I have just returned yesterday from 5 days of heli-assisted
ski touring with CMH in the Adamant Lodge.
The main concern in the snowpack remains the two surface
hoar layers about 60cm down (buried March 8) and 70cm down (Feb 24). On northerly
aspects we found both layers consistently well preserved and the crystals standing
up straight anywhere from tree line all the way to ridge top. In spite of the
fact that there had already been a large avalanche cycle on these layers the
previous week (at one fracture line profile of a sz 2 avalanche on Pyrite Ridge
I measured a slope angle of only 23 degrees!), we continued to trigger avalanches
remotely (i.e. from a distance), especially where wind loading had added volume
and stiffness to the slab and especially on Tuesday and Wednesday when temps
were warming and freezing levels rose to 2400 meters.
During Wednesday to Thursday morning we received up to 25cm
of new snow (more snow towards the Selkirk divide, Austerity Creek and Fairy
Meadows Hut Terrain) with cooling temps. On Thursaday we ski toured
predominantly on western aspects in Austerity Creek, an area that is also
accessible from the Fairy Meadows Hut. In the one pit we dug here, we found
only one of the surface hoar layers about 60cm down. It was much less preserved
but yielded clean shears (sudden planar) on moderate compression tests. Below
about 2200 meters and on southerly aspects there was a distinct crust
detectable, possibly in combination with surface hoar, which produced huge
whumpfs in low angle terrain – not very confidence instilling but with
the cooler temps and the low angle terrain we travelled we ended up not
observing any avalanche activity. Skiing quality was excellent btw.
In summary, not much has changed lately in terms of hazard.
In the alpine and at tree line, it’s all about terrain selection and sticking
to conservative, relatively low angle terrain for the time being – which has
been pretty much what we have been doing since the new year started.
Stay safe,
Jorg Wilz
Mountain Guide (ACMG / IFMGA)
OnTop ltd.
www.ontopmountaineering.com
1-800 506 7177 or (001) 403 678 2717