[MCR] 3rd party Spearhead photos

Here are a bunch of great photos by Lee Lau taken during the same time as
our trip (passed on with his permission).

http://www.leelau.net/2007/spearheadtremor0701/day1/

Regards,
Tom Wolfe

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Spearhead Traverse

Back to winter in the Rockies now from a mild week and a half of touring
on the coast with Ian Kirschner. In short, great stability but bad skiing.
The last four days (Fri-Mon) were spent doing an extended Spearhead
Traverse.

SNOWPACK: Well consolidated snowpack. Surface conditions above 1700 m are
a wide variety of crusts: wind, sun, temperature, making for terrible
skiing for the most part. Below 1900 m, especially in wind-sheltered
areas, surface hoar is developing; on the "Musical Bumps" surface hoar to
15 mm was observed. Between about 1900 m and 2500 m on sheltered N facing
slopes we found the occasional decent turns. On Saturday morning the N
face of Tremor was skiied by one person in a group of four--he reported OK
conditions (PS, if this group has any good photos of the trip I'd love to
get a couple, twolfe [at} sawback {dot] com). In general the facetting is
not breaking down the various crusts as quickly as we'd hoped. On Sunday
(Jan 28) steep south facing slopes made for OK corn skiing for a couple of
hours in the afternoon. Below 1900 m the temperature and sun crusts are
pervasive and strong.

WEATHER: Since last Monday/Tuesday's storm the coast has had mainly clear,
mild, calm weather with daily highs in the low single digits (1-3 C) and
overnight lows not dropping below -6 C in the alpine. On Sunday night
things cooled down a bit and Monday was cool and overcast until later in
the day when the skies cleared and the wind began to howl up high from the
NE, moving the only loose snow available -- some surface facets -- into
heavy pillows on lee slopes and cross gullies.

AVALANCHES: No new avalanches were observed since the last widespread
cycle as reported by Craig McGee last week. No new cornice failures. The
cornice chunks reported by Craig at the top of Overlord Gl are truly
impressive.

COVERAGE: The snowpack here is an impressive 4m+ on the glaciers. We did a
bunch of loop trips during our tour. All of these tours take you into
pretty big glacier country, and take you onto and close to some serious
clopes. Good stability, visibility, and preferably good light is a must
for all of them. Here are our observations:

Saturday am: Down Shudder Gl, up Shatter: good coverage, we were able to
avoid all sags easily by trending to the right. We started up the Shudder
and crossed over to the Shatter where the glaciers join down low.

Sunday am: Down Ripsaw Gl, up Naden Gl: Going down Ripsaw you can avoid
all sags on the far left, but this was raked by debris from solar slouging
from the end of the last storm. So we skiied through a bit of the bottom
icefall and found that the coverage was good enough to weave through the
crevasses easily. Surprisingly decent turns in the middle of the run.

Sunday pm: Down Iago, up Naden: excellent coverage on both Iago and Naden

Monday am: Down Curtain, up Macbeth: Curtain felt pretty committing.
There
is a large crevasse and small cliff in the middle, which can be avoided by
traversing out right on very steep slopes (40+ deg).Getting up from
Fitzsimmons onto the Macbeth brings you onto very steep W facing slopes.

The traverse itself is, as Craig reported, in great shape right now--until
the next snowfall that is...

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
AAG

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Polar Circus

Guided Polar Circus yesterday. Good travel up the snow on avalanche slide
surfaces once you are in the gully. Established trail to turn the Pencil (which
fell off some time ago). There was a small cornice collapse off of climbers left
hand cliffs on the last tier. Chunks fell down to the centre and left side and
away from the climbing line on the right. I say small because I was on the climb
in the late 80s when a big cornice collapsed from the same cliff edge and it left
several pickup truck sized craters in the snow slope below.

Route is in good shape with most of it presenting new ice surfaces.

Happy trails

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Bourgeau Left Hand

Hello,

 

On Sunday Sandy Walker and I climbed the first pitch Bourgeau Left hand. The ice became detached mid way up the pitch which made for that nice "bonging" sound described in the Waterfall Ice guide, we were also getting propagating cracks from heavy swings. The protection was also not great. All in all a bit of a scary lead and not recommended. We quickly bailed.

 

Other considerations would be the amount of snow above the route (which hasn't slid) if there is warmer temperatures or the avalanche conditions change.

 

Jesse de Montigny

Assistant Alpine Guide

Assistant Ski Guide

[MCR] Jasper - Icefields Parkway Conditions - January 28

There is still good skiing to be found in sheltered areas at and below treeline (especially north and east aspects).  ‘The Burn’ south of Sunwapta Warden Station and across the highway had high quality skiing yesterday at treeline and below.  The wind has been at the alpine, making for hard slab and a very uneven (hard to ski) snow surface.  Cold mornings have been leading to warm afternoons on solar aspects.  A layer of warm air aloft has been making for even warmer temperatures above treeline the past few days.

 

Avalanche activity is on the rise in the afternoons.  This should lessen by the weekend with very cold temperatures, but for the next few days avoid exposure to steep solar facing slopes and any slopes with cornice hazard above.

 

Ice climbs are generally brittle in the mornings.  Solar facing climbs are softening in the afternoons, making for nice sticky pick placements.  Tangle Falls felt near tropical this afternoon.

 

Have fun!  Get out the warm layers if you plan to go out in the mountains this weekend, several forecasts are calling for temperatures to dip into the -30 to -40 range.  Brrrr!

 

Jordy Shepherd

Mountain Guide

www.PeakAlpine.com

 

[MCR] Lake Louise/Mt Field

I spent Thurs and Fri on and off the piste at Lake Louise and today toured on Mt Field.

The main thing going on right now in all areas is wind effect on all aspects at treeline and alpine elevations. Most of this wind effect seems to be scouring, where the snow all went I'm not sure, but surely there must be hard windslabs lurking near ridgecrests and in crossloaded features. Most wind affected areas I saw just have windcrust rather than windslabs. Cornices are large however and I saw evidence of several cornice falls, but not much in the way of attendant slab failures.

There is good skiing to be had below treeline and in sheltered areas at higher elevations (although it's hard too find the goods up high). We had good runs in Corral Creek at Lake Louise and on Mt F ield. Ankle deep ski pen, fast skiing, well settled lower snowpack. The LL ski hill is in good nick right now too, nary a rock in sight, the entire world open for skiing and nobody there mid-week.

BIG surface hoar in the trees on Mt Field.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Spearhead Range

Out on the Spearhead traverse today.
Excellent traveling conditions throughout.
VARY variable ski conditions. Everything from Thin,
skiable rain crust to wind hammered sastruggi.
Basically the skiing is not so good, however it is
skiable for good skiers above 2200m.
On east through south facing slopes the skiing is
almost corn like when the sun warms it up.....almost.
Below 1900m the skiing becomes quite technical....bad.
Also of note were some very large (size 3) cornice
failures out on Overlord and Fitzsimmons peak. 2
pulled out large slabs, one down to the Glacier ice
(2+m crown). Some of the chunks were as large a big
trucks. You may want to steer clear of all the big
cornices when things heat up again.
The Singing Pass trail was very difficult.
Craig McGee & Keith Reid

Craig McGee, ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
102-4369 Main St. Suite #337
Whistler BC
Canada
V0N 1B4
cell 604 902 0296
Home 604 892 2259

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Hudson Bay Mountain 24 Jan 07

After an afternoon of continuous rain yesterday, I closed the Davidson
Project access road again last night. It had produced a size 3 soft
slab on Sunday night. On a helicopter check ride this morning, I saw
several size 1 to 2 wet slabs that had initiated from surface
snowballing up to 1500 m. Temperatures were plus 2 at 1600 m and 0 at
1800 m. Winds were very strong from the south.

Nothing had stepped down and the large main start zone had not
released. Temperatures are expected to rise through today before
dropping tonight.

I consider the likelihood of large avalanches naturally releasing high
with rising temperatures at elevation. Skiing quality is probably poor
anyway.
--
Christoph Dietzfelbinger
Mountain Guide IFMGA
Bear Mountaineering and the Burnie Glacier Chalet
Box 4222 Smithers, B.C. Canada V0J 2N0
tel. 250-847-3351 fax 250-847-2854
info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Roga'ns Gully, King Creek Seepages

Jan 22nd, Rogan's Gully which is in fine shape.

Jan 23rd, avalanche cycle in King Creek: sometime during our walk in in
the cold am and walk out in the warm pm all the W - SW facing gullys
slid into the creek. A couple of them large enough to bury someone
although it wouldn't be hard to get out ot the way if you saw them
coming. Air temps climbed to above 0 through the day and afternoon sun
hit the high slopes. Soft surface wind slabs sliding over 30 cm of
faceted snow sometimes cleaning down to ground.

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Mount Mackenzie - Revelstoke - January 23

Skiing on piste at the local ski hill in Revelstoke this morning was excellent.  We toured up to 5000 ft in the afternoon, from the top of the ski lift (3500 ft).  The air temperature was -2.5 deg C at 3 pm.  Stability tests on a west aspect showed moderate compression test and shovel shear scores down 40 cm on decomposing stellars, resistant planar.  On the Jan 15^th layer down 67 cm, we had one resistant planar and one sudden planar shear on size 2 facets, both in the hard range.  We had a rutschblock score of 5, half block, resistant planar down 40 cm and no result on the Jan 15^th layer.

 

No ski cut results, no cracking or slab in the top 70 cm.  We were happy to have phat skis and big snowboards.

 

It was snowing an average of 1 cm/hr for most of the day, increasing to 3 cm/hr at 4 pm.

 

Jordy Shepherd

Mountain Guide

www.PeakAlpine.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MCR] Blackcomb backcountry

Went out into the Blackcomb nearcountry today. About
as bad as you would think it could be.
-1 on Blackcomb peak at 12:30. Freezing rain/rime with
constant strong winds from the SE. 25 cm's of new snow
and the rising freezing level produced Lots of
avalanche activity up to size 2. Blackcomb ended up
closing the Glacier due to concern of a natural
avalance running into the ski terrain.
Pug like skiing at all elevations.
With the forcasted rising freezing level and poor
stability I'd say that for the next few days it
probably isn't worth heading into the back country.

On the Plus side the ice climbing area " the Farm" Has
more ice than ever before. The Mixed climbs are almost
not there.

Craig McGee

Craig McGee, ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
102-4369 Main St. Suite #337
Whistler BC
Canada
V0N 1B4
cell 604 902 0296
Home 604 892 2259

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Glacier Park

Skied up Fortitude Ridge yesterday, and down the first major slide path
from the ridge crest into Flat Creek. A profile just below the ridge
showed easy planar shears down 10cm and 30cm, a moderate shear down 55cm,
and a hard shear down110cm. The layer down 10 was forming a soft slab
which cracked and propagated 5-10 meters from our skis, causing significant
sluffing in steep terrain. We skied a conservative line on the edge of the
path, which still required sluff management.

Yesterday, a skier on Cheops (hourglass) triggered the same layer. He was
caught but was able to ski out of it. The slide ran 300m to valley bottom.
There was a significant natural cycle on this layer throughout Glacier park
throughout the day.

Today as of 8am, we have another 20-30 cm load on this layer, increasing
the likelihood and consequences of skier triggered avalanches.

Sylvia Forest
Mountain Guide
Alpine Specialist
MRGNP
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] The Gorge - Malakwa - Jan 22

Snowing 1 - 2 cm/hr all day today at the Gorge in the Monashees between Revelstoke and Sicamous.  Snowpack depth at 6000 ft is 2.5 to 3 meters, temperature –5 deg C.  10 - 15 cm of storm snow is sluffing fast in steep terrain on a very thin temperature crust.  With good sluff management and group management we avoided being pushed into tree wells or over the numerous small rock outcroppings in the area, and avoided cutting sluffs onto each other.  The crust was evident above our high mark of 6200 feet, on all aspects.  Resistant planar hard shears down 30 cm and 60 cm.  We could feel the crust on our shins on each run, but it did not detract from the consistently excellent ski quality.

 

The road is currently being plowed, and using a radio to call your location and avoid being run off the road by a loaded logging truck is required.  The road frequency is 153.320 (both transmit and receive).

 

A stop at The Burner Pub in Malakwa is recommended (it is a cultural experience).

 

Another great day in this great winter!

 

Jordy Shepherd

Mountain Guide

www.PeakAlpine.com

 

 

 

 

 

[MCR] Professor's

Went to Professor today - the mountain bike approach works well up to the fork in the road about 1.5 km past the golf course club house - after that it's not plowed anymore. The climb is in good shape, however all but the last pitch is a good bit wetter than usually. We even bypassed the third steeper tier because the water stream was gushing out like a waternig can pretty evenly across the entire pillar. Unlike normally, the last pitch is totally dry and pretty well beat in but still steep and a healthy WI 4. 

 

In the afternoon, the wind picked up dramatically and sent spindrifts down the gully - wouldn't be surprised if some new wind slabs formed in protected areas.

 

Cheers, 

 

Jorg Wilz

 

Mountain Guide (ACMG / IFMGA / UIAGM)

1-800 506-7177 or (001) 403 678 2717

www.ontopmountaineering.com

 

[MCR] Lake Louise falls...

Took some British Soldiers out this morning on Louise Falls.
Temps at the Parking area at 8:30 -12C, no wind and no observed winds up
high either, some valley fog.
The route is in fine shape, climbing wise with the crux being a fine intro
to a "harder pitch" some hooks but not Swiss cheese with lots of good screw
options.
Last section above the pillar is very straight forward compared to some
years.

However!
The Objective Hazard is quite high at the moment. The large pillar on the
right stands/leans over the right side approach ice (easiest climbing).

And the left and obvious climbing line has many large fragile looking
daggers. We chose the quick right hand route to a tree belay.
While belaying from well inside the cave the pillar cracked about 6 feet
down from a previous crack at the top that is only visible from inside the
cave.

With my climber well out of the way I still nearly vomited, who knows with
dynamic movement of ice ware something that big with many pieces hitting
each other on the colapse could go!

The time spent on the right side was shorter than it would have been
climbing on the other side. But even with the quality of climbing from and
above the cave I would think that the hazard is too high for the overall
nature of this climb. Climbs fall off in the best of conditions, large temp
fluctuations possible on this climb could catch some one. but even with
steady temps, best wait until the large stick falls off i think.

Temps at the top of the climb 12:00 -8C. Not much sun had hit the route
between our arrival and departure at 1:30 or so.

Patrick Delaney

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[MCR] Roger's Pass West

Rupert Wedgwood and I spent the last 4 days (Jan 16-19) with a Warden
School in Roger's Pass skiing off Mt. Fidelity.

The snowpack in the area is approximately 250cm-300cm and very well settled
with no significant layers in the lower snowpack. On January 16th the
surface hoar was buried by about 15 cm of very low density (20-30 kg/m3)
cold dendrites that mixed right into the predominately needle shaped
surface hoar crystals. This surface was sluffing fast and far but not
slabbing at all except on ridgecrests in the alpine where a thin wind slab
formed on the immediate lee features only.
About 20cm of denser (70-100 kg/m3) fell on the night of the 18th and
morning of the 19th creating an unstable upside down thin soft slab. The
denser snow was failing naturally on all steep rolls and banks but was only
failing at the dense/less dense interface and not digging down to the Jan
16 layer.

As the storm snow settles some more, the Jan 16 layer will likely become
the active layer, but due to the nature of the surface hoar and the way it
was buried, it will probably not be a long-term persistent weakness. It
will definitely require some watching in the short term, however. With the
forecast for a couple of low intensity storms and warming temperatures,
conditions will be ripe for a skier triggerable slab condition.

Brad White
Mountain Guide
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Southern Selkirks

I've been skiing in the Valkyr range in the southern selkirks for the past
three days. These mountains rise directly above the lower Arrow Lake, south of
Nakusp. We've been skiing at treeline and below treeline elevations, on north
and west aspects.

On arrival we found a very wind effected snowpack at treeline and in the alpine
on all aspects, of variable depth, 120-200cm, with plenty of areas thinner than
that at ridgecrests. The snowpack is made up of mostly facets and mixed forms
and is not particularly strong with a variety of facet layers and crusts and
areas of old windslab on top. No consistent layers or shears in the snowpack
due to the high degree of variability. The surface was a mixed bag of wind
crusts and slabs, sun crusts, rime crusts, surface hoar, graupel and
decomposing crystals.

In the past 3 days 40cm of snow has fallen, which has settled to 30cm. Today
moderate-strong west winds formed soft slabs within the storm snow at all
elevations, that was very reactive to skis. We triggered several small slabs
15cm thick. The storm snow/old snow interface is not reacting yet at treeline
or below treeline. We suspect significant slabbing at upper elevations.

We've been keeping to straightforward, planar terrain below treeline.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Mt Field (Jan 18)

I joined the Valhalla boys for a fun day of skiing on Mt Field (Jan 18). We were expecting wind crust conditions but once we got out of the car and started skinning up the road, we realized that the west side of the divide received 5-10cm of new snow over night which nicely freshened up the ski quality. Temperature at the car at 9:00am was a chilly -19 C but at least the wind was calm. It warmed up to -10 by the end of the day. The sky was broken or overcast all day but visibility was good with the ceiling around 3000m (just below the summits of Mt Stephen and Cathedral). We dug a test pit just above treeline before the final steep headwall. Compression tests gave moderate to hard results down 20cm on a thin layer of decomposing crystals. The total depth of snow was 165cm. No signs of recent avalanche activity and no whoomphing to report. Near the top, new thin soft slabs are beginning to form on the lee side below the ridge. The ski down was consistent boot-top faceted powder from the ridge right to the road. By the time we left the Truffle Pigs Cafe at 4:30pm, it was snowing lightly again in Field.

 

Sean Isaac

Assistant Alpine Guide

 

[MCR] Mini Wapta (Jan 16)

Matt Mueller and I enjoyed a slog-alicious day on the Wapta (Jan 16). We did the so-called "mini" Wapta from Bow Lake to Peyto Lake. Weather at Bow Lake at 8:15am was -14 C with broken skies and light west wind. On the Wapta itself the wind was moderate to strong also from the west. Most of the track to Bow Hut was blown over but trail breaking was easy on stiff wind crust. Above Bow Hut on the glacier, 1 cm of snow over a stiff crust made for easy travel. Ski quality down the Peyto Glacier was variable with a combination of half-decent dust-on-crust turns interspersed with difficult breakable crust. The Peyto Glacier has good snow coverage down the middle. The crevasse sections are obvious and easy to avoid. Once off the glacier, we boot packed up wind scoured moraine past the glaciology station then were able to ski crusty snow down the moraines to the lake. Good travel on Peyto Lake with 5cm of snow over the ice but once in the trees  we floundered in bottomless facets back up to the highway. All in all, a fine day of touring but not the place to go if good pow turns are what you desire.

 

Sean Isaac

Assistant Alpine Guide

 

[MCR] Tryst Lake

Hello,

 

Spent the today (January 16) skiing at Tryst lake. We saw a hard shear down about 45cm in a wind loaded area and observed moderate winds loading the main chutes through out the day. There has been a lot of traffic in this area and this made for difficult skiing in the chutes. The other side (super slope) also had lots of tracks but had better ski quality.

 

Jesse de Montigny

Assistant Ski Guide

Assistant Alpine Guide

[MCR] one more time

Sorry
AB

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Picture

Here's the photo. Didn't attache last time??

AB

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Avalanche on Mt. Lefroy

Forgot to include this from yesterday. It seems it released on the summer ice,
judging by the black streaks on the left side. Still some potential out there. I
took the
picture on Jan 11th, it may have released at the end of the storm that started
around the new year.

Aaron Beardmore
Mountain Guide

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Louise Falls, Weeping Wall, Guinness Gulley

Louise Falls Jan 12th: Very cold and brittle. The left side of the pillar was
well hooked out. Jeff Relph tried the right side the same day, and found the ice
to be extremely hard...and noted it was steeper than the left as well. The last
pitch was quite wet.

Weeping Wall Jan 13th: Very fragile surface conditions. Lots of hacking through
eggshell like surface to get placements. We came down after starting up pitch
3. Went up Sniveling Gulley afterwards. Waste deep trail breaking between ice
pitches (low density snow). The last pitch had similar qualities to Left
Hand....lots of chopping through ice layers for placements.

Guiness Gulley Jan 14th: Heavy trail breaking up to the climb through low
density snow. Once again the ice quality was very poor, and very similar to the
weeping wall. Quality of pitch 3 is unknown (probably poor) as the first 2
pitches were quite time consuming.

Temperatures were warming to -17 on Guinness Gulley today.

Aaron Beardmore
Mountain Guide

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Evening ridge Nelson jan 14

Took a mid day jaunt up and down Evening ridge, above the access road to
Whitewater ski area.
Nice and sunny and temperatures steady near -12 C. I dug a pit in an open
area below treeline at 1580m (5200'), facing SW. Some easy compression test
results down 10cm above and below a thin (2mm) crust were not a big concern,
being shallow and underlying only loose powder snow.
The surface hoar buried on new year's day was found 55cm below the surface,
not reactive to my first 2 column tests, and shearing reluctantly in the
hard range on the third try.
Ski penetration was 15-20cm, Ski quality and snow stability was good, all in
all a sweet little tour.

Joel McBurney Ski Guide

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Fernie

Skiing in the Fernie ski area "near country" for the last week. When
I left there was still a fair amount of wind effect on all aspects
due to the southerly winds during the storm and northerly winds when
the arctic air moved in. These variable winds formed atypical loading
patterns, leaving bits of hard wind slab all over the place. However,
these slabs never seemed very reactive to skis and only large loads
such as cornice falls were triggering them earlier in the week. That
said, there were large cornices looming over most NE slopes. When I
left on Saturday the thinking was that the wind slabs were weakening
with the cold temperatures and that they are less likely to propagate
as a result.

In some north aspect areas there was also a surface hoar layer buried
about 70cm down that was generally unreactive to tests. South slopes
had plenty of buried crusts. The November crust was not widespread in
Fernie and as a result the area was not included in the recent CAA
avalanche warning.

We were avoiding areas with large cornices above, thinner snowpack
areas, and unsupported terrain.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Rogers Pass Hospital Bowl

Skied to the upper end of Hospital Bowl today to do a profile to ground.
Temperatures were -18 at 2540 meters, with light wind, and sunshine. Of
note, there is an easy shear down 25cm within the storm snow (sudden
collapse), however the surface slab does not yet seem cohesive enough to
propagate - yet. The mid-pack was very strong, however the rain crust from
November is still persisting. Although shears are hard, they are clean and
fast when they do fail. Heavy loads such as cornice fall might be enough
to propagate large avalanches on this layer still. The snowpack has
settled considerably, from nearly hip deep last week, to boot top today.

Syl Forest
Mountain Guide.
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] West Rockies-ICEFALL LODGE

From Dec 30 to Jan 13 Icefall lodge received 186 cm mainly in 20 cm intervals. The snow quality was amazing though made for difficult travel at times. The Snowpack upon arrival was found to be well settled and stable. There were some instabilities in storm snow interfaces earlier in the week that were subsequently strengthened through settling and bonding. Throughout the 2 week period we only saw evidence of climax avalanche activity during storm and shortly after with a few Skier controlled soft slab size 1 to 1.5 on steep unsupported and cross loaded feature that later in second week was no longer reactive. Two wind events created surprisingly very little isolated alpine soft slabs which many are now diffused by a week of cool temps and continued settling. Coverage from Treeline to Alpine was 240cm to 3Meters. Crevasse well bridged and filled in. The Arctic high has caused some faceting 15-20 cm down especially in shallow and wind exposed affected, though it seemed to be a fairly good bond.

 

Conclusion: Very stable snowpack from alpine to below treeline, some isolated soft slabs lurking in heavily lee and crossloaded zones. The major hazard at this point I suspect will be from the fact that the snowpack is so well settled as a single unit that a very large trigger such as a cornice or high explosive could trigger a major event down to ground on steep unsupported features or where the ground cover is ice for example. There are large cornices which held in the cold snap and will become I suspect an important hazard to note when the forecasted temperatures begin to rise early this week. Totally amazing skiing, pow and terrain, YO!

Eric Dumerac

ACMG Assis. Ski Guide/Assis. Alpine Guide

---

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[MCR] Hector Glades

Skiing glades around Hector Lake today, S aspects to 7500 ft. Snowpack was
well settled and ski quality was excellent, though a bit heavy and a tad
upsidedown above treeline. No settling or whumpfing, and no results from
ski cutting. Cold temps around -16 C throughout the day from the road to
our high point, and mainly calm winds. No solar effect noted on steep due
south facing slopes -- the sky was mostly hazy or overcast throughout the
day with a dull orange orb instead of the sun.

Regards,
Tom Wolfe
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Howsons 12 Jan 07

Very strong winds from the west in the alpine today quickly loaded lee
slopes. We cut several small avalanches in steep rolls above 1400 m.
It was only -9 at 1400 m, but -13 at the lodge and 1000 m. There are
now numerous windslabs lurking in lee features. Skiing quality is
still very good in the trees, but wind affected in the alpine.
--
Christoph Dietzfelbinger
Mountain Guide IFMGA
Bear Mountaineering and the Burnie Glacier Chalet
Box 4222 Smithers, B.C. Canada V0J 2N0
tel. 250-847-3351 fax 250-847-2854
info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Spearhead Glacier

Skied a loop through the E col/Circle Lk/Spearhead Gl area with Jia today.  Yesterdays 100+ km winds made the snow surface pretty variable (wind slabs) but we did find good skiing high on a W aspect of Spearhead Gl.  Temps are getting cool < -15.

Saw 1 natural avalanche off the N aspect of Spearhead Pk. Blackcomb patrol's explosives had released a few unsupported slabs above the Blackcomb Glacier in the AM.

Dug a pit in a W aspect slope on the Spearhead Glacier - found easy and moderate mostly planar results in the upper 50cm of storm snow. Skiing was quite good low in Husume.

 I'm thinking the Hazard/Stability in the Alpine is Considerable/Fair for the area we skied in.

 

Dave Sarkany,  Ski Guide

[MCR] Howsons 10 Jan 07

The arctic air has arrived and temperatures have dropped to -18
degrees in the alpine. Winds were light from the E today. Today we ski
cut a size 1 and a size 1.5 slab in a steep wind affected moraine
slope. Our profiles show a consistent easy shear about 20 cm down and
another harder shear about 30-40 cm down. We saw no new natural
activity, but the visibility was not great yet. Older activity would
have been covered and blown in by the strong winds and snowfalls of
the last few days. We saw some older slabs from under cornices. There
seem to be no deep instabilities. We recommend to be cautious in steep
windloaded slopes. Skiing quality is excellent.

Mark Bender and Christoph Dietzfelbinger
--
Christoph Dietzfelbinger
Mountain Guide IFMGA
Bear Mountaineering and the Burnie Glacier Chalet
Box 4222 Smithers, B.C. Canada V0J 2N0
tel. 250-847-3351 fax 250-847-2854
info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Healy Creek Area

The Crew from the Canada/New Zealand Semester and I spent the last 3 days in the Healy Creek area (Jan 8-10). We skied in before the storm and noticed a large natural size 2 avalanche that had run well into the trees of the second major slide path.

 

During our stay we measured 50 cm of storm snow, moderate to strong winds at tree line and heard numerous natural avalanches through out the storm. This new snow brought the total snow depth to close to 2 meters at tree line...not bad for this area at this time of year. We saw boot top to knee deep trail breaking in lots of wind effected snow. On our ski out today we avoided the two major slide paths by going lower than the regular summer trail.

 

Be careful in the next few days!

 

Jesse de Montigny

Assistant Ski guide

Assistant Alpine Guide

[MCR] Musical Bumps Whistler

Yesterday I was in the Musical Bumps (east of Whistler Mountain) teaching an avalanche course.  Strong winds and about 30cm of new snow had loaded the slopes.  Foot Penetration was 130cm and the height of snow at 1750m on a NW slope was 350cm.  We found easy to moderate compressions test results that fractured out clean and planar in the new snow (the upper 50cm).  Below that the pack got consolidated and produced only random hard results. 

Saw one size 2+ natural avalanche's crown line on  Flute Mt.

During the day I Rated the Hazard at Tree Line as High and the Stability as Poor. But I think things should be tightening up fast.

 

On another unrelated note.  Mid last week I was up in the Callaghan Valley and a couple of times when I stepped off the Cat I was working on I sunk up to my neck in snow.  There is a 4m snowpack at 1300m. I guess its a good start to the year!

 

Dave Sarkany, Ski Guide

[MCR] West coast ice conditions, the real one

Hello all.

Its a bit late but..

Went out ice climbing with Kai around Lilloet on Friday and Sat .

This is what we did.

 

Marble Canyon

Climbed Deeping wall. It was in similar shape to how the guidebook describes it. Quite good overall. Then we finished on Icy BC.

The middle pitch was in its usual shape (wet hole in the middle) But climbable on the left. The top pitch was totally strange and we both have never seen it look the way it did. The center was a giant open book of ice and water. The ice "pages/ walls" stuck out about 15+ feet from the rest of the climb. These features looked very scary as if they could come of at any moment. We climbed quickly out to the right to a nice belay away from any threat of falling ice.

 The upper pitch was climbed on the right side (the only place you could) and we encountered good grade 5 climbing and pro.

 All climbs on the lower wall were in and looked to be in reasonable shape. Nothing else was "in" on the upper wall.

 

On Sat we trekked up and attempted to climb "Hanging on a Heartbeat" We found the crux pillar about half the diameter of the photo in the guidebook ( about 1-1.5m). As well the 1m ice roof now has a very large hanging dagger that would have to be knocked off ( we didn't think we could) or rode on to get to the roof. Because of these conditions and brittle ice and what looked like difficult pro, we bailed.

 

On the way home we climbed "Closet secrets". The route is in very good conditions. It is pure ice however one small cam (0 or #1) or nut is use full in the start.

 

What we saw:

 

Most climbs on the Duffy had melted out alot compared to what was on the Internet in the previous week.

 

Shreddy is touching down, however it is only a few feet thick at the base. It would be climbable by climbing the ice blobs that are covering the "prophet wall"  (and using these bolts) and then getting on the real ice about 30 feet up. It looks like the easiest I have seen it in years...but that's not that easy.

 

 

Rambles looked fat.

 

Carlsberg looks climbable but thinner and wetter than normal.

 

The Swillar Pillar looks very fat.

 

Tres Burly was non existent. 

 

Red Wall Wanderer looked in.

 

Loose lady is in

 

Syncronicity was very fat.

 

Serendipity was not quite in.

 

the strand is in.

 

Honeyman falls is not in.

 

There was alot of ice plastered on cliffs were there hasn't been in years, so hopefully things will continue to grow and not fall down with the forcasted warm temps then arctic front. 

Have Fun. Craig McGee, Mountain Guide

 

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[MCR] West coast ice

Hello all.

Its a bit late but..

Went out ice climbing with Kai around Lilloet on Friday and Sat .

This is what we did.

 

Climbed Deeping wall. It was in similar shape to how the guidebook describes it. Quite good overall. Then finished on Icy BC. The middle pitch was in its usual shape (wet hole in the middle) But climbable on the left. The top pitch was totally strange and we both have never seen it look the way it did. The center was a giant open book of ice and water. The ice "pages/ walls" stuck out about 15+ feet from the rest of the climb. These features looked very scary as if they could come of at any moment. We climbed quickly out to the right to a nice belay away from any threat of any falling ice.

 The upper pitch was climbed on the right side (only place you could) and encountered good grade 5 climbing and pro.

 All climbs on the lower wall were in and looked to be in reasonable shape. Nothing else was "in" on the upper wall.

 

On Sat we trekked up and attempted to climb "Hanging on a Heartbeat" We found the crux pillar about half the diameter of the photo in the guidebook ( about 1-1.5m) as well the 1m ice roof now has a very large hanging dagger that would have to be knocked off ( we didn't think we could) or rode on to get to the roof. Because of these conditions and brittle ice and what looked like difficult pro, we bailed.

 

On the way home we climbed "Closet secrets". The route is in very good conditions. It is pure ice however one small cam (0 or #1) or nut is useful in the start.

 

What we saw:

 

Most climbs on the Duffy had melted out alot compared to what was on the Internet in the last week.

 

Shreddy is touching down, however it is only a few feet thick at the base. It would be climbable by climbing the ice blobs that are covering the "prophet wall"  (and using those bolts) and then getting on the real ice about 30 feet up. It looks like the easiest I have seen it in years.

 

 

Rambles look fat.

 

Carlsberg looks climbable but thinner and wetter than normal.

 

The Swillar Pillar looks very fat.

 

Tres Burly was non existent. 

 

Red Wall Wanderer looked in.

 

Syncronicity was very fat.

 

Serendipity was not quite in.

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[MCR] Howsons 7 Jan 07

A heavy storm began last night and continues at 1800 hours on the 7th.
Strong NW upper winds, strong variable winds and gusts on the ground.
We received 30 cm of dense snow overnight and it snowed steadily all
day. Temperatures are below freezing. Large natural avalanches could
run full path and skier triggering is very likely in avalanche
terrain. I would not recommend travel in terrain that could be exposed
to avalanches at all at this time.
--
Christoph Dietzfelbinger
Mountain Guide IFMGA
Bear Mountaineering and the Burnie Glacier Chalet
Box 4222 Smithers, B.C. Canada V0J 2N0
tel. 250-847-3351 fax 250-847-2854
info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Howsons 5 Jan 07

For better or for worse, there is now internet access at the Burnie
Glacier Chalet. When we arrived, there were 200 cm of snow on the
ground and amazing mushrooms had formed on the buildings. We received
22 cm in the last 24 hours and snowfall is continuing. The temperature
is steady around -5 degrees. There is a lot of wind transport from the
NW. We are hearing numerous avalanches from the steep north facing hut
cliffs. Ski cutting at the top of a 37 degree moraine slope yielded a
size 1.5 soft slab than ran fast and far. About 25 m wide and 5 to 15
cm deep. In less wind exposed areas, there was only sluffing. The foot
penetration was 90 cm. We saw evidence of past avalanches that
surprised me by their size. I have not dug a pit yet, but suspect that
we are mostly looking at instability in the storm snow. That is
getting to the point of being a concern. Skiing quality was excellent.
Alders and creeks are entirely filled in. No observations in the
alpine so far.
--
Christoph Dietzfelbinger
Mountain Guide IFMGA
Bear Mountaineering and the Burnie Glacier Chalet
Box 4222 Smithers, B.C. Canada V0J 2N0
tel. 250-847-3351 fax 250-847-2854
info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Notice of plans for Avalanche Control

Hello Everyone,

On the Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay Public Avalanche Bulletin you will now see
information on any planned avalanche control work for the following day in
the Travel Conditions section. We hope this information will better help
you make alternate plans for the following day and further encourage ice
climbers, ski tourers, and boarders to check the bulletin the night before.
If you do not have access to a computer, you can hear a recording of the
forecast by calling 403-762-1460.

The controlled paths that affect the highways those that are marked by the
"no stopping avalanche area signs). These are:
Sunshine Paths: the control is sometimes done at night, but not all
targets can be done at night. Under normal circumstances, daytime
control is done at 1300 hours, as per the agreement with the Sunshine
Ski area. The slopes above Bourgeau Left are not controlled, but could
be affected during highly unstable conditions.
Kootenay National Park: Vermillion/Assiniboine Paths (local names), Mt.
Whymper (becoming a more common ski destination), Mt Wardle Paths
Yoho National Park:
Mt. Dennis: controlled paths affect the Field backroad and many of
the "beer" climbs: Pilsner Pillar, Carlsberg Column, Cascade
Kronenbourg, Heineken Hall, Labatt's Lane, Wild Cougar, Guinness
Gully, Guiness Stout, and High Test.
Mt. Field: path affects the ice climb Silk Tassle, Coalminer's
Daughter
Mt. Stephen: path affects Super Bock, Extra Light, Cool Spring,
Massey's,
4. Highway 93 N: paths are marked by the "no-stopping avalanche area"
highway signs and are not a common
destination for ski tourers or ice climbers.

Lisa Paulson, ACMG guide
Specialist, Mountain Safety Programs
Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Parkway skiing

Went up skiing on the Parkway today (Jan 3) on an east aspect in the trees, just getting to treeline.

AVALANCHES: we didn't see much in the way of activity today although some stuff has run in the storm, mostly out of steep gullies in cliffs. The Warden service has reported numerous avalanches to size 3 though, so we definitely kept out of runout areas and stayed in the trees.

SNOWPACK: About 130cm on the ground, with 30cm of that being storm snow from yesterday. There was a shear at the interface between the storm snow and the old surface (sudden planar - it popped off), but there was no slab in the storm snow where we were skiing below treeline. The rest of the snowpack felt well-settled with no major weak layers noted with probing. Lots of wind effect from the s torm at treeline and in the alpine. Large cornices.

WEATHER: -5 at our high point (treeline) in the afternoon. Pretty much calm where we were although there was a bit of wind transport off the highest ridges. No new snow.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

[MCR] Redman Soars

Skiing is the way to get in now, too much snow for biking. We put our
packs onto sleds which was a good way to go. Thought that we'd climb
Whiteman Falls first but with the temps increasing 10 C by early morning
it made two spooky big crack-cum-settling noises so we opted for Redman
Soars, which is in good standard shape with evidence of only one
previous ascent, awhile ago, this year. Crux was good with ice for tools
and a couple of airy moves of feet on small rock edges. I led past the
retro-fit 2 bolt anchor (not placed on the first ascent), placed a 16 cm
screw in the pillar above climbed a bodylength higher and started to
pull the bulge. Tried to highstep right over it, blew that crampon and
pulled outwards too much from the higher grip (bump-up position) of my
new X Monster tools (and I am not blaming the tool, rather my
unfamiliarity with it, first day on them) and POP, and to prove Larry
Stanier right, "Even grade 1 ice is going to seem really steep if you
fall on it". Because of the circuitous nature of the route, and my
belayer out a bit to take pictures, I plummeted 20 feet and accordianed
into the tightish rock gully below (where I suffered most of my
battering). Didn't break anything but I am plenty stiff today and
hobbling around on crutches with a sprained ankle.

Anyway, it was and amateur day (I was out with a buddy and not guiding)
so I shook off the shakes and rallied, hauled up two tools (my leashless
ones went to the bottom of the climb, found late on descent) and
finished the climb. The hike and ski out was accomplished with the aid
of 2000mg of Ibuprofen (some medical types have told me that you can get
away with one big dose to reduce swelling, just as long as you aren't on
it, or take more in the next 24 hrs) and my partner taking all the
weight and both sleds.

I'll identify a couple of factors:

-Complacency, I tend to climb with the minimum amount of effort -for me-
my tools should have been in better than hooking. Most years I've
climbed at least 40 days by now and I'm more onto my game. This year I
guided in Antarctica for the last month and yesterday was my 6th day
out, my guard isn't were it should have been.

-New tools, they are different, especially the "bump" position, doubly
especially when pulling a bulge. I should have played with them more at
an easier venue. They climb well, but it is hard/desperate to drive a
piton with them. I think that I'll carry a third tool for piton
placement in the future on trad mixed.

Humbling to fall on a lead that you did the first ascent of, and have
climbed a half dozen times sinse ...

Redman Plummets

Barry Blanchard

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Cayoosh/ Duffy Lake

Just came out from Cayoosh area today. Around 40 cm's
of very moist snow at valley bottom elevation
(5500ft), I imagine up to 60+ cm's at higher
elevations.
Tried to get some skiing in still, however as you can
imagine there were not to many good turns to be had.
Travel was quite difficult and the tree bombs in the
Forest made tree skiing out of the question. We
managed a few turns in the pillow Field at the end of
the road but even this seemed to be pushing it with
all the new snow and warm temps.
In the few clear moments of the day we could see
extensive evidence of a natural cycle going on at all
elevations and aspects. I would say stability is Poor
in most places.
It might be best to stick to another sport for the
next few days until the temps cool off. Oh, Ya. The
road was very bad too!
Craig McGee, Mountain Guide.

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_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.