Spent a few field days in the North Rockies. On Saturday January 8th went to Powder King to do some snow measurements. We dug a pit 50 meters from the snow stake at the top of the T-bar. (1520m)Snow depth was 160cm. We found some storm instabilities in the top 30cm, but the snowpack below that was well consolidated with no other persistent weak layers. A few crusts were found about 40cm from the ground but we had no significant compression tests down that low.
We did not get into the alpine where there was obviously more wind affect so conditions would most likely be different. I would suspect some wind slabs in exposed terrain. Snow depths found at the ski hill were: top 160cm, mid mountain 120-130cm, base 90-100cm...did quite a bit of probing!
Probing at Azouzetta lake we found 80cm. There was about 60cm roadside 6km north of Pine pass.
Following day January 9th we did some profile work in the head of the Table river. Snowpack was 153cm at treeline (1475m) 120cm valley bottom (1100 metres) Some storm snow instabilities were noted in the top 20cm, on the hard side of moderate compression tests. No other deeper significant instabilities were noted.
We did see one Size 1-1.5 slab on a NE aspect, at about 1600 metres elevation.( crown was 20-30cm) Some other minor isolated sluffing was noted but in general there was little activity in this region.
Both the pine pass and Tumbler regions usually get a lot of snow, though both have eluded the last week and a half of snowfall which much of BC has seen. (with a total of about 10-15cm over the last week period.)
In general things look quite thin for this time of year in the two areas we observed. Still a lot of alders in the side paths.
However it is still early January!
Peter Amann
Mountain Guide
pamann@incentre.net