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I joined the Valhalla boys for a fun day of
skiing on Mt Field (Jan 18). We were expecting wind crust conditions but once we
got out of the car and started skinning up the road, we realized that the west
side of the divide received 5-10cm of new snow over night which nicely freshened
up the ski quality. Temperature at the car at 9:00am was a chilly -19 C but at
least the wind was calm. It warmed up to -10 by the end of the day. The sky was
broken or overcast all day but visibility was good with the ceiling around 3000m
(just below the summits of Mt Stephen and Cathedral). We dug a test pit just above treeline before the final steep
headwall. Compression tests gave moderate to hard results down 20cm on
a thin layer of decomposing crystals. The total depth of snow was 165cm. No
signs of recent avalanche activity and no whoomphing to report. Near the top,
new thin soft slabs are beginning to form on the lee side below the ridge. The
ski down was consistent boot-top faceted powder from the ridge right to the
road. By the time we left the Truffle Pigs Cafe at 4:30pm, it was snowing
lightly again in Field.
Sean Isaac
Assistant Alpine Guide
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