Visitor Safety teams from Banff, Yoho & Kootenay took advantage of the mild weather and low avalanche danger this week to do some training on a few classic Rockies climbs. We found excellent mid-season conditions on the following routes:

Guinness Gully
- Fat and blue.
- Good travel between pitches is on avalanche debris from a controlled avalanche there in mid January.

Spray Falls
- Excellent ice. Minimal daggers threaten route currently.
- Facetted snowpack in the area with evidence of a small wet cycle from last week. Good to be there on a cool overcast day.

Super Bock
- Kicking Horse river is well frozen allowing for a shorter approach from the chain-up parking on the TCH.
- Good travel on old debris once you get into the drainage below the route.
- Someone has installed three new bolt anchors which allow for efficient belays and descents with 70m ropes. The top anchor is in an exposed position and may get damaged in the future by rockfall/avalanches but is currently in good shape.

Louise Falls
- Well travelled, straightforward conditions
- Some dagger hazard remains on both sides of pillar but less than often.

Conditions are changing though, with ~ 20cm of new snow reported in Yoho today and strong upper elevation winds, the avalanche danger will rise over the next few days.

Parks Canada Visitor Safety
Banff, Yoho & Kootenay National Parks