| Ref: Chic Scott's Summits and Icefields |
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Heading onto the
glacier. |
| Ski
mountaineering: Our main goal on this trip was to attain the summit of
Mount Columbia. We set off for 4 days. The first day it took a while
for everybody to get his or her things together so our start was near
the
noon hour. We made good time at first but when we reached the headwall,
tugging on the rope started to be chronic, as people got tired and
unfocused. We were unable to pursue our plod to near the big dip; in
hindsight, we should have split up the group in two rope teams for
easier travel.
We camped near Snowdome, where the névé levels off. The second day we
ascended Snowdome. The climb is straightforward but numerous large
crevasses exist along the way. We enjoyed fantastic weather and a fine
summit stay; the view is spectacular. (Our attempt on Columbia the
following day was long
with a far camp; we arrived in the afternoon on the south-east face,
which had been in the sun all day. The snow was soft and the angle is
steep; 400 m. short, we decided to turn around, uneasy about the snow
conditions and quite humbled!) |
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Athabasca Glacier
before the headwall. |
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Above the headwall. |
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Our camp. |
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It's beautiful up
here, but far from calm. |
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Slightly crowded. |
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The following day. |
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Top of Snowdome. |
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Mount Columbia in
the background. |
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Summit pose;
Shelley, Lisa, Evelyn and me (left to right). |
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The north-west arm
of the Columbia Glacier, North Twin (left) and Stutfield Peak (right). |
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Skiing back down. |
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Back at the parking
lot. |
| Back
to home page |
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