Hello,
Skied up to Balu Pass today. There were a few new small slides that had come off of Cheops within the last 24 hours. Stability tests below Balu Pass gave easy results down 30cm on the well preserved surface hoar. The upper 30cm had settled into a soft slab and ski cutting was able to produce slabs that propagated up to 30m wide and ran fast and far. In this area it seems that the change from unconsolidated storm snow on the surface, which has not been a huge worry up to this point, has changed to a soft slab that now requires treating with care.
Jesse de Montigny
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
ACMG Ski Guide + Assistant Alpine Guide