Just finished 31 days largely in this neighbourhood, first at Mustang Powder
and then at K3 catskiing. Ski travel as of the evening of the 23rd was
excellent, both up and down. Walking sucked, both up and down. Average snow
depth above 1400m was around 100 to 150 cm. This shallow snowpack is relatively
strong in most areas, hence the good ski quality.
As of the evening of the 23rd, we had no really significant widespread weak
layers. Steep, directly south facing terrain had a nasty sun-crust with
facetted snow above it about 70cm down now. We saw no avalanches on this layer
and never found it anywhere even slightly off of true south or moderately
angled. We were also avoiding Steep alpine NW through NE slopes. This was only
because we hadn't had an opportunity to check out the snowpack in these places.
All of the alpine North facing in the K3 tenure is BIG and steep so there was
no way to sneak in and have a look around with guests. No real concerns other
than a lack of direct observations.
Big snow in the forecast so the world will likely change dramatically over the
weekend. If we get a big pile of new snow, it will be a good test of the lower
snowpack. I am hoping we will just see storm snow avalanches, this will be a
good sign that we can forget about the november rain-crust and various other
vague layers that have given us pause but not much negative feedback.
Finally, lots of open creeks, even in relatively high elevations. If it looks
like open water, it probably is open water.
Merry Christmas and all that,
Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain 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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