Colombia Icefield

<p>May long weekend trip to the Columbia Icefield. Saturday: went under the serac to the ramp given an early start and obscured skies. The route is in good shape but Avi debris on the steep moraine and ice debris on the bench are good reminders to keep in mind time of day and solar input going in & out. Got whited out as soon as we got on the icefield proper. Had to slowly navigate to a camp at the base of Mt.Kitchener short of our objective. Stormy and windy with more precip (~5cm) than forecasted with moderate east wind increased Avi conditions. Travel was supportive and fast and temperature dropped to ~ -10 both nights. Temperature stayed cool with some clouds and E wind on Sun but rapidly increased in the afternoon on Mon. There were people day tripping on foot still going up Andromeda mid-afternoon. Couldn't have been a safe or fun walk down to the toe of the glacier. Tons of people on the Icefield, tracks everywhere. Overall, good coverage > 320cm but bridges weakening fast, sags showing and a few new holes visible by the day. Heard steady serac falls and noticed one size 1.5 straight off the ridge of Twins Tower that happened mid-day on Sun. Climbing party didn't notice anything. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Alpine slopes.

Snow Conditions

Crusty.

Weather Conditions

Stormy, Windy, Warm, Foggy, Cloudy, Sunny.