Still snowy up high

Conditions report

ACMG Guide · Jul 5, 2019 · West Side 93N

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Observation photo 1

Conditions report

Location
Wapta icefields Bow Hut

Spent 4 days at Bow Hut from July 2-5th. Overall it seemed snowier on the Wapta than other years at this time. We climbed Mt Olive on July 3rd. Foot penetration was about boot top.The snow was quite soft on the ridge which pushed us close to the rock to avoid exposure on the snow. We belayed this section on the decent.
Not having been up year in over a year it is obvious that the snout of the glacier is steepening up. This will likely continue into the future. There is a new ice cave at the toe of the glacier as well. Lots of new outcrops of rock have become exposed over the last few years.
The weather was poor on July 4th and 5th, with 5-10cm of new snow just above the hut. Some natural sluffing was heard on steep slopes on the morning of the 5th, but not observed.