Hello;
I’ve just returned from a week at Ptarmigan Tours’ Boulder Hut in the Southern Purcells. The same buried surface hoar layers of late December, late January (x2) & early February up to 2600 metREs exist there, however we were pleasantly surprised to see virtually no reactivity. Most test results were showing Sudden Collapse characteristics thanks to the low density of the upper layers and we didn’t experience any natural or skier triggered avalanche activity. There has been very little wind in this part of the range over the last couple of weeks – indeed - over the majority of the winter. Nonetheless, we exercised caution in the Alpine where we suspected surface or buried slab conditions could tip the balance and we did find these in isolated terrain features. Ski quality ranged from good to very good.
It was a great place to be when the rest of the mountains were falling down.
Ken Bélanger
TopCog Adventures
ACMG Assistant Ski Guide
CAA Level 2