Meadow Creek.
Wow what a storm! Most notable of this one was the 80cm dump of storm
snow. It was quite warm but the freezing level stayed just below our
tenure. Even though, the snow was very heavy near the bottom of the
runs at 1500m.
We skied most runs between 2300m and 1800m to stay out of the schmoo.
Because the storm started out cold then warmed up, the new snow had an
upside down feature with denser snow above less dense snow. Made for
challenging skiing with the skis diving into the softer layer. On
Sunday the snow became reactive with small soft slabs sliding down
between the ski tracks. These didn't propagate or run very far. We saw
one small natural avalanche that came off a steep bluff. Hand shears
produced moderate planar results down 40cm and this layer continued to
be reactive with more snow Sunday night. We stayed in the trees and
avoided any steep, open terrain.
I'd expect the conditions were less stable in the alpine but the poor
visibility limited our observations. By the time I left, the settled
snow depth was a good 2m.
With the current cooling trend, I'm hoping the snow will dry out instead
of forming a melt/freeze crust. But, I can only hope...
Play safe,
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.