Summer is in full bore right now. The mountains are a busy place with people, bears and lots of convective energy. For the most part, many peaks are in great shape for early August, with still decent snow coverage on the glaciers and not much new storm snow. It feels far less dry then last year at this time.
Fresh snow of a few cm's in the Lake Louise group up high accumulated with the recent storm, but likely won't stay around too long.
The Bugaboos have reports of good travel still on the Bugaboo-Snowpatch col. The peaks have not had any recent snow (that has accumulated), and travel has been good despite a lack of overnight freezes. It is bursting at the seams with people though, and parking is overflowing down the road.
Jasper area has no reports of new snow, with Edith Cavell and peaks coming into good shape and nice water sources on the backside of Cavell. The Icefields, sound like a lack in overnight freezes has been the biggest challenge for ascents and descents.
Rogers Pass has reports of good travel with the peaks all drying up quickly after the recent storms. The Bypass on Sir Donald still sounds snowy.
Front range climbing areas are still affected by bear closures. Grassi Lakes is still closed, but the Ghost Wilderness area has recently been reopened.
Expect high peaks like Assiniboine, Temple and Sir Donald to have new snow and varying conditions after storms.
Conditions change by the moment, but as a summary, the areas of main concern recently are:
- A lack of overnight freezes- timing your starts and finishes are a challenge right now and require vigilance. Snow depths are decreasing making this less of an issue, but with less snow also comes more crevasse hazard.
- Bears and bear closures- look ahead to learn what the bear closures and restrictions are for where you are going. Four-person minimum is back for the Illecillewaet, Asulkan, and Connaught drainages and other zones. Carrying bear spray seems like an important piece of equipment this year.
- Overcrowding and pressure- this seems to be a bigger issue then ever. Popular climbs and ranges are being enjoyed by more and more people. Good communication amongst parties, being courteous, patient and working together can make it safer for everyone out there.
- Lightening storms- the storms this year have been big, frequent and covering a lot of territory. Climbing the bigger and more committing peaks has been a challenge this summer with the constant storms. More of this looks forecasted, so keep your eye on the sky, your ear to your metal bits and be prepared to turn around!
More guessing game weather ahead for this week, but with that said, it seems that there is always something possible between the weather windows! Have a great week!
Sarah Hueniken