Spent the day on Dec 4th playing around on the West shoulder of Cheops. Things
are quite thin - the early season snowpack is still very prevalent. I was
finding less than 90cm in sheltered spots at treeline. We encountered pencil
hard windslabs right on the crest proper. There was between 0-30cm of low
density snow sitting on top of this. Made for some sporty up track building as
we hugged the ridge to avoid any bigger (possible) windslabs. On our descent
we explored a little further and found (in that area) that the windslabs were
confined to the ridge. We did have some minor cracking with the windslab in
areas where the snpk was thin (30-40cm) around rock outcrops. Across the
valley we could see a number of point releases to size 1 on solar aspects, as
well as what looked like a thin slab release (S aspect) from a mid-slope rocky
area around 2300-2400m. A guess at size was 1.5 but it appeared it ran a fair
ways, maybe 150m.
The snowpack in the alpine has facetted quite a bit. Very much a Rocky's
snowpack - thin coverage and cool temps promoting the crystallization. In many
spots the pack did not carry skier weight as well as it did just a few days
earlier. Also there was surface hoar growth again - now 2 layers with variable
distribution. That other one was buried with the last snowfall. We didn't find
it widespread, so it will take diligent looking to figure out where it lurks.
Still, good fun with early season exploring. Lots of smiles again with the
folks I ran into. Quite busy, upwards of 50+ people in Connaught on Sat,
possibly more on Sunday with the clear day. We encountered no wind & a valley
fog up to 2000m.
Trail in good shape (yes, still early season and a rock hop here & there is in
order) and another fine day of stretching the legs.
Loks like some decent precip in the forecast which will change things by next
weekend. Tread carefully!
Dave Healey, ASG
_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The
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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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