WESTERN CANADA /APRIL 1 TO ?

[jmckay]

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

Edited April 20, 2006 by jmckay

[jmckay]

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

[jmckay]

 

 

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

[jmckay]

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

[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

[jmckay]

Just back from 7 days on the Wapta icefields. Up Peyto on April 2, cool and good conditions on moraine. Still good coverage and could skin most of the way up moraines where you usually have to walk. Noted big slide on Baker as mentioned in other MCR!

A mixed bag over the next 5 days. Over to Balfour on April 5th, again good travelling, no signs of any new activity. April 6th, very warm overcast and snowing lightly. Up Diaberlet glacier in foggy conditions, snowing lightly, +6 at 9400ft top of glacier. Lots of activity off of Balfour east side to size 2 that day but no new icefall. Approximately 3-4cm of new snow during day and early evening.

Clearing night of 6th, down to -5. Dawned clear and we went over to Scott Duncan in excellent conditions. Quiet day on east side of Balfour.

I used what I call the combo route ( see pic ) which I have used for a number of years. This avoids steep lower slope.Go up the north ramp to top of moraines then a gradual traverse slightly down onto the low route. Following a bench just below the crevasses that split "the" ramps, a clean line led to the bottom of the ramp near the rock feature. No visible slots here. Stayed close to rocks all the way passing the crevasse close to rock, again well filled in. No signs of recent icefall activity in this area.

There was about 3-5cm of new snow on top of a melt freeze crust. Below this the snow was still dry. Did have a few whumphs near the high col in the flats. Good travel on Daly Glacier.

Out Niles on the 8th, cloudy and frozen very hard. Signs of loose avalanches on face of Niles and gullies lower down above where you cut back into trees. Lots of activity on both aspects above Sherbrooke lake!

The trail out below lake has lots of windfall! Tedious and slow becoming isothermal lower down by 1100am

Driving home to Jasper noted that there is certainly less activity the further north you go.

Peter Amann

 

Peter Amann

Mountain Guiding

Box 1495, Jasper AB, T0E 1E0

www.incentre.net/pamann

pamann@incentre.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.

[jmckay]

Temperatures have dropped and there has been a bit of new snow above 1000 m.

We found 10 cm of storm snow at 1800 m, on top of a very hard 80 cm thick

slab. There are softer layers below this, but it would be difficult to trigger

this slab as long as temperatures remain cool. Today we were in a highly

windloaded area that has about a metre more snow than less sheltered areas on

Hudson Bay Mountain. Skiing quality was good with 10 cm of soft snow on top of

a hard pack.

 

--

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

[jmckay]

Just out from a week at Selkirk Lodge (halfway between Rogers Pass and Revelstoke), where conditions went from full spring corn/powder to a midwinter snowpack over the space of three days.

 

Currently an impressive spring storm has deposited between 40-60 cm. of snow in the last 48hrs. at Treeline elevations and likely closer to a meter in the high alpine – we observed snowfall rates yesterday afternoon in excess of 3 cm/hour that continued well into the night – moderate to strong winds from the SW accompanied this snowfall until they switched to moderate to strong from the North last night. This was followed by a dramatic cooling overnight (Friday April 14th) with morning temps of -10 Celsius Saturday morning which seemed to help with the bonding of the storm snow to the crust below it.

 

We ski cut several steep rolls to test them with no results and other test results were likewise favorable – however when the skies cleared this afternoon while we waited for the helicopter to arrive we observed that the entire head of the valley (an exposed alpine cirque) had released sometime late in the storm propagating over a distance of 2 kilometers and involving the release of terrain that was in the 25 degree incline – though much of it was steeper than that – aspect ranged from NE through NW – visibility was still foggy but it seemed to be several large slabs that I am highly suspect released simultaneously but that had small pieces of terrain still intact between them – anyway quite an event for sure and quite contradictory to our evidence a few kilometers away (and also several hours of time different).

 

All that to say that conditions have changed significantly in the mountains and special attention should be paid to the affects of daytime heating and the still lurking presence of the late March buried surface hoar layer in the high north facing alpine.

 

Cheers,

 

 

Scott Davis

Mountain Guide

[jmckay]

Cool temperatures and 5 to 35 cm of storm snow (depending on elevation) made for exceptional stability and skiing conditions. Ski crampons would have made life a lot easier. Night time temperatures at the lodge dropped to -9 and stayed about 2.5 during the day. I measured a 35 cm thick crust in the morning, with the temperature 10 cm down at -6. There are 118 cm of snow at the lodge and over 4 m on the glaciers. Crevasses and creeks are very well bridged. Rotten snow was not a concern at all and the corn skiing was excellent. Powder was to be found in cold aspects and at elevations over 1800 m. The wind effect was not interfering with the skiing very much. Mountaintop temperatures were from -9 to -11 in mid-day, with moderate to strong west to southwest winds. The only new avalanches were two size 2 slabs, triggered in steep terrain by icefall, that consisted mostly of ice and some of the storm snow.

--

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.

[jmckay]

With all the negative factors affecting the Rockies’ snow pack right now (lots of recent new snow with strong winds, day-time warming with intense radiation, buried surface hoar layer lingering) decision making for day trips isn’t all that easy right now. Yesterday, I decided for a day trip to Mount Gordon along the Wapta Icefield.

 

Snow coverage on the approach to Bow Hut is good, including the Canyon. Cold temps especially in the morning (-14C at Bow Lake at 8AM) and about 40-50cm of settled new snow on the glacier made for ski penetration of roughly 10cm – 15 cm. There is evidence of intense wind transport from previous days, predominantly from south/westerly directions, which continued throughout the day along the ridgelines yesterday. Lots of really fat looking wind pillows lingering on slopes close to ridge lines.

 

Also, there have been a good number of recent avalanches, the largest (probably size 2.5 / 3) we saw was on Balfour Glacier. The start zone is in relatively low angle terrain on the glacier climber’s left (south) of the lower ramp commonly used to get to Balfour High Col and it ran into the Hector Lake approach to the Scott Duncan Hut. I suspect the slide was caused by the recent wind loading, possibly combined with the surface hoar layer prevalent on northern aspects in higher elevations along the Wapta Icefields. This surface hoar layer is currently buried 40 – 60cm deep and with wind-stiffened slabs above, many slopes could be prime candidates for skier triggering.

 

Enjoy the sunshine and stay safe!

 

Jorg Wilz

Mountain Guide (IFMGA / UIAGM)

 

www.ontopmountaineering.com

1-800 506 7177 or (001) 403 678 2717

[jmckay]

Skied to the 1500 m observation site on the E side of Hudson Bay Mountain this

morning. The winds of the last two days did not bring much new snow. We could

see our old tracks in the big traverse at 1900 m, with some new snow in

deposition areas. Only one size 2 moist avalanche, cornice triggered, had run

between 1800 and 1400 m in the main path. We did not see any other new

activity. A profile in a sunny aspect at 1500 m showed an isothermal snowpack

with one shear 90 cm down. I don't think that the snowpack is isothermal in

higher and shadier locations yet.

 

--

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.

[jmckay]

I was up on the Wapta last Monday to Friday, skiing and climbing between Bow and Peyto.

 

There is still a wintry snowpack up there. Windslabs linger on the surface and of special note is the late March surface hoar layer now buried 35-85 cm down. Both these layers produced avalanches over the week, the most interesting one being on the headwall above Bow Hut (photos). I'm sure this was on the surface hoar layer, looked like about 50 cm deep, and failing on low angle albeit unsupported terrain. It was triggered by a wind event and morning sun, running at 8.45 am on Tuesday (witnessed by skiers on Bow Lake). This is similar terrain as most other avalanches I saw over the week: upper elevation glacier, N or NE aspect, unsupported terrain.

 

A profile in the Rhonda/Baker basin at 2900 m showed the surface hoar down 85 cm. There was a windlasb about 20 cm thick on the surface. When I made a column for a compression test it failed and slid on the surface hoar before I cut the back of the column, leaving the 20 cm thick surface windslab hanging suspended! I had never seen that happen before. Another profile on the south ridge of Mt Rhonda showed the surface hoar down 35 cm, beneath a hard windslab.

 

The obvious question is what the Balfour High Col is like. Over the week at least one party declined to go up there while another safely made it up and over.

 

Late in the week it was warming and north aspects up to 2400 m had seen a thin crust form. On solar aspects the snow was moist up to ridgetop with numerous loose snow and slab avalanches noted on west aspects, running on a crust about 30 cm down.

 

All in all a bit of a mixed bag out there. Don't expect any of these instabilities to go away unless there is a significant melt-freeze event that reaches mountain top for at least a couple of days.

 

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

mark@alpinism.com

www.alpinism.com

 

Edited April 23, 2006 by jmckay

[jmckay]

Saddle Mtn in Lk. Louise yesterday. Skied the N face couloir. Not quite yet ready for good ski quality as the 3cm surface melt freeze crust made for good traveling but poor skiing. Found the March SH (surface hoar) layer (3-5mm 70% of it still standing proud) with a N facing, 20deg. test profile @ 7700ft, 50cm down with easy compression/shear test. Would not have continued to the couloir if it had not already slid recently. On the way back from the Parkway today I noticed that the North Face of Saddle had slid near ridge top in the last 12hrs, with a size 2 that surely slid on SH triggered by pm warming. On this short fun tour, there is some route-finding and steep boot packing down North side of ridge where it peters out into steep cliffs- find inukshuk 40 meters down off ridge for gully feature leading to top of couloir.

 

Cirque Pk today: Up the S ridge via Helen lake, thence down the SSE face from summit. In perfect condition right now, with a short boot pack near summit. Amazing long dist. vistas of Assiniboine, Bryce, etc. On this East side of the highway the S aspects we skied were excellent. The corn is not quite ripe yet but the cooler temps of Fri and Sat dried out the S asp snow pack and created surface melt freeze re-crystallization that felt like a skiff of powder up high and warmed to corn like snow below. No surface hoar found, no whumfing or avalanches observed. Though it was a scorcher today, due to the good overnight freeze we hardly got any snowballing or pinwheels, neither was there any isothermal snow until below tree-line. Stability and hazard definitely felt good up there today but if it really warms up as it is forecasted beware of wet snow, isothermal slides on steeper aspects.

Get out there!

Eric Dumerac, Ass. Ski/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.

[jmckay]

From the last field trip above my mining project, here is a report on the

conditions we found. Temperatures were -5.5 at 1900 m at 0900 with strong

southerly winds and light snowfall. Surfaces were very hard which made for

marginal travelling even with ski crampons on and heels down. We dug a pit

that showed rising snow temperatures - just a bit warmer than -2 for most of

the 150 cm - with a strongly frozen lid on top. We found hard shears 8 cm and

85 cm down in a snowpack that alternates between hard crusts and finger hard

facetted layers. We experienced one whumpf in a shallow snowpack area at 1600

m and saw no new avalanches. Skiing quality was fair at best.

 

--

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.

[jmckay]

 

3 days up at Bow and Peyto. In on the 28th, -3 in parking lot, good

travel, still solid by 1pm at hut.

29th over to Peyto.. +1.5 at Bow at 0700 soft heading up. Numerous

squalls and intermittent sleet and snow. By evening numerous point

releases on all aspects to size 1.5. On Rhonda N the steep snow

slope facing Peyto was sluffing all afternoon.

Isothermal conditions in pm most places off the glacier.

 

Peyto lake looked bluish...probably done for the year... I know from

descending it a week a go it was already getting sketchy in the

moraines for snow.

 

~ 5-10cm HN overnight then-3 at Peyto. April 3oth- Good travelling on

glacier back to Bow.

 

Numerous size 1-2's on moraines below and facing Bow Hut. Some others

closer to the turnoff to Crowfoot as well. Point releases stepping

down. Also on E facing slopes below Bow Bump there was a large size 2

out of the rocks. (All released on the 29th)

 

By 1130am getting isothermal on descent trail right from hut. had to

stay right on the track. (Lots of craters for those who didn't)

 

Some of the snow bridges in canyon have broken, not a big deal though.

Bow lake was still fine, down to ice but Ok when surface is soft.

Needs some cooler temps to glue this place back together.

Still suspect deep instabilities and caution as the warm temps have

deeply penetrated the snow pack and a significant cooling trend is

need to increase stability.

Peter

 

 

Peter Amann

Mountain Guiding

Box 1495, Jasper AB, T0E 1E0

www.incentre.net/pamann

pamann@incentre.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.