ACMG Mountain Conditions Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains. June 8th, 2018

It's been a great week for being up high in the mountains of Interior BC and the Rockies. Alpine routes in Rogers Pass have been getting traffic including shadier mid-elevation routes like MacDonald NW ridge. Mixed routes in the Rockies have been in good condition with great overnight freezes and easy travel on settled spring snow. Glacier coverage continues to make for generally uncomplicated travel, although as always at this time of the year caution is required in the way of roping up and monitoring snow depth vigilantly with a probe.

With the fine weather we've had, steeper and sun exposed lower elevation rock climbing has been in great condition for weeks now throughout western Canada, and hiking routes have been drying out nicely into the treeline elevations. Snow patches and seepage typical of this time of the year should still be expected especially in shady, sheltered areas and on ledges on north facing aspects.

I haven't heard any reports of large avalanches or cornice failures recently, but in the high alpine temperatures as cold as -10 C were reported last week, so it's not summer yet. Avalanche activity -- whether large slab or smaller loose wet -- should still be on your radar. However, it's also rockfall season -- wet gulleys and ledges at this time of the year are prime for overhead hazard especially as the temperatures heat up throughout the day and we get closer to summer.

There will be a bit of a pause on summer with rain forecast to start on Saturday and cooling temperatures are supposed to turn that to snow in the alpine or even lower later in the weekend. The cool weather is supposed to last well into next week.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
Mountain Guide