Great conditions in the Valhallas yesterday for a trip up the spectacular South Ridge of Gimli.

There are still many lingering snow patches in the area above 2500m, but all the steep faces are dry. The ridge itself was in perfect shape with totally dry climbing throughout.

To avoid needing crampons on descent we deviated slightly from the normal line and rappelled near the base, which delayed us a little. Another party heading up the East Ridge descent opted to try to scratch across the steep snow. After several unintended glissades, they ended up disappearing into the moat! Not a great way to start your day!!

The tent sites at the bivy are snow free, but there's still a large patch below, so there was plenty of meltwater available. Given all the goats milling about, though, a filter is key. The bugs were much worse at the bivy than down at the trailhead, but were still bearable.

The decommissioning of the steep Bannock Burn road has made the trip in slow and occasionally thoughtful. With some fandangling we managed fine in an Outback, but a couple of good storms up there might change that -- we counted 74 water bars in various stages of sculpting and severity.

Enjoy!

Carl Johnston
ACMG Alpine and Rock Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures