Moonlight and Guinness Gully climbing conditions

Mountain Conditions Report

<p>I guided Moonlight on March 17th and found the climb to be in good condition despite the warm temperatures. At 8:30am the temperature averaged -2C, the sky was overcast and there was barely any wind. An average of 30cm fell during the last storm and a lot of snow remained on the climb. As expected, the first 60 m were extremely wet, but there weren't any signs of delamination and the climb accepted good screw placements all the way up.<br /> On March 18th, we went up Guinness Gully. At 9:15am, again the temperature was -2C and the sky overcast, the winds were calm, and there was no precip. The base of the climb is covered in avalanche debris until up to the first anchor on the right. For the rest of the climb there have been numerous loose wet avalanches. The snow in between the ice pitches was very wet and heavy and we were happy to be on the way down when the sky started to clear around noon. As for the climb itself, the first half of the first pitch is hardly taking any good screws and is quickly turning into snice. The rest of the route still has fairly good ice and there were barely any running water except for the last WI2 step.</p>