Avalanche Conditions

2 photos

Deep Slab

Matier N Face

Avalanche Conditions

We had a near miss yesterday in the Joffre area. We left from camp at motel 66 at 6am. With little recovery overnight we decided to climb Mt Hartzel.
We traversed below the N face of Matier about 250m from the bershrund in the flats. There where some old cornice debris in the flats and we made sure to stay further away as there was still one last cornice lingering up high. We summited Mt Hartzel around 10am. At 1030am while enjoying the views from the summit we witnessed first hand the upper cornice fail and trigger the entire N face of Matier to basal snow/ice. The crown was around 3m and the debris pile ran about 400m into the flats. Needless to stay our tracks got annihilated!

Mat Valade
Jeff Mitchell

On The Map

These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.