of the town of Meadow Creek.
We skied an elevation range of 2200 to 1450m entirely on a NE aspect in
steep, treed terrain and through the occasional opening and clear cut.
The passing storms dumped approximately 50cm of increasing density snow
over the few cms of light fluff that was sitting on the Dec 9 faceted
(sugary snow) surface.
The daytime temperatures ranged from about -13 on Dec 15 to about -3 on
Dec 18. The increasing temperatures as the storm snow fell created an
'upside-down' snowpack (denser snow overlaying less dense snow) and
challenging skiing for the guests (and guides) on Wednesday. As the
snow settled (became more dense) with warming temperatures, the ski
quality improved over the week.
Ski-cutting steep rolls over boulders in open terrain on Tuesday
produced sloughs that ran up to 50m down slope gathering more snow as
they went. They left deep gouges in the snowpack down to the old Dec 9
surface. Occasionally the ski-cutting produced small slab releases
above the track. We suspected a buried surface hoar (large,
feather-like crystals) layer but could not find any until a day later
when the snow had become more cohesive and the blocks of slab could be
picked up and turned over. The surface hoar crystals were about 6mm in
size were laid down flat. The sloughing became less of a problem for
the rest of the week as the temperatures rose and the snow became more
dense.
We were concerned the warming temperatures and increasing snowfall would
produce larger slabs. This didn't pan out as we avoided steep convex
rolls in open terrain and the overall stability didn't deteriorate much
as the weak layers settled. We did though, have one skier initiated
release on Wednesday. The crack ran 50m along the top of an
un-travelled cat road cut-bank but didn't slide. There was a similar
crack along the lower bank of the same road we suspected released at the
same time. This certainly spooked us but we saw no other such activity
for the rest of the week.
Despite the early season, snow coverage was good, the depth ranged from
80cm to 125cm. We skied carefully in the lower elevation terrain to
avoid small trees, alder and fallen logs. The tree bombs (dense snow
that has fallen off the trees) became more apparent later in the week
and projected the occasional unsuspecting skier onto their butts.
Overall, we had a great week of thigh-deep powder skiing. More on the way.
Ski well and have fun.
Craig Hollinger,
ACMG Assistant Ski 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.