Category: snow and ice

Posted on

trekking the ice fields of Patagonia

Following Dan’s terrific 3 days at Fitz Roy, they immediately headed for the Ice Fields:

… At 16,800 square kilometers, the Ice Field is the second largest in the world and I’m completely awe-struck when we arrive at the high point of the ominously named Paso Del Viento (Pass of the wind). The view in every direction is pure ice, with amazing swirls and patterns …

Crossing a glacier-melt river was their biggest challenge.

read the blow-by-blow … Hiking to The Southern Patagonian Ice Field

Photos by SAULIUS DAMULEVICIUS.

Posted on

hiking Jostedalsbreen, Norway

Jostedalsbreen National Park, in the Sognefjord region of central Norway, is home to continental Europe’s largest ice sheet – the Jostedal glacier – which spills over from a high plateau into a succession of dramatic lake-filled valleys and fjords.

Although Jostedalsbreen is a popular tourist destination (you’ll see plenty of tour buses at the best-known spots) the hiking trails in the region – which given the forbidding topography tend to be steep and strenuous – don’t seem to be well-known outside Norway. …

A few good day hikes:

• Climbing the Skala
• Briksdalsbreen
• Storevatnet trail from Briksdalen

… Norway is expensive, …

Prices range from the merely high (hotel rooms, rental cars) to the eyewateringly exorbitant (restaurant meals, alcohol of any kind).

Camping is very popular in Norway (in addition to official campgrounds, you see impromptu campsites in many rural areas) so for a visit on the cheap you might consider taking a tent and buying food in supermarkets.

… read more

That’s all from the excellent site by Phil Armitage, landscape photographer.

Start on his home page.

Posted on

Yukon – Slims River to Kaskawulsh Glacier

Phil Armitage posted an excellent trip report of their 2010 adventures on the Slims West trail, 64km (40mi) return.

Here’s their view from Canada Creek campsite:

… From the campsite at Canada Creek it’s 19km (12 miles) roundtrip, with 1200 meters (3,900 feet) of climbing, to the summit of Observation Mountain.

That doesn’t sound like a particularly strenuous day hike, but there’s Canada Creek to cross (twice, with the second crossing likely be harder than the one on the way out, as the water level rises during the day) and no trail for most of that distance.

The summer days are long at these high latitudes but still, don’t underestimate the time required. Most of the parties we met found the hike to be harder and longer than they had anticipated. …

read more – hiking the slims river west trail to the kaskawulsh glacier overlook on observation mountain

Their photos are STUNNING.

… On my trip I never made it past the first creek crossing.

Route finding is tricky. You might need gills to cross some streams in flood. And know that there’s been at least one hiker killed by bear there. Parks Canada shuts it down when the bears are sighted.

Phil recommends special footwear for the water and mud.

Posted on

what is Frazil ice?

Frazil ice is a collection of loose, randomly oriented needle-shaped ice crystals in water. It resembles slush and has the appearance of being slightly oily when seen on the surface of water.

It sporadically forms in open, turbulent, supercooled water, which means that it usually forms in rivers, lakes and oceans, on clear nights when the weather is colder, and air temperature reaches –6°C or lower. Frazil ice is the first stage in the formation of sea ice. …

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. The most amazing bit is seeing the creek STOP flowing at 1min 50sec.

Thank George for sending us the link to this natural phenomenon.

Posted on

rest in peace Mark and Rob

Terrible terrible news. I’m still bewildered, angry and in denial.

Lifelong friends, Rob and Mark Glaser, were killed in an avalanche on Saturday, January 15, 2011 in the area of Burstall Pass, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Kananaskis Country, Alberta.

Here’s the official notice:

The families of Mark and Rob Glaser are in deep shock at the news of their tragic passing. Both were loving husbands and fathers and will be greatly missed by their families and legions of friends. Both were seasoned back country hikers and skiers who shared a deep passion for the outdoors.

Mark lived in Calgary and was in the oil and gas industry for over 25 years including senior management positions in recent years. Rob lived in Bragg Creek and was a captain in the Calgary Fire Department.

The family respectfully requests privacy at this time. Please direct all media contacts through Ed Glaser (brother) at 403-470-3904.

Phone Ed or contact me. I’ll post updates here.

Mark Glaser

On this trip a few years ago Mark and Rob trained me in snow rescue techniques.

Rob was a firefighter, expert in all things backcountry. They had left their avalanche beacons in the car making family speculate that this ski was intended to be simply a short warm-up.

Saskatchewan Glacier

Over 30 years (1978–2007), avalanches have been responsible for 329 deaths in Canada, with a recent rate of 14 deaths per year. …

Avalanche accounts for over 90% of outdoor recreation deaths, most of those in Alberta or B.C.

Damn.

Posted on

snow in Death Valley

Jim Burnett on national parks traveler:

… the first words you read on the park website—”Hottest, Driest, Lowest“—don’t sound much like winter. That makes the park scene on January 3, 2011, a bit out of the ordinary. …

The snow level was at 2,000 feet in the hottest, driest, and lowest region in the Western Hemisphere.”

The lower elevations of Death Valley rarely get snow—only about once a decade on the valley floor—and that’s usually just a dusting. In contrast, the neighboring community of Pahrump, about 60 miles away, had four to six inches of snow from the recent storm. …

Snow-capped Mountains Offer a Different Look at Death Valley National Park

It even snowed in Vegas.

Posted on

#5 best hiking town is …

Chamonix, France

I spent a couple of weeks hiking out of the mountain town in 2009, astonished at how down to earth and welcoming it is for outdoor sportsmen from around the world.


photo – ptpotts

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc or, more commonly, Chamonix … was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics. The commune’s population … around 9800 …

… Mont Blanc, at a height of 4810 metres, is the third most visited natural site in the world …

… well known and loved by skiers and by mountain enthusiasts of all types. …

Chamonix is located 80 km southeast of Geneva, Switzerland …

Chamonix Place Balmat

More interesting photos tagged Chamonix.

You can hike out of town in any direction. And be blown away by wonderful mountain vistas. Here I am just above town on a trail run.

fit hiker in the Alps

The most famous “best hikes” in the region are:

• Chamonix to Zermatt – Walkers’ Haute Route <my trip report> (top 10)
• Tour of Mont Blanc (TMB – top 10)

More best hikes in the Alps.

Best time to hike is late June to early October.

Posted on

#8 best hiking town is …

El Calafate, Argentina

All hikers plan, one day, to travel to southern Patagonia. Towers of Paine photos entice.

And anyone who hikes Paine, should also hike Fitz Roy, Argentina.

Hikers have a choice to base themselves out of Puerto Natales, Chile or El Calafate, Argentina. Though you may find yourself stopping in both, El Calafate is the better choice.

El Calafate is a small town in Patagonia, Argentina. …

… an important tourist destination as the hub to visit different parts of the Los Glaciares National Park, including the Perito Moreno Glacier (one of the most visited in the world) and the Cerro Chaltén and Cerro Torre.

… In the last census 6,143 permanent residents were counted

You could argue that El Chaltén, Argentina’s “national trekking capital“, about 220km from El Calafate, is an even better base town.

On the other hand, there are large grocery stores like Diarco in El Calafate. The shops in Chaltén in 2019 were still very limited. We couldn’t get instant mashed potatoes in Chaltén, for example. Pick up your provisions in Calafate.

And Calafate is about half way between Paine and Fitz Roy.

More interesting photos tagged El Calafate, Argentina.

More information on Wikitravel – El Calafate.

Our favourite hike hikes out of El Calafate:

• Paine Circuit (Torres del Paine), Chile

• Huemul Route, Fitz Roy, Argentina

• Around Monte Fitz Roy (Los Glaciares), Argentina

These are the most famous, but there are many more “best hikes” in the Patagonian Andes. Ground transportation is the biggest challenge in this part of the world.

Best months are December to March.

Posted on

trekking Dientes, Patagonia

Ace and Patricia hiked the most southerly established major trail in South America, part of the Circuito Dientes de Navarino.

I read their trip report with interest. I’d once traveled to Punta Arenas intending to do Dientes, but ran out of time to arrange the tricky transportation to the Puerto William, Chile, on Isla Navarino. That’s the jumping off point for Dientes.

Ace and Patricia ended up taking the Zenit’s 15 passenger boat from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Puerto Williams. And later found a flight back on a 3-seater plane.

Extreme weather in this most extreme part of the world makes all manner of transportation a gamble.

Was it worth it for Patricia?

Yes.

… We reached the dip between the peaks and were rewarded with breathtaking views of the spiky Dientes and across Isla Navarino to sets of islands beyond. It was a clear day and we saw the islands of Cape Horn. It was definitely the highlight of the trip. …

Painted stones & cairns mark the trail. Unfortunately many of those were covered by snow.

Everyone has navigation challenges on Dientes, this adventure more than most. Their goal on day 2 was to cross Paso de los Dientes. The guidebook said to “stay high”. … They stayed too high, eventually having to backtrack when the risk of a mini-avalanche got too great.

If you’ve ever dreamed of hiking the teeth of south South America, download Patricia’s Trip Journal. (PDF)

Check our Dientes information page.

Posted on

Mt Asgard, Baffin Island – the movie

More rugged and remote than the Himalayas.

The Asgard Project – OFFICIAL Climbing Teaser – Posing Productions

Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube.

… objective to make the first free ascent of the west face of Mt Asgard on Baffin Island. Like that’s not an awesome enough feat in itself the journey there will be pretty special involving training trips to Riglos in Spain, Brento in Italy and Yosemite in California! …

Posing Productions

The film crew hiked in to this location in 5 days.

(via The Adventure Channel)