The weather in Jasper has been rather white in the last 48 hours. Sunday was
extremely windy with rain and snow blowing in in late afternoon / early
evening. Monday saw light snow falling to within about 100m of the valley
floor then retreating up a few hundred meters with daytime warming... Then
BANG!
Today (Tuesday) I woke up with 20cm of new snow on the picnic table outside.
This melted back in town during the day with a few clearing patches in the
clouds. Looking around during the few breaks showed a very white Colin Range
and Skyline Trail. Reports from the East end of the park are of heavier
accumulations. Things were looking pretty snowy prior to this recent storm
and after chatting with Peter and Jer we think things are about a couple of
weeks behind schedule as far as drying off are concerned.
Winds were quite impressive the other day but we didn't go into the field
today so I can't really tell whether all this new snow has been blown into
yet another slab. The reports in recent weeks of slab activity in the
Icefields area would sure make me consider that this is more a return to
winter and avalanche thinking rather than just "spring think".
Forecast is for a chance of a bit more snow tonight but we shall see. We'll
try to update in the next few days as we head into the hills tomorrow for
the next few days.
Cyril Shokoples
Mountain Guide
Rescue Dynamics
http://www.rescuedynamics.com
_______________________________________________
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.