Climbing Conditions

1 photos

Soft Snow

Neil Colgan Hut

Climbing Conditions

We hiked into the Neil Colgan Hut the afternoon of the 9th. This was not ideal, but if you can’t get to the Moraine Lake parking lot by 5:30am, you will not be able to get a parking spot these days.

The weather over our time at the hut was quite unstable. The 9th was mostly a mix of sun and cloud. The weather made a turn for the worse on the 10th, with moderate to heavy rain and moderate winds starting about 8:30am and continuing into the next day. The 10th was a mix of rain, light snow and sunny periods.

We climbed Mt Little, staying mostly on rock. The snow is diminishing quickly with the rain, but the risk of loose wet avalanches remains high on steep snow slopes. The glacier travel is becoming very challenging because of isothermal postholing in thinner areas of the snowpack. Crevasses are opening in the flat areas as you get on to the glacier above the Perrin route, which isn’t necessarily where you’d expect to see them.

We didn’t get a lot of climbing in because of the inclement weather and our desire to avoid steep snow slopes, which were saturated from the recent precipitation and lack of overnight recovery.

Brad Schalles
SG, ARG

On The Map

These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.