A casual exchange of emails on Friday led us driving up to Athabasca Glacier parking lot on Sunday evening to do Mt Columbia in a day. Bedded down looking up at sunset on Mt Athabasca north face on a clear, moonless night on the pavement with other climbers and skiiers gathering for a Monday ascent. Woken up after an hour as the Yamnuska Athabasca camp was gathering at 12:45am for an ascent with a group of 14. Slept for another 1.5hr for a 2:20am wakeup. On the skis at 3:15am ascending the Athabasca Glacier in the dark by headlamp. Took the bench and left up through icefall which felt super benign and avoided the seracs. 4C and great frozen snow travel to the trench when things got warm. For the next few hours the wind died and temperatures under bluebird skies went to 29C which was debilitating. It was hot all the way up the 400m kick steps to the summit. Cold and 2C with north wind but incredible views from the top and huge cornice with all kinds of footprints - scary! Summitted after 3pm but rapid descent took us back to the car by 7pm with a snow melt water stop at the trench and descended the Athabasca in 1 hr (5km descent!!!) using skiers right and had a terrifying moment where skis compacted down in snow in what turns out as a sagging bridge over a big crevasse. Epic day! 15h 50m 42km 2400m ascent