[MCR] Cirque pk/ Saddle mtn.

Subject: [MCR] Cirque pk/ Saddle mtn.
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 21:10:23 -0600
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.