glacier. had to slow down for a fat porcupine but no other hazards
were encountered. another party of two continued on up onto the ice,
but smartly geared up with the rope. no open crevasses were visible
from where we ascended to (2000m) but the snow cover on the ice
definitely looked thin. the route up to Sapphire Col is a different
matter, with several large slots visible beside the Cleaver (sorry, no
pic).
temps stayed around -10 throughout the day with light & variable
winds. the surface was new snow crystals up to 5mm in size. trail
breaking was moderate with a ski penetration of 20cm.
we dug a snow profile to ground at 2000 meters / North aspect; it was
a very blank (downright sterile!) picture of a snowpack consisting of
decomposing snow crystals (DF's) to ground and not much else. the
only layer we could find was a small band of graupel (3mm in size)
aprox 100cm down from the surface. resistance was fist (F) in the top
15cm, 4 fingers (4F) in the next 50cm and then 1 finger (1F) from
there to ground. we had no results to compression or shear tests.
total snow depth was 185cm which appears to be a bit deep for the
area. probing at 1900m found depths of 115cm to 150cm.
great turns on the way down - no wind effect was observed. we elected
to exit via the up track instead of braving the usual decent through
the Mushroom People - still quite sporty thru there (see pic).
no whumphs, cracks or settlements observed & no natural activity was
seen.
curious to see what the forecasted midweek precipitation & rising
temperatures will do. for now, the happy yodels from the group at the
cabin said it all - a nice start to the season.
dave healey
ACMG assistant ski guide
ascending towards the toe of the dome glacier
__________________
the usual exit - looking sporty!
_______________________________________________
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.