It has been another cool and wet week along the East Slope of the Rockies and a little nicer along the Continental Divide and in the Columbias. It is presently cool, calm and low overcast in Canmore, O'Hara and the Bugaboos but sunny in Revelstoke!
Information from the Bugaboos is that you could walk on dry ground almost to the hut but then it would be ski touring without skis:) Snow fell to about the bottom of the Snowpatch overnight but Crescent towers would be good to go when the sun hit it. The hut is not officially open and the bridges aren't in yet. Mt. Revelstoke park has seasonal snow still on the ground at 1600m. Steep south facing terrain in the Columbias is dry in most places to around treeline.
Along the divide in the Rockies it is still wintry above 2400m and there is still lots of snow in the trees in places as low as 2000m. Climbing Mt. Schaeffer yesterday at O'Hara, the North Ridge had as much snow as I have ever seen on it. Some cool climbing on snow aretes where you are usually walking added a nice spice to the route. Cornices along the ridge were big, fat and wet looking-SCARY.
Several days of cool temps after last weekends heat wave mean there are some appealing looking ice dribbles here and there in the alpine. This weekend could be a good time for some well planned and well timed exploration into the alpine. If it cooled down and you were moving fast it could be good. I would be very cautious about any mixed alpine faces but some ridges may offer wintry climbing without wintry temps.
One observation from the Columbia Icefields was that the snowpack was still layered in the upper 50 cms and there is still potential for slab avalanches in the alpine there with daytime heating or big rain events. There is certainly lots of snow everywhere above 2500m and there is still a cycle of intense rockfall, cornice fall and wet slides to come if and when it warms up.
Melting above 2500m has been slow but there is still that spring hazard of snow over running creeks in the big talus and scree slopes. Do not fall into one of those nightmares. Talus slopes at treeline and above are also nasty as this snow rarely freezes solid and it is a good place to REALLY bang up you legs. Rivers and creeks are coming up.
If the monsoon ends east slope rock climbing and scrambling will get good quickly. Glacier travel will be good with a freeze.
Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
