Greetings everyone,
I was up the Asulkan valley today and skied some lines in the Dome Glacier
area.
Sky conditions were mostly scattered cirrus (high clouds) and a valley fog
layer that was topped at around 1800m. Temps were wintery and winds were
light in our area (with some drifting off higher ridges) and the snow has
definitely been more sheltered from wind affect than the Connaught drainage.
That said Youngs peak definitely had some wind on it.
There appears to have been 10-15 cms. of new snow since Tuesday and the
surface is currently covered with surface hoar that ranges from 3-5mm. in
size - this was observed from below treeline all the way into the alpine.
Of note were several old slab avalanches that judging from the amount of
snow on them, probably occurred last Monday. There were 3 size 2 slabs off
Mt. Pollyx and the broken icefall below it (sometimes referred to as the
Thorington route) they were @ 20-30 m. wide and probably 60-80 cm. thick and
ran off steep (40 degrees) unsupported features - I am guessing that this
was the storm interface (observations from a distance).
The Nov.12th crust is @ 40-60cm. from the surface and the October crust was
buried by 140cm. of snow. The HS (height of snowpack) was 200cm. on the
upper Dome Glacier. There were several sags on the top of the glacier, so be
aware if traveling in the area in poor light.
No significant shears observed and no results from the ski tests.
Cheers,
Scott Davis
Mountain Guide
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