rock slide. Of note in this photo is the huge block perched above the bergschrund - how well it is attached to the mountain is anyone's guess. The route to Pigeon by going around Son of Snow Patch and up the Pigeon Fork - Bugaboo Glacier is reasonable but involves negotiating some big crevasses and teams should only consider this route if they have appropriate experience and equipment for moving through this type of terrain. If you are a couple planning to climb Pigeon then teaming up with another pair could be prudent for the glacial travel section. We went up and down this way whilst some other teams used the Snowpatch - Pigeon Col rap route for their descent. (Photo 2 is crossing the final slot in the moat beside Pigeon). Cheers, Steve Blagbrough. ACMG/BMG Yamnuska Mountain Adventures. _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live Messenger: Thanks for 10 great years?enjoy free winks and emoticons. http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/157562755/direct/01/ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: P8100032.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 652303 bytes Desc: not available Url : -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: P8090007.JPG Type: image/jpeg Size: 646178 bytes Desc: not available Url : From mcr at informalex.org Thu Aug 13 09:19:47 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 07:19:47 -0600 Subject: [MCR] Mt Fay, Central Ice Bulge Direct Message-ID: <0BF5DF08-2C91-49B8-93D5-3FFB9C2A5768@telus.net> We soldiered through 3 hours of rain to get to the Schiesser Ledges on the morning of August 11th (that rain fell as snow above 8000 feet overnight). The rain ended by the time we had to touch rock. 2 fixed chains now hang where the old cables were removed. August 12th there was a good freeze, even some dry drifted snow at the Colgan Hut. Mostly a supportive crust over to the mountain with a couple of 10 meter sections of breakable crust. We chose the Central Ice Bulge Direct because the bergshrund crossing looked the easiest, and the route looked cleaner from rockfall than the Kallen/Roth, not that anything was moving given the frost, and the mountain did look 'fresh' sporting its coating of new snow. The bergshrund crossing on the Kallen/Roth looks like it would involve an overhanging move or two. The Central IBD bergschrund is filled in at the drainage point and easy to get across right now. The route was in great shape, some moisture over the ice in places. We were on the summit at 10:30 and chose to rappel the route. 5 x 60 meter rappels off of abalakovs put us back onto the glacier, then off down the Perrin Route. A trick that we used was to cache our overnight stuff on the glacier below the West Ridge start, saves having to return to the hut if you are going down the Perrin. The bergshrund crossing for the West Ridge looks ... undoable? A fast party of 3 (left the parking lot at 4 am via the Schiesser Ledges) followed us up the route and descended the West Ridge, but opted to traverse the satellite peak west of the normal approach slope and descend the ice slope on its far side (west). That slope has a doable bergshrund crossing right now. Happy trails, Barry Blanchard UIAGM/IFMGA Mountain Guide Yamnuska Mountain Adventures barryb3 at telus.net 1 403 609 4615 cell 1 403 609 1321 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mcr at informalex.org Thu Aug 13 13:37:18 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:37:18 -0600 Subject: [MCR] ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary issued August 13th, 2009 Message-ID: <1FB125DCE323412D80AB98C2F7118F78@larry2e4f7cdf6> ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued August 13th, 2009. The mountains are in generally bare and dry summer condition right now. Obviously rain and some high elevation snow is making a mockery of that statement at this moment:) However, bare ice, no old snow and lots of exposed choss around the glacial margins is the reality. The recent posted photos of the Bugaboo/Snowpatch col and the subsequent rockfall there are dramatic signs of the times. I believe I have heard more rockfall horror stories this summer than any summer I can remember, and the vast majority of these were from the retreating glacial margins. There is still lots of fine, relatively safe climbing, mountaineering and glacier travel to be had but you need to keep your eyes wide open as well as your plans. Routes ranging from most of the classic ridges to some of the Bugaboos big walls are excellent objectives right now. The trick is getting onto those features through reasonable terrain. Rain, daytime heat and other parties are the obvious factors that can exacerbate the rockfall hazard. Many ice routes have deteriorated or disappeared for the time being. I feel that routes under ice faces like the North Face of Alberta should be assumed to have an unacceptable risk of rockfall for the time being. Glacier travel is getting trickier in most places. The thin snowpack that remains is great with a good freeze but spooky when it is moist or wet. It is definitely time for disciplined glacier travel with a snug rope and some knowledge of how to use it. Lots of bare ice around so make sure your crampons are snug and sharp and that you are very aware of the consequences of a roped or unroped fall on moderate ice. Can you really hold your partner if they fall on moderate angle ice? Front ranges are well clear of old snow and the rock climbing and scrambling is drying out quickly. Even in the dry ranges reports have spoken of increased rockfall activity. Wear a helmet but keep in mind that will only save your hairdo if you get hit by one of the pianos or refrigerators that are rolling downslope from time to time. Larry Stanier ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mcr at informalex.org Thu Aug 13 22:48:11 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:48:11 -0600 Subject: [MCR] Athabasca Message-ID: <3e9f2e410908131948s6b4ad04ala5a643f9e3ceda9d@mail.gmail.com> Just back from a day full of beautiful weather at the Icefields: mainly sunny with clouds, and cool weather, 3C at the climber's parking lot at the Icefields at 5 am. Of note there has been a lot of snow accumulation up high from the past 2 days of stormy weather: up to 35cm of low density storm snow overlies up to 15 cm of unconsolidated 5mm graupel, on top of the previous surfaces (sloppy, wet grain summer snow). Travel was variable ranging from excellent below 2600m with trace accumulations of snow, to foot penetration of up to mid-calf above 2900m. Very easy hand shear results were found in the graupel interface below a soft slab (1 finger resistance) -- meaning as I cut the back wall the 35cm soft slab rolled off the graupel like they were ball bearings. That said, no cracking, whoompfing, or natural avalanche activity was observed today. It sure felt like winter there today. See photos attached. Regards, Tom Wolfe -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: AthabascaGlacierAug13.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 76947 bytes Desc: not available Url : -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: AthabascaNFaceAug13.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 48173 bytes Desc: not available Url : -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: AthabascaNGlacierAug13.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 90721 bytes Desc: not available Url : From mcr at informalex.org Sat Aug 15 21:00:53 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2009 19:00:53 -0600 Subject: [MCR] Cathedral/O'Hara Message-ID: <83044493-A2B3-42C4-89D1-68D3C0C05B3B@telus.net> Climbed Cathedral today. Reached new snow line at 2700m. Easy travel without crampons on glacier, foot penetration: 10 to 15 cm on new wind pressed snow over ice at 2700- 2900m. 20 cm to knee deep on the ridge at 3000m - some drifting. Huber Ledges are looking wet and snowy. Nothing more than small point avalanches observed on steep slopes. The new snow is staying dry with no sign of melting above 2800m on north facing slopes. Sharon Wood AG ASG From mcr at informalex.org Sun Aug 16 09:04:55 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 07:04:55 -0600 Subject: [MCR] Victoria Message-ID: <19740413173256.86C8A2C0EB98A2F1@edtnaa01.telusplanet.net> Up to Abbots pass for a Victoria attempt Aug 14/15. Point releases to size 2 plus off Lefroy running 500m vertical. Up to 25 cm hst with deeper drifts at 2850m. We bailed on Victoria due to widespread verglas and unconsolidated snow. I expect that sun exposed slopes will come back into shape soon..the north faces are pretty wintery. James Blench UIAGM -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From mcr at informalex.org Sun Aug 16 18:10:54 2009 From: mcr at informalex.org (Public Mountain Conditions Report) Date: Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:10:54 -0700 Subject: [MCR] Selkirk Mountains - Rogers Pass - Sir Donald/Uto - Aug.16/09 Message-ID: <19740415050128.06E522752BE30976@edmwaa03.telusplanet.net> Just back from a foray to the Sir Donald Uto Col - hoping find Uto snow free and dry enough and to climb. It was primarily snow free but sopping wet (not to mention snowing at the col when we arrived. On our descent the clouds cleared somewhat and weather was improving, though the occasional shower was still rolling through. We could see that Sir Donald was quite snowy above the elevation of the rappels and major scree ledge - so the summit tower looks totally out of shape for now - perhaps by the end of the week if the forecasted sunshine and warm temps materialize it would be doable. Uto will just need some sunshine to dry out the rock and it should be good to go. Overall much less snow then fell in the rockies but still enough to put higher rock objectives out of condition - sorry I didn't get a look at the Mt. Rogers group. Cheers, Scott Davis ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: