Went for a tour in the Whistler Backcountry yesterday (Jan. 4th) to try and gather
some info on the snowpack and see if we could find some safe turns. We
toured up the ridge/ski area boundary from the bottom of the Symphony
Chair towards Lesser Flute and did a couple of laps in the trees off
the ridge towards Oboe Creek, finishing by skiing out Singing Pass
Trail.
Elevation: 1560 to 2000m
Temperatures: -6.5 to -9.5 deg C
Height of snow: 80 – 160cm
Sky: Obscured, snowing
Ski penetration: 30-60cm
Foot penetration: 60-80cm
Wind: Moderate SE at ridgetop
Snowpack:
Varied greatly with terrain and elevation, containing many facet layers
but each pit we dug was significantly different.
We observed
some localized whumpfing and cracking near trees, but we stayed away
from steep open slopes and glades (ie. Avalanche terrain) as snow
profiles showed there is definately weak layers reactive amongst the
rotten facets. No avalanches observed apart from very small soft 10cm
slabs on very small terrain features from ski cutting.
Singing
Pass trail was in good condition, the lower section having a couple of
ditches to be wary of and we had to take our skis off twice to cross
creeks. Oboe Creek still had holes with water showing, so we headed
left into the trees where there was quite a bit of deadfall not
covered, but manageable.
There was 30cm blower pow in my driveway when I got home, so stability is going to get worse before it gets better, be careful.
Alex Geary
Assistant Ski Guide
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These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The
ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in
continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable
nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information
provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions
Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
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