Just returned from a showery 3 days in the Tantalus Range

Day 1 we summited Serratus via the north face route. The previous few days of clouds and intermittent rain were taking its toll on the snowpack with very isothermal snowbridges but reasonable support for foot/crampon travel. The north face is still straight forward, but the next few weeks will see 3-4 of the major crevasse crossings get very tricky as there are a few bridges getting close to failure. We descended the west side rappels, which were snow free.

Day 2 we attempted Dione but were stormed off with up to 3-4cms of wet snow accumulating but melting quickly.

Day 3 had clear skies in the morning which allowed for some solidifying of the surface snow making for fast travel. We escaped by noon to avoid the building afternoon storms.

The hut is in great shape, but the previous groups garbage was all left in the hut, so remember to pack out what you bring in!

Overall decent conditions on the glaciers for this time of year, once we get some clear skies overnight the snowpack and travel conditions should improve.

Evan Stevens
www.zenithguides.ca
www.altusmountainguides.com