Climbing Conditions

Fresh snow

Columbia Icefields

Climbing Conditions

We climbed A2 yesterday via the Boundary Glacier. Ascent was up the tongue then the climbers right side of the basin, descent down the climbers left side back to the tongue.

Thursday’s storm left a significant amount of snow but it’s hard to tell how much as distribution is variable from winds. Probably about 30 cm. Foot penetration varies from hard snow where the old surface was swept clean by wind to calf deep. Average was about ankle deep. There was still a lot of snow above 2400 m on all the surrounding peaks.

Although the snow was moist and bonding well below 2900 m I would be concerned about wind slabs above that elevation. The new snow masked the crevasses and made navigating them a bit more difficult and we had to probe carefully to avoid falling into any.

As previously reported, other than this new snow the glaciers are very dry with more crevasses showing than normal.

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.