[MCR] Rockies, Lake Louse group, Surprise Pass

Skied Surprise Pass today on Mt. Fairview in Lake Louise.  Conditions in the Rockies more stable than the interior right now, and it was a good day to be in Surprise Pass.  There is no real slab overlying the surface hoar in this area, unlike to the west.  The upper 15 cm of the snowpack is dry facets. Total of 145 cm of snow at the Saddleback, and the south facing terrain was getting a bit soft but we did not observe any activity.  North aspects remained cold.  The Surprise Pass run has been heavily skied and felt like a run at the ski hill.  Kinda fun, no powder though.  We zoomed into some untracked snow on the skiers left and suddenly it was bottomless, weak facets in a very big place.  We then zoomed right back to the middle and all of the tracks. Our only real concern in here today was shallow and weak spots - we (mostly) stuck the middle of the run where the snowpack is more deep and evenly distributed.

The left side has come out big earlier this winter, and the bottom 200 m of the run is avalanche debris in the gully.

Grant Statham

Mountain Guide

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