Extracts from Newletter 6
Next
Newsletter
Previous Newsletter
Newsletter Index
It was with some relief that we eventually reached the summit of mount Matier, since the last 200m along the steepening corniced SW ridge had been in such heavy mist that it was difficult to distinguish the icy snow underfoot from sky. With hindsight though it was probably just as well that visibility was poor, for apart from the left hand cornice there was an alarmingly steep drop to the Matier Glacier on the right and we had decided to leave the rope with the skis at the col. For me this ascent was the highlight of our visit to the Joffre Provincial Park, and Larry was particularly pleased because he had failed on three previous occasions. Dave on the other hand was more blasé, having derived his enjoyment from the ski ascent of the Anniversary Glacier. Moreover, he was looking forward to the long ski down to our base at the Flavelle Hut.
Before visiting Dave toward the end of may we had discussed the many mountaineering options that British Columbia has to offer. The Joffre Provincial Park had come out on top since it was the one place that Dave had visited previously, and it was one of the few locations endowed with a hut. Situated about 120 miles north of Vancouver on the main Lillooet road Joffre is reached fairly easily by car, and a logging road between Cayoosh Pass and Duffy Lake facilitates access. At the time however, we where not aware of this road and had to haul our heavy sacks the additional distance from the main highway lay-by. Although marked by orange streamers, the forest track along Cerise Creek wasn't easy to follow, and the late arrival of summer made the choice between walking on foot or on skis debatable. We tried both at various times, but the skis only came into their own once we had climbed above the tree line to near the foot of the glaciated basin hemmed in by the peaks of Joffre, Matier and Vantage.
Our adventure really began soon after leaving the car. Laden down with food for a four day stay, sleeping bags, stoves, fuel and general winter gear, as well as our mountaineering skis, I could only just lift my sack off the ground. Whatever it weighed, to fall over reminded me of the problems experienced by tortoises when turned on their backs. The rivers were quite exciting too, since crossing the flattened logs spanning water in full spate while unbalanced by heavy loads was a new experienced for me. Losing the markers and route finding in dense forest was another experience that one only laughs about when back to the comparative safety of the established track.
Towards the top of the tree line, however, all was different. It was here that the decision to bring skis was vindicated, and headway was rapid until we reached the well positioned, but hidden, Flavelle Hut situated on a small knoll at almost 1700m. Overlooking magnificent views of Mounts Joffre and Matier, this hut was built in 1988 to commemorate the untimely death of Keith Flavelle, who died at the age of 22 while on the E ridge of Mount Logan in 1986. Having the hut to ourselves was a bonus and we thoroughly enjoyed the excellent facilities and isolation that this wilderness location offered. Once established in the hut, a quick recce on skis showed the avalanche danger was minimal, despite the evidence of earlier sloughs, and we planned the events of the next few days. Lighting the wood burning stove with the minimum of paper kept us occupied while the evening meal was being prepared.
Clear skies the following morning encouraged an extended exploration of the area and we skinned to several high points in order to establish the most appropriate and safe routes of ascent in order to avoid traversing under the heavily corniced ridges. A temptation to climb Vantage Peak (2230m.) by the obvious SW ridge was suppressed in lieu of further exploration (not my decision I might add), but we planned to ascend this peak the next day by the W buttress. Skiing down from the col. between Vantage Peak and Mount Howard (2530m.) was a delight, the skis of Dave and Larry leaving regular pronounced swathes in the virgin snow. Being new to ski mountaineering, my own attempts were far less impressive, being punctuated by regular depressions where I had lost control.
The next day was also clear as we left the hut and crossed the pronounced lateral moraine of the Anniversary Glacier towards Vantage. Traversing up the rounded W ridge, and skirting round the debris of an earlier avalanche, we soon arrived at the foot of the west buttress. It was here that we stashed the skis and climbed the narrow left hand gully giving access to the buttress proper. This afforded a superb scramble to the main SW ridge which was followed with ease to the summit, arriving 3 hours after leaving the hut. Being adorned by an enormous cornice, we took care to avoid the icy left hand edge of the summit slopes, although they did offer impressive photographic opportunities. The aptly named summit gave tremendous view ranging from the local peaks of Mounts Duke (2380m.), Howard, Matier and Joffre (2710m.) to the more distant peaks of Snowspider, Caspar and beyond. To the NW there where extensive views towards the Place Glacier Group and NNE towards the Cayoosh range. A significant feature to the S was the frozen mass of Twin One Lake. After an extended lunch spent admiring the scenery, and surveying possible routes for the next day, we returned via the buttress and the icy gully to our skis. All too soon we had descended to the moraine where it was necessary to replace our skins for the finial ascent to the hut. Pleased with our day's achievement, We decided to attempt Mount Matier, The highest peak in the range, if the weather held.
During our stay at the hut we had noticed that while all other peaks stayed generally clear, the summit of Matier tended to remain cloudy until mid afternoon. We toyed with the idea of climbing Joffre as an alternative to Matier, but Larry was clearly keen to redress his earlier retreats from the higher peak - so Matier it was to be when the next day turned out fine. Two alternative routes are possible from this side of the mountain. The first via the true left hand moraine of the Anniversary Glacier, followed by a low level traverse of the glacier above a rock band. The second route leaves the hut via the ridge leading direct to Joffre, and is followed by a high level traverse above the rock band. Since the latter was severely marked by extensive avalanche debris we chose the objective safer moraine route, even though it meant negotiating the obvious crevasses visible from the hut. Skinning up to the rock band and some way on presented no difficulties, but higher up the glacier the soft surface turned to hard ice where it was necessary to traverse the fall line of a broadened avalanche zone. exchanging one ski pole for an ice axe provided some security, but eventually we where force to carry the skis and crampon up the col. between Joffre and Matier. Once at the col. the skis were thankfully stashed prior to climbing the North ridge leading to the twin summits of Matier. After passing under a large rocky outcrop, the broad ridge steepened markedly and gradually narrowed to a cornied arete (approx. grade AD+). Some way past the outcrop we where enveloped in heavy cloud and the visibility dropped as dramatically as the sides of the arete fell away. Keeping well away from the cornice fracture line was fortunately possible by lining up the occasional rock outcrops, which also provided a convenient indicator to the top. In the absence of a view there was no reason to delay at the summit and we rapidly down climbed to the col. for lunch. Despite the poor visibility, the col. afforded excellent views of Joffre's South ridge and the heavily crevassed Matier Glacier, as well as more extensive vistas to the east. For those wishing to ascend Joffre this col offers one of the simpler ascents, but unfortunately we had insufficient time to attempt this route. Clearly this is one objective which can be borne in mind for future Canadian expeditions.
The Anniversary Glacier offers superb skiing to those with sufficient proficiency, but the steepness of the upper section, together with the obvious crevasse danger, slowed my own progress considerably. Nevertheless, side-slipping and the not so occasional fall are still infinitely preferable to continuous post-holing and I think I am now converted to this means of mountain transport. Back at the hut, nearly seven hours after leaving it that morning, we briefly took one last look at the panoramic views before packing our sacks and heading back to the road. Amazingly, even our short sojourn had resulted in a significant loss of snow at these lower levels such that our trek out was characterised by continuous falls as the surface refused to bare our weight. As a result, frequent straddling of fallen trees became an added burden for those in front, necessitating the assistance of others to avoid excessive exertion at this stage in the journey. The river crossings hadn't got any easier either!
Although having spent only a few days in the Joffre area, I am convinced that having been bitten by the Canadian wilderness experience it will not be too long before a return trip to the coastal mountains of BC becomes a compulsory objective.
Derek July 1996