We just spent the last three days in the Bugaboos with a focus on mountaineering rather than the classic rock climbs. Saturday brought heavy rain, lightning and a bit of snow above 3000m. The snow has melted away in all but the shadiest corners.

In general, the rock routes around the park remain in great shape. It is the access routes that are deteriorating quickly. Although we didn't see or use the Bugaboo-Snowpatch Col, we heard there have been several significant rock-fall events in there lately.

We spent most of our time in the upper Bugaboo Glacier area and had a good look at what often becomes the alternate approach to Pigeon Spire and East Creek.

The lower Bugaboo Glacier is melting out fast but still pretty relatively straightforward to navigate. We were cautious of the numerous large blocks lying on the surface while descending in the afternoon and did our best to avoid spending time underneath them once things warmed up.

The upper Bugaboo glacier has an open crevasse forcing the line of ascent to the far climbers left (see photos) although it is difficult to say how long this option will last as a few precarious bridges must be crossed to make it work.

The red line is our approximate line of ascent, and the blue line is the crevasse.

Marc Piché
ACMG Mountain Guide