Regional Summaries

Winter came in quick this week. In the Rockies many ice climbs have formed up really nicely, and people are getting after it. There are isolated wind slabs in the alpine that should be on peoples minds, and at treeline and above there is enough snow to avalanche, especially in that classic gully terrain that most ice climbs form in. Ski conditions have been reported as a mixed bag with some decent turns being found up high and a fairly supportive crust that is being dubbed the “Halloween “ crust in the mountain parks.

This past week provided a mixed bag of early winter weather in the Rockies and Columbia mountains with steady but small doses of precipitation, cold overnight lows, and lots of wind to transport the fresh snow.

It's time to be carrying avalanche gear if you are considering heading into the alpine. Remember to do a quick beacon check and companion rescue refresher with your buddies before you head out. The recent tragedy in Montana is a sobering reminder to us all.

Winter has paid us another visit, but this time instead of couch surfing it looks like the old man is here to stay, in the alpine at least. Reports of cold temperatures (-5 to -10), dumps in the 30 cm range with snow levels reaching well below treeline and moderate winds form the N and E mean that the carefree days of alpine travel are over for now.

It has been a lovely transition from winter to summer but it looks like we might be back to autumn in the Rockies and Columbia Mountains by Saturday sometime. Cooler temps and some precipitation will make things greasy once again. The remaining snow has gone through a pretty strong melt cycle to at least 3000m and hopefully that remaining snow is stuck to the ground and free of weak layers(for now).