Lower Polar Circus - Parkway Ice Observations

Visitor Safety from Banff and Jasper climbed on the lower pitches of Polar Circus on Nov. 26th. We found thin ice and open water but reasonable to climb on the easier terrain while still shaded. The pencil was a dagger formed over some old sun-bleached ice and didn't look inviting to be under for long. The upper tiers were "in" and judging by footprints had been climbed but looked more white/brown than they often do... In terms of avalanche conditions, the snowpack is very thin on the climb and we were more concerned about rockfall with solar warming than avalanches. As was our plan, we turned around at the top of the WI 4 pitch. Generally ice conditions on the SW aspects of the Icefields parkway were marginal for this time of year. The only ice that seemed reasonably formed was on shaded NW aspect gullies (see attached photos). Most of the more solar aspects were either sun baked blobs or wet streaks. Best to stick to shady and high places if looking for ice so far this season!