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