more Mount Bryce

Near the top of the 40 degree ice gully we ascended the "dirt band." Here, fallen rocks were embedded and frozen into the ice, which quickly took any sharp edges off our crampons and axes. How did those rocks get there in the ice? We found that out on the descent: They fall from far above --- and frequently!

At a rock step along the east ridge of main peak. It was easier than it looked, but we did use the rope. Most of this ridge was scrambling, but with crampons on for the short stretches of ice.

  Traversing on frontpoints across the south face to the top was an exhilarating part of this route, but I kind of wished I'd had two ice axes and my clunky rigid plastic boots. It was about 4 ropelengths across the face. This route is easier when the notorious double cornice along the ridge has melted back, as it had here in August '98. This apparently doesn't happen often. From the summit, many major Rockies peaks were visible through the haze including Tsar Mountain, Mount Sir Donald, Lyell Peaks and Mount Edith Cavell.   Mount Blanc in France may be higher, but this peak was more fun!

This is Mount Bryce' centre peak (3370 m), seen from the east ridge of main summit. From the col between the two, it took only 25 minutes to scramble to the top, staying off to the right of the ridge. Pretty easy way to bag a Rockies 11'000 footer, eh? Fortunately, conditions were ideal: That does actually happen every few years.  A couple of weeks later, I was headed off to Mount Robson to see if my luck, and the weather, would hold.

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