[MCR] Rockies West Side

Just back from a week ski touring in the Wild West End of the Rockies, near the Lyell Icefield.

Average snowpack was about 175 cm, in the alpine it was variable with depths of 100-200+ cm on the glaciers. 5-10 cm of recent snow overlies various surfaces: the Jan 27 surface hoar and facets in the trees, a 10 cm thick hard windslab/windcrust in all open areas and a thin suncrust on solar aspects. Where there was a hard slab/crust we had moderate sudden shears on the Jan 27 layer, this was nonreactive to skis except below 1700 m where the surface hoar is more pronounced and we had shooting cracks on a few steep rolls. The December facets were down about 80 cm and we had hard shears on that layer. 

The only avalanche activity we saw were loose snow avalanches out of steep terrain to size 1.5.

We tried to ski on planar features and avoid terrain traps as best we could.

I have limited experience in this area but things are looking drier than I have seen here before.

Mark Klassen

Mountain Guide

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