[MCR] Dolomite Peak and Wapta Icefields, April 6 - 9th, 2008

Did a couple of tours in the last few days around Dolomite Peak and between the Bow and Peyto Huts. 

 

Travel Conditions:

Travel has been great.  Trails down low are hard and fast in the morning, and trail breaking in the alpine varies from 5-20cm depending on aspect and elevation.

 

Weather:

Some spring squalls in the last few days left up to 30cm of new snow on the divide with little wind.  This has settled out nicely into boot top powder on N and NE aspects in the alpine and great skiing!  Yesterdays heat resulted in sun crust forming on most solar aspects. 

 

Avalanches:

There was a fairly large avalanche (size 2) remotely triggered by a group in a safe spot on a ridge, between Mt Rhonda and Mt Baker on April 8th.  It was a N aspect at about 2700m and failed on the Feb surface hoar down 80cm, on a convex roll just below the ridge.  This is similar to 5-6 other slides in the past couple weeks on similar terrain throughout the Wapta Icefields area, so something to keep in mind as you travel.

 

Daytime heating was producing quite a few wet snow avalanches in the afternoon on S and W aspects, some of which were also pulling out fairy significant slabs on the way down.

 

Spring conditions are arriving, but we were still quite leary of steeper terrain features in the alpine which may have the Feb surface hoar layer lingering, and timed our travel to stay away from solar triggered slides as the day warmed up.

Cheers, Conrad Janzen
IFMGA Mountain Guide
403.678.8336(cell)// 403.760.0887(home)

A person should have wings to carry them where their dreams go, but
 sometimes a pair of skis makes a good substitute. -Hans Gmoser-

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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The 
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