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Got back yesterday from an attempt on the McBride Traverse.
Started at Diamond Head on April 25 and made it to the ridge above Drop Pass by midday April 27, when the monsoon came in. Dug in and waited it out til the morning of April 29. Strong winds, lots of storm snow, no change in the barometer (which had dropped 17 millibars) and a poor weather forecast necessitated a retreat back to Garibaldi Lake on April 29. Skied out April 30.
Storm snow amounts were highly variable due to the strong south winds, from 0-100 cm depending on aspect and elevation. 50-60 cm in sheltered areas. Our route back was mostly on the windward side of the range so the storm snow was generally wind pressed or soft sastrugi with little signs of slabbing. The storm started very warm and ended fairly cold and things seemed to bonding well to the previous surfaces, which were temperature/sun crusts nearly everywhere. We didn't observe cracking or whumpfing or any avalanche activity, but visibility was quite poor the day we retreated. In the Garibaldi Lake area with better visibility little recent activity was observed. I suspect some wind slabs in lee areas and tender cornices, and a wet avalanche cycle will surely occur when the sun comes out. Mark Klassen Mountain Guide
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