[MCR] Kootenays - Valkyr Range

Just finished a week at Valkyr Lodge (south of Nakusp and west of the Valhalla Range). Primary concerns over the week were isolated areas of hard wind slab from a strong NE wind event mid-week, three weak surface hoar layers in the top meter, and large cornices.

Yesterday we had a significant storm, which started with moderate southwest winds all night and ended in the morning with a calm snowfall that put down close to 30 cm of snow in just a couple of hours (at one point I measured that it was snowing 9 cm per hour). We flew out at about noon and saw many avalanches on NE slopes, mostly soft slabs that I suspect were windslabs from the storm and/or failing on a surface hoar layer that would now be buried down about 40-50 cm. Avalanche sizes were 1.5 - 2.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide