A Cautionary Valuable Lesson

Incident

Group Size

1

Terrain Trap

slopeTransitionOrBench, gullyDepression, cliff

Group Activity

hikingScrambling

Number Involved

0

Number Fully Buried

0

Snow Depth Trigger Point

variable

Terrain Shape Trigger Point

unsupported

Number Partly Buried Impaired Breathing

0

We went up Judges route to Arrowsmith summit. I had monitored conditions all week closely, snowfall accumulation through the week averaged between 30-40cm on top of a very established snow pack prior to the hike. Conditions from Av Can were moderate rated for the day. My assessment was it was safe to attempt the summit as the accumulation of the snow happened over days and not over the span of a few days. Conditions were excellent through the ascent. We knew the challenge was not so much the ascent but the descent when temperatures rise, and snow softens. 4 other groups were heading towards the summit, however one group turned around because of no traction support. Only 2 other individual hikers in the groups we observed had ice axe and crampons. After making the summit, we started the descent. About 300m down from the summit, there was a booted path made from earlier groups that went around a convex slope. We had already used this path to get to the summit. The terrain around the slope transitioned in to a bench/run off. Due to the terrain in this section, and seeing other groups less prepared clear it with just spikes, we also followed this booted track again while self belaying. At one point, one of the steps I took gave out underneath me. The localized slab in that spot collapsed after overload, and my self belay failed as it was belayed into the collapsing slab. I was able to self arrest, however the terrain I was trapped on was on a steep angle, approx 120-150 degrees. It took 10 minutes to self extract with the additional assistance of using my partners ice axe and thankfully had my crampons to secure contact to get out. When I looked back at the section I got out of, I was about 4-5 meters from the edge. This incident could have happened to anyone that day. I was shaken up after the incident, so we took longer to descend because we took extra caution that our self belays were solid. In reflection on this incident, I am grateful for the training, having a prepared/equipped partner, and preparing for all conditions. I used my Avaluator card for trip planning through the week,right before the trip, monitored the weather camera daily to assess snow accumulation, but there are always things only lived experiences teaches. I reflect on how I did not assess for lee and windward facing sides that affect snowpack. The summit snow was well consolidated as it was windward. However, our descent route we came up from was lee facing and it was evident by how the snow accumulated on the wind loaded trees. The difference in snow quality between the faces were significant. Another learning was - don't follow a route just because everyone else did it and didn't experience issues. A weak snow crust was established from the booted path around the convex slope with a terrain trap. Snow pack layer on that track got progressively weaker, and it took 1 person to step into one weak spot for a slab/sluff to give out. On the hike up, I encountered a group of 4 who were attempting the summit. However some had no traction aids. I voiced my concerns for their safety and could tell some of them were already feeling nervous - we were not yet out of treeline. They saw other groups pass us with just mini spikes with no issues and felt they could push on. I don't regret supporting the group to turn around because it could very well turned out a lot worse for them. Other groups summiting with just spikes were all nervous for the descent. One invididual was attempting to descend with snowshoes as they had no alternative traction support. My friend lent spikes to the hiker to support a safe descent. Resources and support in the backcountry is limited. We all have to work together to keep each other safe (if we can). If you come across a group or individuals that you feel are not prepared for the back country, tell them! You could very well save them from a catastrophic incident.It is not a test of survival of the fittest. Equipment, situational awareness, preparedness, ongoing assessment, communication, and capable fitness allowed for a trip that was overall successful, but with lots of learning. Recreating in alpine terrain is no joke. Steep exposed sections require significantly more caution. Valuable lessons were learned on the massif of Arrowsmith that day.