I am just starting to think about a trip in August. I have a few questions that I haven't been able to find good answers to in what I have been reading.

First of all, how can you get there without a car. Flying to the nearest airport, does anybody know of any guiding services that my also offer shuttle services? Renting a car to sit in the parking lot seems a bit pricey.

Second, how much glacier gear is actually required for the approaches? Mountaineering boots? Crampons? Ice axe? Snow pickets? Other stuff? I have read everything from a full load of mountaineering glacier crossing gear to running shoes will be fine, no need to rope up.

I wore light hiking boots for the glaciers, had an ice axe and a pair of lightweight Stubai crampons. I wouldn't want to try and get by with less, but more seemed unnecessary. We didn't rope up for the glaciers, and were there at the same time as you plan to be.

High snow year this winter but generally there has been an increasing crevass risk on the glaciers.
Most people are roped and have crevass rescue gear and know how to use it especially west of Snowpach Spire or Bugaboo Spire.

I do not know of any shuttle or way to get there without a car or Helicopter.
The road can be poor and requires more than a small rental car unless you go really slow.

I've been there in August. I would bring sturdy approach shoes/light boots, aluminum crampons, and a light ice axe. The glaciers were pretty tame compared to Alaskan/Cascades standards, but I did not travel farther afield than Pigeon Spire, maybe it gets more broken up towards the Howser Towers? The Bugs are kind of not really close to anything, can't imagine how to get there without a car. The road was not terrible, but I have a full size pickup truck with good clearance. I'd be willing to bet the fine print in a rental agreement states not to drive on those types of roads.

Some discussion of boots here:

http://mountainproject.com/v/mountaineering/boots_for_the_bugaboos/107027822

My two cents? Lightweight boots, an axe and aluminum crampons were perfect. No more, no less, in my opinion.

We were roped on the glaciers most of the time, depending on where we were heading (up to Pigeon mainly). We didn't have a bunch of pickets, but we had a couple screws as I recall.

No idea how to get there without a car--good luck though.

There have been many accidents on the steep snow/ice leading to the Snowpatch/Bugaboo col so I would surely have an axe and crampons and a helmet. There have also been crevasse falls on the glacier leading to the col and there are some slots towards Pigeon spire. Many do go unroped here but I wonder why since you likely have a rope along for the rock. One ice screw each should do it for safety along with ascenders/prussiks. No point roping up if you can't retrieve the dangler

I know Canadian Mountain Holidays runs heli-hiking in this area in the summer. Try them to see if they have a shuttle going in/out to the lodge for their guests. I think their head office is in Banff.

Alan

Smerxx wrote:There have been many accidents on the steep snow/ice leading to the Snowpatch/Bugaboo col so I would surely have an axe and crampons and a helmet. There have also been crevasse falls on the glacier leading to the col and there are some slots towards Pigeon spire. Many do go unroped here but I wonder why since you likely have a rope along for the rock.

When we were there, people were roped and belaying each other down the upper section of the Snowpatch/Bugaboo col.

We didn't rope up. We jumped off the cornice at the top, clearing the crevasse, and boot glissaded past all the people on rope.

To clean some of this beta up a bit...nobody with any sense really ropes up for the Bugaboo/Snowpatch col nor from the col to the west ridge of Pigeon. As it melts out, the danger from the col is falling rock...with real consequences (being roped up just makes you both a bigger target not to mention slows you down in the danger zone). If no over night freeze (requires early start of course) later in the summer, then we start running up the Pigeon Fork glacier on the east/south side of Pigeon, my preferred access to the Howsers anyway (Beckey/Chouinard). I go unroped through here, but know it pretty well and am the kind of climber who will exchange risk for speed in many circumstances. Advise you rope up unless you are of same ilk, there are plenty of cravasses and a snow bridge or two to cross. For descent from the Howsers or Pigeon, head back toward the Snowpatch-Bugaboo col, but turn right at Snowpatch and rap down the Snowpatch-Pigeon col next to Snowpatch (multiple raps). Stay on the ice all the way down from there, much quicker than taking to the moraine on your left. All of this requires a set of crampons and alpine ax.