Made a trip with some friends into 5-Mile Creek from the Whitewater ski
area. We skied North-East, North and South-West aspects between 1800m
and 2200m. The air temperature hovered around -6C during the day. On
the North aspect I was getting moderate hand shears down about 30cm at
elevations above 1900m. The bond got much stronger near 2000m and the
shear wasn't very apparent above that. We felt the snow whumphing in a
couple of places as well.
The main hazard was the shallow snowpack. Coverage was minimal, about
100cm, but enough. There were a number rocks that were covered by only
a few centimeters of snow. We skied our lines conservatively by
spreading out, avoiding convex rolls and going around big lumps in the
snow (remembering the rocks). Although the snowpack was thin, the
skiing was actually very good. The denser snow over the ground carried
well and kept the skis off the rocks and logs. The dump expected
tomorrow should help to cover the tops of the smaller trees and reduce
that hazard but likely increase the avalanche hazard.
Be careful out there.
Craig Hollinger,
ACMG Assistant Ski Guide.
_______________________________________________
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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