Glacier Rambling in the Blackcomb Backcountrywords and photos by Lee Lau unless otherwise noted.
Visibility was poo, snow was windshat on all aspects so Adrian and I settled for a pleasant ramble. Route was Blackcomb Glacier – Circle Glacier – Decker Glacier – Decker-Trorey Col – Trorey Glacier – Pattison – Pattison-Tremor col – Decker S – Decker Bowl – Disease Ridge and out. We took a look at various lines to ski but passed on them including NW Pattison, Pattison wedge, N face of Trorey, 19th and 9th Hole
Notes: Temps were between – 15 to -18. Skies overcast. Winds light from SW. Windslab present on random aspects. Looked like remnants of large slide on Decker 9th Hole face with large crown line (perhaps cornice triggered). Snow on S aspects sastrugi and sun-affected and wind-affected.
Map of the route is here
East Col looking to Decker
On the east shoulder of Decker looking to Trorey and the Trorey Glacier
A bit overcast on the Trorey Glacier. The east face of Trorey in the background
Booting to the ridge running west off Pattison
Just barely possible to skin the ridge to the NW face of Pattison
Looked down the NW face and passed. Looks like some N wind slabbing the upper part of the face. Didn’t ski it to confirm. Might have been OK lower down but not too crazy about how it looked.
Skied off a nice face running SE off Pattison to the toe of the Tremor Glacier at the bottom of Trorey – Tremor col. First time down that face and it was a rare nice shot.
Up to Trorey – Tremor Col
Had to look pretty hard for decent snow descending to the Trorey Glacier
Adrian heading back to Decker with the Trorey Glacier as background
Up a bench S off Decker and down to the trees at the bottom of Decker Bowl
View of Whistler from Decker
Down off Decker in a rare patch of blue sky
… and back to Disease Ridge and inbounds and out.