[MCR] Whistler area

Subject: [MCR] Whistler area
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 07:54:10 -0800
There has been a CAA Level 1 course in the Whistler/Blackcomb "near" country for the past few days. Here is a synopsis of what we have seen.

A few cm of snow and cold temps early in the week gave way to broken skies and temps in the positive range later on, maximums of +2 were recorded Thursday. Light winds. Snowpack depths variable: not enough snow below treeline to avalanche; at treeline and in the alpine depths range from 70 to 130 cm.

Two melt-freeze crusts are found at all aspects and elevations, one down 10-20 cm under the low density surface snow and the other down about 50-70 cm. The upper one is only a few cm thick and shows signs of facetting on either side of it, most notably on upper elevation north aspects. The deeper one is thick and strong but also shows some facetting although these facets are not as weak as around the upper one. Some moderate to hard shears have been found on these crusts, but nothing consistent. Near the surface in the alpine there are some windslabs, and inconsistent moderate to hard shears have been observed beneath these slabs. Surface hoar is buried a few cm below the surface beneath very soft surface snow but is not an issue at this point.

No avalanche activity has been noted. No reaction of the surface wind slabs with limited ski testing.

Alpine: Low
Treeline: Low
BTL: N/A

Marc Schoenrank, Assistant Ski Guide
Mark Bender, Ski Guide
Mark Klassen, Mountain Guide