The ski quality was excellent on Boulder Mountain today, located just west of Revelstoke. It is a popular snowmobiling destination, and offers quick and easy access for skiers and boards who have a snowmobile.
At 2000m there is currently 230cm of settled snowpack. There are a couple recent storm layers down 30 cm and 55 cm, both giving moderate to hard resistant planar shears (clean but not fast). The layer down 55cm has a decomposing crust at 2000m on north aspect.
In exposed areas there is a touch of wind effect with a stiffer surface layer over a softer storm snow layer. I noted a bit of minor cracking, but no whumphing and no natural or rider triggered avalanches aside from a few 12-24 hr old very thin (10 cm) slabs only seen on very steep small rolls below treeline on a north aspect. Visibility was not great for most of the day, so observations were limited.
Conditions are excellent, offering mid-winter ski quality and good coverage over most hazards. Even the alder lower in the valley looks to be getting nicely covered up. There is basically no snow at valley bottom due to the warm temperatures and recent rain down low. But up high, it has been dumping steadily for the last couple of weeks. Get out there and enjoy the great early season conditions!
Normal early season hazards do exist, so check your speed. Continue to watch for rising avalanche danger, with all of the rapid loading it is possible for some significant avalanche events to occur. Remember the connectivity between lee alpine loaded features and the still shrubby lower elevations.
Jordy Shepherd
Mountain Guide