Out for few early season laps in the Connaught drainage. Nice day & seeing
lots of locals & visitors alike sampling the snowpack. Some observations:
-HS (height of Snow) at 2250m (on the SE ridge of Ursus) : 110-120cm
-settled snowpack with 30cm of Fist (F) resistance new snow (HN) over 4 finger,
then 1 finger midpack
-the bottom 1/3 is a dense layer of Pencil (P) resistance with the early season
raincrust (RC) prominent on top of this & about 5cm thick
-compression tests had a Medium result (CTM 15) down 20cm in the HN with a
Progressive Collapse (PC) nature to the shear, as well as a Hard result (CTH
25) with a Sudden Planar result down 50cm. This was at an interface of 4f over
1f snow.
-no results to compression tests on the crust
-no results to skicuts. no settlements felt
All in all, a good start to the season, tho that raincrust could have different
reactive qualities in other areas. It's worth the dig down to have a look at &
it stands out quite well (@ 2250m) in the pit I dug.
Coverage was developing well, tho there was still quite a bit of surface
roughness evident in the snowpack below 2100m. The creeks are still open, but
more & more snowbridges are appearing.
I didn't get a very good look into the higher Alpine start zones as the
visibility was quite limited at times, tho from what I could see, I didn't see
any Natural activity.
It was a happy shortbus load of friendly folk out enjoying the new treats
today. Ski Pen (PS) was about 30+ cm & occasionally one would touch down on
grass or worse, rock, at lower elevations. The trail is in good shape for
early season and as usual, provides lots of fun luging out at the end of the
day, especially on tired, early season legs!
dave healey, asg
pic 1 | balu headwall
pic 2 | ursus bowl exit
_______________________________________________
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.
|