On June 12 our team set out up the Comox Glacier trailhead towards the summit of Comox Glacier. We made good time to Black Cat Mountain under the 30 degree sun. Every patch of snow we encountered had gone isothermal; a bad omen of things to come.
We made camp on a rock band, beneath the summit of the Comox glacier and got an early night. On June 13th we made an alpine start and began to head for the shoulder connecting the Comox glacier to Argus. Even in the pre-dawn conditions, snow was already slushy and sliding in the heat. There were numerous small avalanche runs along the route to the shoulder and we assessed all snow slope crossings with some hesitation.
Upon reaching the shoulder the snow had gone completely isothermal. Crampons were useless and the overhead cornice hazard prompted us to reconsider our objective. Ultimately we determined that even if going up was a possibility, the conditions would only continue to deteriorate throughout the day and we decided to turnaround.
We enjoyed a consolation prize of summiting the top of the Comox Glacier and glissading down the snowfields. Using the extra daylight we hiked back to frog ponds and made camp.
On June 14th we woke early and hiked to the Comox Glacier trailhead before the heat of the day could overwhelm us. We were all in good spirits and resolved to make another attempt for the Cliffe Glacier when snow conditions weren’t as marginal.