ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains. August 11, 2018

Its been a scorching, lung burning smokey week. In the Rockies its become classic August conditions where while its warm, you want to avoid any ice faces and gullies which will have constant rockfall and lots of black ice showing. This week has been warmer than usual which means no freeze overnight whatsoever. Reports from the Columbia Icefields have said the area is mainly out of shape on the traditional routes due to rockfall, and a group in the AA Col had a very close call as members of the party got hit. The flip side is rock routes at all elevations are in prime shape! Wildfires have caused access issues to peaks along highway 93 South in Kootenay, and you can check the Parks Canada website for updates on road closure status. On a side note, the Abbott Pass hut has been closed due to erosion of the ice cored slope it sits on.

People are climbing all over the Bugaboos. The Bugaboo/Snowpatch col is starting to spit rocks but people are travelling both ways, and crevasses on the glaciers are starting to open up. Rogers Pass is in regular shape with bergshrunds starting to open up on peaks such as Rogers, but the rock routes are all dry.

There are some rain and thunderstorms in the forecast for this weekend, but then we should be back to dry conditions. The biggest takeaway overall is to not roll the dice on icy objectives with rockfall hazard until colder weather arrives.

Stephen Holeczi
ACMG Mountain Guide