jmckay

I worked for the last 4 days at Callaghan Country's backcountry lodge. It is much like spring now with the height of snow at the lodge (4500', 1380m) stabilizing at 5m for the last couple of weeks. During the nights a 15cm crust has been forming and is weight supporting (to a skier) to about 6000' on N aspects. Above that elevation the snow surface transitions from crust to snow that is uneffected by temperature at about 6300' (only on steeper true N aspect). At the study plot (5150', top of tree line on a NW aspect) there was 20cm of wet snow above 40cm of moist stuff at 3pm yesterday afternoon. On the 4th of April there where many natural sluffs to size 2 on all elevations (4500' - 7700') any aspect in direct sun. None of these slides propagated any slabs. A few low elevation cornices and snow mushrooms have dropped, but most of the higher cornices are still big and intact. The 5th - 7th of April where quieter in terms of sluffing, it seems the snow stabilized with the clear nights. In the valley at 4500' the larger creeks are beginning to open up, the smaller ones are still just dips in the snow surface. The best skiing was on the supportive crust as it warmed up and formed corn, and higher up on the steeper N aspects. I considered the Alpine and Treeline Hazard/Stability yesterday as Low/Very Good - but increasing with daytime warming. Dave Sarkany, Ski Guide Callaghan Country's backcountry lodge

Hi, Came back from 2 days at the pass. We spent the night of the 5th at Sapphire Col. Observation for Sapphire Col (2575m) - Thursday, 6th of April: 5h am: -1 with light snow 9h am: +4 with mix of rain and snow 11h am: +5 with rain We observed many natural wet slides from all aspect up to size 2.5. Was still rainning when we left the parking lot yesterday afternoon. Conclusion: Rain at hight altitude and snow pack deteriorating at all elevation and aspect, found isothermal snow pack up to 2100m on sunny aspect. We triggered many wet slides size .5 to 1 on the way down from Sapphire col from 2200m and lower. Thank you, Remy Bernier ACMG Rock Guide www.myrockguide.com

Conditions are slowly shifting towards spring in the northern Coast Mountains. There are 140 cm of snow at the Burnie Glacier Chalet and more than 350 cm on the Solitaire Glacier. There was a notable avalanche that released spontaneously some time last week (see attached photo). This is a frequently skied moraine slope at an elevation of 1300 m with a southerly aspect. The avalanche was a soft wet slab, 200 m wide, fracture line depth 60-90 cm, ran for 80 vertical metres, size 2.5. Note the numerous old ski tracks that end at the fracture line. I was unfortunately unable to investigate the fracture line further, but assume that it ran on the 8 March interface. At the higher elevations, the snowpack is still far from isothermal even in the southerly aspects. Several crusts shear when tested, but there were no other natural avalanches and ski cutting released only sluffs. There were no notable cornice failures. Skiing quality was good with powder on the colder aspects and incipient corn where sunny. -- Christoph Dietzfelbinger Mountain Guide, Bear Mountaineering and Burnie Glacier Chalet Box 4222 Smithers, B.C. V0J 2N0 Canada tel. 250-847-3351 fax: 250-847-2854 info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca

The ACMG Apprentice Ski Guide Exam was operating in the Frisby and Big Eddy Creek areas of the Monashee Mountains (just north of Revelstoke) for the past week. Weather was variable with regular light snowfalls, mostly calm with light and variable winds associated with snowfall events, generally cool temperatures, and a mixed bag of sun, cloud, and fog. At treeline there's an average of 4 - 4.5 metres of snow on the ground. At higher elevations and on the glaciers we couldn't reach the ground/ice with 3.5 metre long probes, even from the bottom of 1.5 metre deep snowpits--we estimated 5-6 metres of snow at these elevations. There is a surface haor layer buried 25 - 50 cm down from the surface. Early in the week, this layer was highly reactive above treeline with test results in the easy-moderate range (fast clean shears for the pros), whumphing, cracking, and a few small skier and skier remote (avalanches initiated by a skier's weight from distances of 5 - 50 metres) triggered avalanches. Most of this activity was limited to higher elevations, both on shaded, wind affected areas right at ridgecrest and where there were buried sun and temperature crusts above the surface hoar. At treeline and lower, the surface hoar was more variable in it's reactivity and didn't produce the easy shears or whumphing/cracking observed at higher elevations. While indications were that the surface hoar layer mentioned above was settling down a bit as the week went on, it's certainly not gone. It's well preserved and large in some places and, while it's not on every slope, it is widespread--we found it on the crests of the highest ridges right down into the trees on all aspects. Just because you don't find it where you are digging, it's safe to assume it's just around the next corner or lurking on the next steep pitch. Throughout the week, we observed a couple of large natural avalanches (at least one was the right depth to be on surface hoar) and isolated smaller naturals on the surface hoar on various aspects, mostly at higher elevations. These slides were triggered by wind-loading and perhaps cornice fall in some cases. Natural, loose, wet avalanches occurred regularly when the sun came out--mostly at and below treeline. We also observed numerous natural slab releases on sunny rock slabs where glide cracks were showing. Skiing was very good on high elevation, north and north-east facing slopes all week. At and below treeline, there were breakable sun and temperature crusts on all aspects with isolated bits of half-decent skiing on steep, shaded pockets. Sunny alpine slopes were good early in the week, got trashed by the sun mid-week, then froze up and were decent dust on crust skiing again by Friday. Below treeline, on steep sunny aspects, there was up to 50 cm of wet (near isothermal) snow by mid-week which then refroze as temps dropped and cloud cover reduced solar radiation. It was sunny on Saturday when we flew out, so steep south facing terrain was probably getting hammered again. We started skiing on smaller, steeper features late in the week, but for the most part we stayed on moderate terrain all week, avoiding large, steep slopes especailly those with unsupported, convex rolls. Karl Klassen Mountain Guide 1735 Westerburg Road Revelstoke, BC V0E 2S1 Canada 250-837-3733 kklassen@rctvonline.net

The Assistant Ski Guide Exam was skiing in the Lake Louise/Bow Summit/Wapta region for the past week. Variable weather over the week, with very warm solar events interspersed between intense snow squalls and wind events. Variable amounts of storm snow were deposited over the period, from 10-30 cm. We found good skiing on northerly aspects above 2100m with variable crusts and loose snow on all other slopes. There is surface hoar buried 15-30 cm down but distribution seemed variable, we found it on north and east facing slopes at and above treeline and it was present even on high alpine glaciers and moraines. This layer has recently been skier triggered, with avalanches to size 1.5. Very large avalanches have also been occurring on steep east and northeast slopes in the alpine, most notably on the Wapta. Triggers have been cornices which have been failing due to windloading or warm temperatures. One avalanche off the east face of Mt Baker occurred in the middle of the night and was size 3.5, with debris running hundreds of meters across the flat glacier below. There were also numerous loose snow avalanches to size 2 on solar aspects, triggered with daytime warming. There was good coverage on the icefields, with about 300 cm of snow. Mark Klassen Mountain Guide mark@alpinism.com www.alpinism.com

I haven’t climbed NW direct personally but have looked at it quite a bit. It is the only route on the mountain that I have not climbed so it is sort of a “closing the chapter thing with me”. I am not sure that I agree with the late or early fall thing but it certainly can be climbed at that time of year. It is a snow route for the most part and I think that I would be doing as a late spring climb when the snow is well consolidated. It seems that the snow makes the climbing a lot easier and reduces the rock fall hazard considerably. It seems that your window of opportunity is short lately and the time from when there is to much snow and there is two little snow is maybe three weeks at best. Also you want to start early if there is a great amount of snow, from what I have heard from friends is that it is a spooky place when the snow goes funky on you. The descent has caught a lot of people off guard and in bad light they often mistake the south ridge for the way off. Remember that you turn left and follow the summit ridge for quite a ways (S. then turns E or NE then heads south again finally turning east on the final leg) 30 to 40 minutes before it turns south. Follow the summit ridge to the very last couloirs, if you go another 50 to 60 meters you will take a fall into the AA basin or hit the col itself.

The ice season is nearing an end but for those still out and about please consider the following: It is well known that the ‘V-Thread’ or the ‘Abalokov’ anchor is a standard practice for rappelling ice climbs. These types of anchors are used by most ice climbers these days. I have seen quite a few ‘less than ideal’ methods and materials used for this practice as of late. Some issues: 1. Diameter of Cord- It is ideal to use a minimum of 7mm cord for these anchors. Thinner diameter cord can certainly hold body weight but does not provide a very large safety margin. It should be known that cord or webbing can loose a significant amount of strength once a rope or two has been pulled through the cord. The pulling of the rappel rope through the webbing or cord often melts into the sheath and core of the material. I have seen many V-threads made with 5mm and even 4mm cord this year. I’m glad these are working for whoever is using them but I surely wouldn’t recommend using V-threads with this very thin material when you come along them on your decent. I climb with many advocates of ‘light and fast’ climbing but the wt. difference between 5mm cord and 7mm cord will not make or break your ability to ascend ice climbs. I often use pieces of an old 8 or 9mm rope to leave on climbs, which is stronger and takes longer to wear out than thinner cord and is a good way to recycle old ropes. 2. Type of Knot- I see a lot of small diameter cord used for V-threads tied together with a simple ‘overhand knot’. The standard knot for connecting cord in V-threads is a ‘fisherman’s (Single or double)’. The ‘overhand knot’ is popular for attaching (equal diameter) rappel ropes but only with large amounts of tale (1.5 - 2 feet is fine). Tests show that the ‘Overhand knot’ can roll or flip (essentially start to fail) more easily with icy or wet ropes, smaller diameter cord, dissimilar sized cord, or with knots that aren’t properly dressed. The cord within V-threads is often icy, thin, and large tails are not practical. Again, this knot (the overhand) obviously works for many people in this application but the safety margin is less and someday an accident will happen. See http://www.needlesports.com/advice/abseilknots.htm for some interesting ready on the ‘Overhand Knot’ for attaching rappel ropes. 3. Spectra or Dyeenema slings- Many of us use these thinner, light wt. sewn slings for ice and rock climbing (instead of bulkier and heavier nylon slings). These light slings are especially nice for winter climbing as they don’t absorb water the way that Nylon slings do. Ever notice that you can’t buy webbing made with these materials off the spool like you can Nylon? The reason for this is that the knot holding strength of these materials is much less than with nylon. These materials are slippery and the knots can easy slip and fail. I have seen several sewn Spectra slings that have been cut and then re-tied around trees or used in V-threads. Don’t do this. If you are desperate than use your climbing rope. There is ‘cord’ (generally 5.5mm) made out of spectra as well. This too is slippery. It is recommended to use a ‘Triple Fisherman’s’ knot when connecting this type of cord to prevent the slipping of the knot. Remember to: 1. ALWAYS back up your V-threads or Abalokov anchors with an ice screw or two while the first climber(s) go down. Make sure the back up is through the rope and not simply through the anchor material in case the knot slips or cord breaks. The last person to go can remove the back up screw knowing that the V-thread has been tested. 2. It is good practice to go off of two V-threads, especially if you made neither of them. I will go of one if I made it myself but will almost always make another if there is just one old thread in place. Better safe than sorry! 3. Try not to litter the ice climbs (especially popular ones) with V-threads of poor quality, ie: marginal materials, they will only have to be backed up with another. 4. When adding a V-thread to be combined with an existing thread make them equalized so that both can be used. Having one thread a foot shorter than the one below nearly pointless. Rob Owens

The ice season is nearing an end but for those still out and about please consider the following: It is well known that the ‘V-Thread’ or the ‘Abalokov’ anchor is a standard practice for rappelling ice climbs. These types of anchors are used by most ice climbers these days. I have seen quite a few ‘less than ideal’ methods and materials used for this practice as of late. Some issues: 1. Diameter of Cord- It is ideal to use a minimum of 7mm cord for these anchors. Thinner diameter cord can certainly hold body weight but does not provide a very large safety margin. It should be known that cord or webbing can loose a significant amount of strength once a rope or two has been pulled through the cord. The pulling of the rappel rope through the webbing or cord often melts into the sheath and core of the material. I have seen many V-threads made with 5mm and even 4mm cord this year. I’m glad these are working for whoever is using them but I surely wouldn’t recommend using V-threads with this very thin material when you come along them on your decent. I climb with many advocates of ‘light and fast’ climbing but the wt. difference between 5mm cord and 7mm cord will not make or break your ability to ascend ice climbs. I often use pieces of an old 8 or 9mm rope to leave on climbs, which is stronger and takes longer to wear out than thinner cord and is a good way to recycle old ropes. 2. Type of Knot- I see a lot of small diameter cord used for V-threads tied together with a simple ‘overhand knot’. The standard knot for connecting cord in V-threads is a ‘fisherman’s (Single or double)’. The ‘overhand knot’ is popular for attaching (equal diameter) rappel ropes but only with large amounts of tale (1.5 - 2 feet is fine). Tests show that the ‘Overhand knot’ can roll or flip (essentially start to fail) more easily with icy or wet ropes, smaller diameter cord, dissimilar sized cord, or with knots that aren’t properly dressed. The cord within V-threads is often icy, thin, and large tails are not practical. Again, this knot (the overhand) obviously works for many people in this application but the safety margin is less and someday an accident will happen. See http://www.needlesports.com/advice/abseilknots.htm for some interesting ready on the ‘Overhand Knot’ for attaching rappel ropes. 3. Spectra or Dyeenema slings- Many of us use these thinner, light wt. sewn slings for ice and rock climbing (instead of bulkier and heavier nylon slings). These light slings are especially nice for winter climbing as they don’t absorb water the way that Nylon slings do. Ever notice that you can’t buy webbing made with these materials off the spool like you can Nylon? The reason for this is that the knot holding strength of these materials is much less than with nylon. These materials are slippery and the knots can easy slip and fail. I have seen several sewn Spectra slings that have been cut and then re-tied around trees or used in V-threads. Don’t do this. If you are desperate than use your climbing rope. There is ‘cord’ (generally 5.5mm) made out of spectra as well. This too is slippery. It is recommended to use a ‘Triple Fisherman’s’ knot when connecting this type of cord to prevent the slipping of the knot. Remember to: 1. ALWAYS back up your V-threads or Abalokov anchors with an ice screw or two while the first climber(s) go down. Make sure the back up is through the rope and not simply through the anchor material in case the knot slips or cord breaks. The last person to go can remove the back up screw knowing that the V-thread has been tested. 2. It is good practice to go off of two V-threads, especially if you made neither of them. I will go of one if I made it myself but will almost always make another if there is just one old thread in place. Better safe than sorry! 3. Try not to litter the ice climbs (especially popular ones) with V-threads of poor quality, ie: marginal materials, they will only have to be backed up with another. 4. When adding a V-thread to be combined with an existing thread make them equalized so that both can be used. Having one thread a foot shorter than the one below nearly pointless. Rob Owens

Reports of slipstream being in shape might have been good, however new snow over the last 48+ hours form an isolated cell came in with some moderate winds on Sunday night and closed the window for now. Climbed curtain call on monday, given its northern aspect it is in awesome shape. Weeping wall still looks good form the road but closer inspection reveals a 3 to four inches of sugar over variable ice on the lower section. Still climbable but protection would require longer screws or much cleaning. Early start and retreat is recommended. The circus is still looking good but same ice conditions as weeping wall might be found in areas. Again early start and retreat. Howe's Peak area: Well still lots of snow and winter is still holding on. Have observed several small to mid size slides along the eastern aspect of this group. No visible slab action, mostly loose snow, probably triggered by ice or cornice failure all were located on steep terrain and gully features. Things are shedding and a few good lines are shaping up. If no new significant snow shows up a few weeks might sweep the landscape enough to improve travel and allow for some good calculated adventures. Good hunting Patrick Delaney 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.

I may be a bit bias here as I live in Banff. I would think that the Rockies would give you the opertunity to become a well rounded mountaineer. Lake Louise also provides a world class crag. You can improve your french as half of Quebec is here in the summer. You want to party? We know how to party! It is also the STD capital! I have spent a lot of time in Squamish but only to rock climb. I find the place a bit one dimensional

Was teaching a Capilano College ski touring course in Garibaldi Park (out of the Elfin Lakes) for the past 5 days (March 19-23). The storm system we are in right now dumped a meter of new snow since the 21st. The height of snow at the Elfin Cabin is probably over 5 meters (our best guess). SE winds and continuous moderate to heavy snow fall were the features of the previous 2 days. Today the temperature increased and by 3pm it was rain and sleet to 5000'. Yesterday I ski cut a steep, treeline, NW aspect, lee side roll and it broke out as a 50-70cm deep slab running on the March 13 surface hoar. Today in clearing weather we saw 2 size 2 slab natural avalanches both on the same N aspects that appeared to have run late in the storm on the March 13 Sh. Also today we dropped a 10 cubic meter cornice on a N aspect slope and it resulted in only a moist surface snow sluff. During a fairly brief clearing we got to see the alpine and it did not show any sizable natural avalanche activity. As of this afternoon the Hazard at treeline in the Paul Ridge area was Considerable and the Stability was Fair. The new snow was rapidly stabilizing. But with the warming temps and rain this afternoon and evening I bet the stability and hazard is actively worsening. Seems the March 13 surface hoar on N aspects is the thing to watch. S aspects where only balling, with small point releases. The Diamond Head road was dirt with a very little amount of slush for the last 2 km this afternoon. Dave Sarkany, Ski Guide

Spring is showing itself with warm temperatures and unsettled weather. 9 cm of new snow fell the last few days at the portal (1066 m) on the east side of Hudson Bay Mountain. The snow turned wet. However, it was still -1 degree at 1500 m at noon. The winds were strong from the south. There was wind transport, but not enough volume to form large avalanches. There will be smaller pockets - easily big enough to be trouble for skiers. At treeline, the new snow did not slab, but only sluffed on ski-cutting steep terrain. -- Christoph Dietzfelbinger, Mountain Guide Bear Mountaineering and the Burnie Glacier Chalet Box 4222 Smithers B.C. Canada V0J 2N0 info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca tel. 250-847-3351 fax 250-847-2854

The huge boulder at the top of the main section of Tangle Falls is looking unstable. Significant erosion has occurred around the sides of the rock, and it could potentially come crashing down, especially on a warm, sunny day. Cheers, Grant Meekins Alpine Guide gmeekins@telus.net _______________________________________________ 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.

A Quiet day yesterday (Thursday) in Evan Thomas Creek. Access walk is well trampled in and all ice climbs are still in very good shape, in spite of above freezing temps for most part yesterday. “Too Low for Zero” is also still looking good and relatively dry. Cheers, Jorg Wilz Mountain Guide IFMGA www.ontopmountaineering.com

Hi gang, Just one thing to add to Larry’s note. I was in the pass (Bonney Glacier area) on Monday and the surface hoar on the surface at that time was quite well developed (top 10 mm. or more) and if the skiing improves this will be something to keep in the back of your minds – not to mention all those buried suncrusts. I didn’t see the reported slide in the Bonney moraines but there had been a skier accidental off the moraine leading to the Lily Glacier – I am not sure if that was the same one or a different event (the way I went up I didn’t have a great view of all the Bonney moraine slopes) – the one on the Lily moraines was triggered on Saturday and involved 2 skiers. Scott Davis Mountain Guide

Spring arrived in Rogers Pass with a sweat on yesterday . Very warm temperatures in the past 72 hrs and clear skies Monday have created a crust on all except pure North facing slopes. The big south faces in Connaught ck and the Hermit must have a savage crust on them. They might become corn with a couple of clear days but right now they would just be awful. The Illecillewaet glacier was wind hammered from Pearly rock down on Tuesday. Lookout col looked OK. Upper Youngs Peak was totally skied out on Tuesday as was the Dome and the terrain below the Asulkan hut. Lots of room and probably still decent snow on the Asulkan glacier from the Asulkan Pass and below Sapphire col. Good skiing on the Bonney Moraine today but spooky soft slabs in places. There was a skier triggered size 2.5 there a few days ago and it didn't feel like it had gotten any better. The Bonney trees were OK but lots of tree bombs down at 1pm and falling fast all day. The avalanche danger rose dramatically today with the daytime heating. (9c at the Loop Brook trailhead at 2pm) Not much good news I am afraid. I won't be rushing out to the Pass untill something changes. Larry Stanier Mountain Guide

Spring conditions are making themselves felt early. A well settled snowpack of 280 on top of the Burnie Icefall and 150 at the lodge. The only avalanche activity in the last ten days was a size 2.5 natural ice fall triggered with many nasty blue chunks in it across the route just above the Burnie Step. Today a storm moved in and the new snow slabbed up immediately. It was blowing hard from the south and graupeling 2 cm per hour on the Solitaire Ski Peak at noon. Skiing is good on the shaded aspects and sunny aspects where the terrain is gentle. Sunny aspects have a sun crust that is almost supportive. The crevasses are well bridged. -- Christoph Dietzfelbinger Mountain Guide, Bear Mountaineering and Burnie Glacier Chalet Box 4222 Smithers, B.C. V0J 2N0 Canada tel. 250-847-3351 fax: 250-847-2854 info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca _______________________________________________ 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.

Went for a fun tour yesterday with some friends in the Maligne area. An old trail known as the Lovatt Scout trail" leads into the Alpine south of the Bald Hills area. Start up the fire road, take the first left towards Moose Lake. About 1km or so a trail branches of right. which has been punched in. Always take a right fork. An hour up you hit a small meadow, which is crossed to the north. Eventually you end up in a nice valley where the option exits to follow the ridge line up left or climb some south facing slopes which come up directly underneath the south rocky peak of the Bald Hills. (two small tarns marked on map.) Easy terrain can be used to the top. From here just descent the easy North ridge of Baldy Peak and traverse hard to hit the fire road. The left ridge is a bit longer but scenic. Probably have to walk a bit to get over the peak just to the south. (see pic) Below treeline you don't really want to "shred" snow pack is about 50-70cm of weak facets. At treeline the pack was supportive enough to break trail. In the alpine old wind slabs gave good support. Peter Amann Peter Amann Mountain Guiding Box 1495, Jasper AB, T0E 1E0 www.incentre.net/pamann pamann@incentre.net

id Polar Circus today. Not a lot of snow fell in Mt. Cirrus area in the past 24, but (judging by the road conditions) south of Sask Crossing there was significant wet snow over the past 24. Even with overcast skies there was a fair amount of solar radiated heat penetrating the snow today at all elevations. It was -8C at the road at 5:30 and we were off by noon. I would definitely recommend saving this route (and other routes on Cirrus, Wilson, and Murchison) for cold nights, overcast days and combine with early starts (and fast ascents). I wouldn’t want to be hanging around up there much past 1300 or 1400. Also climbed Sea of Vapors two days ago. Things are generally dry and cold up on the Trophy Wall. SOV is in great shape….well protected and hooked out. The route has an extra 10-15 meters above where the route normally ends. This is the crux with 95 degree ice that is quite brittle and not as hooked out as the ice below. The approach was well broken as of two days ago. Postscriptum goes at WI5 and the traverse can be done as thin ice with good (10-13cm) ice screws on both sides to keep it at WI5+ ish. Kitty Hawk- as of three days ago was in fine WI 5 shape but the upper pitch is rotting out quickly with the direct sun it sees for a couple hours between 9-11 am. The upper slope gets the sun for much longer and this si another climb that has significant snow, ice, and rockfall hazard from above on these sunny/warm days. Carlsberg Column, Cascade Kronenburg, Pilsner- All very fat and hooked out. Cascade Kronenburg is a little harder to protect but the climbing is on solid features. Tis the season to GET UP EARLY to avoid overhead hazards (rock fall, ice fall and avalanches) and to beat the crowds. Rob Owens ASS ALPINE GUIDE

This week I've been working a CAA Level 1 in the Lake Louise/Bow Summit area. The week initially started cold and with a fairly stable snowpack. Fairly unconsolidated surface layers, good mid-pack strength, with the basal facet and depth hoar layers not very reactive to our tests. Generally hard shears (although Sudden Collapse in quality). Rutschblocks were all rated 7 (no result). We started seeing warming mid-week, and this has led to a subtle change in the past 24 hours. In addition to the expected loose snow avalanches on steep sunny aspects, there was a report of size 2 slab on a south aspect yesterday. Today (Friday) we saw the top 30 cm of snow start to settle and form a slab but the weaker facetted layers or crusts just below this slab has not strengthened as fast. So we started seeing variable shears 20 to 30 cm down from the surface, easy to hard but all Sudden Planar in quality. This shear was reactive to the skis to and I cut a size 1 slab 25 cm thick in a steep convex roll on a south aspect at treeline. It was a very small feature but I think on a bigger slope with the same snowpack characteristics it would have propagated a fair ways. We're saying avalanche danger is Moderate in the Alpine, Moderate at Treeline, and Low Below Treeline. Terrain travel advisory: at highest elevations we expect sluffing and isolated windslabs due to brief intense flurries and moderate south winds today. Cornices are a concern at all elevations, due to their size combined with warming and windloading at high elevations. Caution for settlement slabs that lie on well developed facets on shaded slopes or suncrusts on steep solar aspects. Mark Klassen Mountain Guide mark@alpinism.com www.alpinism.com _______________________________________________ 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.

I just installed a Beacon Basin at Rogers Pass, on the highway side of the Visitor Centre at the summit of Rogers Pass. There are seven transmitters, turned on and off from a small black box by the entrance walkway. It was generously donated by Back Country Access (BCA) as a public safety education tool. You can now search for 1 to 7 beacons. They are buried 50 - 100 cm deep, and have small wood targets above them for probing. Please try to probe gently. Turn off all the switches when you are finished to conserve batteries. Don't dig up the transmitters, the connecting wires are fragile. Practice your transceiver skills! Jordy Shepherd Mountain 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.

Completed a Peyto Lake to Sherbrook Lake trip on the Wapta Icefields on Thursday March 9th. Going in to the Peyto hut we used the moraine approach instead of the canyon. This required some careful skinning and boot packing but was easy traveling and avoided more of the avalanche hazard. Snow coverage on the glaciers in general was quite good, more than 250cm where ever I probed. We roped up for travel in a number of known crevasse areas, based on summer experience in the area. Going up to the Balfour high col we climbed up the moraines from Balfour Pass onto the glacier to avoid the steep slopes of the lower more direct route, and then at about 8350 ft contoured into the lower left hand route to avoid the serac hazard of the upper bench. This worked very well for us given the conditions. The c revasses on the way up the ramp were well covered making for good travel on the far left next to the rock, but caution is advised as the serac chunks from above make their way all the way to ski line!!! Ski penetration in general was between 15-45cm depending on wind effect. Good skiing on the way out to Sherbrooke Lake with 20-30cm of new snow at treeline. While we had limited observations due to poor visibility, we did have very strong SW winds and approx 30-40 cm of new snow in the past three days. This has formed a lot of wind slabs in the alpine and at treeline of variable depth and hardness. Several natural avalanches up to size 2 came out of steep N aspects. We were choosing gentle/conservative terrain to travel in the alpine and at treeline. < /DIV> Great trip overall!, Conrad Janzen ACMG Ski Guide & Asst. Alpine 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.

06/03/10- Tried to ski the saddleback surprize pass loop. Did not feel good about the steep slope that needs to be descended in the sheol valley. Here there was SH down 35(firm slab), CT 3, SP, Size 2mm and very easy CT<1 on SC down 10cm.. The pit was S aspect at 8200ft. NW aspect hole at 7800ft on Saddleback also had the SH layer but could not get an accurate CT as the column broke in the DH at ground( CT 7 )before the surface hoar broke. HS130 both locations. Excellant ski quality on N and NW aspects as well as low angle S aspects. NA age undetermined, size 3 start aprox 7800ft,NW aspect, Seen from a distance and crown may have been 40cm X 300 or 400 meters wide. Started just below the cliffs on Haddo and ran into the sheol valley. There were other skiers around and there was some fairly aggressive lines taken through trigger areas on the East slopes of Fairview with no snow movement. There was also no whumps or cracks Stability unobserved,poor, fair Haz unobserved,consid, mod Chris Turner, SG

The Burnie Glacier Chalet reports 25 cm new snow and 30 cm of storm snow this morning. They hear natural avalanches out of the cliffs on Hut Peak, which is to be expected. Excellent skiing. On Hudson Bay Mountain, 14 cm of snow fell with this system. We saw no fresh avalanches, but were able to ski cut the storm snow in steep terrain. There is a shear 13 cm down and another below a crust 30 cm down. Good skiing. -- Christoph Dietzfelbinger, Mountain Guide Bear Mountaineering and the Burnie Glacier Chalet Box 4222 Smithers B.C. Canada V0J 2N0 info@bearmountaineering.ca www.bearmountaineering.ca tel. 250-847-3351 fax 250-847-2854 _______________________________________________ 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.

Was working at Callaghan Country Backcountry Lodge for the last 4 days (9-12 March). Over a few days preceding the morning of the 9th the area received about a meter of new snow bringing the total height of snow at the lodge (4500') to 510cm. During that storm the area had a widespread natural avalanche cycle that ran on a surface hoar layer (buried on the 5th). During the last four days the snowpack rapidly stabilized and reasonably cool air temperatures (nothing higher than -2 at the lodge) kept the north aspect slopes in great shape for skiing. During my stay we skied progressively more aggressive lines. Yesterday the lodge hosted K2 Ski's Back 9 competion. The runs where down steep fluted faces, bowls and pillow lines. There where no skier triggered slab avalanches, but the loose surface snow sluffed reasonably easily. On nearby mountains skiiers and snowmobilers visited many steep features. The only recent natural avalanche debris I saw was a cornice release (size 2.5) that did not pull a slab from the slope below. Amazing ski conditions. As of yesterday I'm rating the Avalanche Hazard in the area as Moderate in the Alpine, Low at Tree Line and Below Tree Line. For stability Alpine=Good, Tree Line = Very Good, Below Tree Line=Very Good Dave Sarkany Ski Guide Callaghan Country Backcountry Lodge