Sat, Jun 11 2011 - Ribbon Lake (View Original Event Details)
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Trail reports from this week were 'interesting' to say the least: the official trail report listed 2m of snow at the lake, while people who've made it to the falls (no report of people having made it further) ranged from having the snow 'crotch deep' to 'knee deep'. We were expecting snow half-way to Ribbon Falls, but didn't encounter any! This exceeded our expectations, so while having lunch at the falls we decided to continue on and at least see those chains.
Gaining more elevation, we encountered larger snow patches, but nothing that can't be done with a little postholing. By this time the rain stopped, and four of us decided to head for the lake, while three spent some time relaxing just before the chains. The lake was still frozen, and anyone wishing to continue over to Guinn's or Buller will likely have to be patient for a few more weeks.
At the end we had covered close to 23km, so had a very rewarding day.
A note on the chains: COC doesn't have much info in terms of previous events going all the way to the lake. Gillean Daffern's Kananaskis Trail Guide Volume 1 (2010) has the most information, though the description gets wordy. Chains 1 and 2 as she calls it is really one chain section with a horizontal stretch at the top (which she refers to as the 'handrail'). Chain no. 2 is the big one with the 5m difficult rock step and again it has a horizontal component at the top ('handrail' made out of chain). Chains 3 and 4 are easier. In terms of participants attempting these chains, you should feel comfortable on Yamnuska before attempting these ones. As Gillean Daffern mentions in her book, the chains can be extremely dangerous, especially when wet. For those who enjoy scrambling, these chains provide a real fun spot.