Spent the last 3 days skiing up in Cerise Creek. On the coast right now we are in a period of big storms, with below seasonable temps (freezing level at 1200-1400m and below the whole time), and periods of intense winds from the SW-SE. HS above treeline is regularly 3m+ (longer then my probe), with close to 1.5m still at road elevations. The glaciers are quite well filled in, even after looking very dismal at the end of last summer. Avalanche activity seems to be limited to direct action during and just after storm cycles in wind loaded locations, with all but the north high elevation aspects having multiple crust layers. A skier accidental was witnessed on the Anniversary glacier 4 days ago, and I suspect it was on a new snow/old crust interface, as the slope had a slight solar aspect to it, especially this time of year. We found plenty of amazing cold powder skiing on all north facing aspects above 5,000' near Keith's Hut.
If you are planning on visiting Keith's Hut, a few friendly reminders. Bring your own TP, and plan on burning it thoroughly either in the wood stove or by hand. There has been big piles of half burned teepee left in the outhouse. Don't expect much firewood. All that is left was a few huge burls/knots, and is really hard to chop, and there is not much left! Please do some shoveling and leave the place cleaner than when you found it as well! This place is heavily used. Also, bring a newspaper in if you want to start a fire, instead of tearing pages out of books, magazines and log books left in the hut.
Have fun out there.
Evan Stevens
Mountain Guide
evan_stevens@xxxxxxxxxxx
evanstevens.blogspot.com
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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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