[MCR] South Coast Conditions - March 25 - April 2

This is info gathered from the ACMG Assistant Ski Guide's Exam in the
Whistler / Duffey area – March 25 – April 2

Our week started at the end of a long period of stable, spring
weather with preserved cold snow on North aspects at Treeline and in
the Alpine and suncrusts to ridgecrest on solar aspects. Melt freeze
crusts were on all aspects below 1200m.

March 31 deposited up to 30cm new snow in the Whistler area and 15cm
inland at Alpine elevations. Strong southerly winds built windslabs
on North facing ridgelines and open features at Treeline and in the
Alpine and the new snow was slow to bond to the suncrusts.

We were cautious of traveling in wind loaded areas and on steep
terrain where the surcrust was buried. Cornices were a major concern
requiring careful navigation. Also, we remained conscious of rising
freezing levels to mitigate thaw instabilities in the afternoons. We
found good skiing on sheltered North through East aspects.

Craig McGee – MG
Mark Klassen – MG
Matt Peter - MG
_______________________________________________
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.

[MCR] Avalanche Control Sunshine Road April 4, 2011

_______________________________________________
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.

Parks Canada will be conducting avalanche control along the Sunshine Village road tomorrow, April 4, 2011.

 

No climbing including Bourgeau Left and Right, and no skiing along the road tomorrow.

 

Thank you for your cooperation.

 

Steve Holeczi

Visitor Safety Specialist

Banff/Yoho/Kootenay National Parks

ACMG/UIAGM Mountain Guide

[MCR] Icefields Parkway and Weeping Wall

_______________________________________________
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.

Up the right side of the Weeping Wall yesterday April 2. While sun affected the wall is in good shape and the ice still provides solid screw placements. Lots of evidence of icefall from sunny periods so not a place to be on a warm sunny day. Snowing most of the day with fluctuating temperatures at highway level; not much accumulation there however a couple of hundred meters higher it is a different story with up to 20cm of new snow. Biggest accumulations were at Bow Summit with an estimate of 30cm new as of 5pm yesterday. We did not observe any avalanches. Driving was quite greasy at times.

 

Stay safe…

 

James Blench UIAGM/IFMGA

www.jamesblench.ca

(403)678-2576 home

(403) 678-7822 cell

 

[MCR] Rockies - Bow Summit

Great turns today at Bow Summit on a very quiet Saturday.

We had overcast, calm conditions all day with temperatures between -5
and -3C. We found storm snow accumulations of 45-50cm this morning on
a 190cm snowpack with steady light snowfall producing 5cm fresh by
mid-afternoon.

Despite area reports of "upside down" snow, we found only isolated
pockets of this with mostly excellent skiing on "right-side up" low
density powder in sheltered areas below 2400m. At this elevation,
wind effect began to become more obvious with some soft slabbing
starting in isolated lee and crossloaded pockets, so we avoided these
features and did not venture beyond treeline. Other than that, we saw
no natural avalanche activity (though visibility was limited) or
other signs of instabilities. A test pit at 2400m (treeline) yielded
a low-end moderate resistant planar shear down 30cm in the storm
snow, and a very hard, resistant result down ~70cm where the old
surface is still bonding with the wind effected new snow.

By day's end the road and most of the parking lot had had a visit by
Mr. Plough.

Despite doing our best today, with only 3 parties out, there are
still plenty of fresh tracks to be had!

Carl Johnston
AAG, RG

Nick Rapaich
ASG, AAG
_______________________________________________
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.

[MCR] Avalanche Control

Parks Canada will be conducting avalanche control on Mt. Whymper, The
Vermillion Slide Paths, and Mt. Wardle.

No ski touring or other back country activities in these areas tomorrow,
April 3, 2011.

Thank you for your understanding.

Aaron Beardmore
Specialist, Visitor Safety Programs
Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay Parks
Box 900, Banff, AB
T1L 1K2
Ph: 403-762-1415
www.parksmountainsafety.ca,
www.parcsecuritemontagne.ca
www.twitter.com/ParksMtnSafety
www.twitter.com/Parcssecuritemt

_______________________________________________
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.

[MCR] Rockies- Cirque Peak and Storm Mountain

_______________________________________________
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.

Spent the past two days skiing a couple of classic Rockies tours. Yesterday, March 31, we went up Cirque Peak. The route itself was in decent condition but the day was windy and white. The upper mountain was wind scoured and required the usual boot packing. From the top, we skied the north facing couloir to the glacier and wrapped around the peak to Dolomite Pass. The couloir was rocky at first but provided good skiing after about 20 meters. We did not probe the glacier but there seemed to be a substantial amount of snow. Storm snow measured between 20 - 50 cms but, apart from some sloughing in the couloir, was not reactive to skier traffic.

 

Today, April 1st, we skied and bootpacked up Storm Mountain. The route features a large and intimidating south slope that would not be a happy place if the sun were out. Luckily for us, the sun stayed hidden all day and temps remained cool. Storm snow in the area ranged from 10 - 30 cms and the skiing was surprisingly good. There was lots of debris from a previous cycle covering much of the lower mountain and the snowpack ranged from dust on crust to typical Rockies facets near the rocks. A buried  suncrust was present but the snow sitting on top had not yet formed a widespread slab. We skinned to about 2800 meters and bootpacked on windscoured rocks and snow to the summit. A sizable cornice was present on the summit ridge.

 

Conditions are sure to change dramatically with tomorrow's snowfall so best to be conservative this weekend.

 

Cheers,

Andrew
--

Andrew Wexler
ACMG Alpine Guide

ACMG Assistant Ski Guide
403-707-8615
www.globalalpine.com

[MCR] Crowfoot Sub peak - Avalanche - Clarification

_______________________________________________
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.

The glacier is known locally as the "Ferris" glacier, and is the one accessed from the Bow Hut approach. Sorry about the confusion.

 

Aaron Beardmore