MCR Rockies/Columbia Mountains Summary

The general feel is that fall is in the air and conditions are changing, make sure to add a headlamp and down jacket into your pack, as the days are getting shorter and cooler!

Weather,

Unstable weather over the last few days has brought precipitation and thunderstorms to many areas. Expect a small amount of snow in the high alpine, ~2800m and above. Cooler temps will stay with us through the weekend with freezing lines staying in the 2800m range.

Hazards,

Glaciers, are at a late summer stage, where there can be lots of rocks perched and ready to roll down, and crevasses can be hard to navigate. On the plus side, what snow is left covering the glacier should stay frozen with the forecasted temps.

Rock fall, this time of year rockfall off of moraines, steep slopes around glaciers and out of talus slopes seems to be more common.

Shorter Days, Remember that days are getting much shorter, plan accordingly with length of objective and gear in your pack.

Conditions,

Alpine rock routes that are south facing will probably come back into shape quickly, while north facing ones may take a few more days right now. Some bergschrunds are hard/impossible to safely cross right now, and may force you onto plan B. Hiking trails are in good shape, the last of the alpine flowers are fading away and the bears are very active right now.