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ACMG Mountain Conditions Report Summary for the Rockies and Columbia Mountains issued November 3rd, 2011
Winter seems to be knocking at the door. Here in the Rockies there is lots of talk about early season ice. People are getting after it with lots of caveats about thin ice, stubbies, rock gear etc.
Currently, it seems you can get around in the Rockies below treeline on slippery ground and mostly avoid the snow and avalanche concerns. Treeline may have some drifts to avoid and in the odd place(think big gullies) you should consider what snow is doing above your head. Not many observations from the alpine but assume that there is more than enough snow for it to be avalanche season. We have almost no observations from the Rockies alpine so your confidence should be very low if you heading up high. There is definitely enough snow in most places for avalanches to occur and there has been reports of high winds in the past couple of days. It would be wise to assume that there could be windslabs in the alpine that could send you for a nasty ride over the scree, cliffs, crevasses etc if you stepped on them. Crisp new cornices are the icing on that cake.
Ski season is off to a decent start, for early november, in at least parts of the Columbia mountains. As a gross generalization, the limited observations show that the further north you go in the Columbias the more snow there is. Low down at Rogers Pass, there is around 60-80 cm snow. Enough to travel on and enough to camouflage the rocks, stumps and rhubarb. Recent posts point to good travel above treeline. There is some avalanche concerns up high due to limited observations of a surface hoar layer possibly above 2100m and some recent wind strong enough to create windslabs. As in the Rockies, there is nowhere near enough information to make generalities about avalanche problems in the Columbias. That uncertainty is "normal" for this time of year. Conservative terrain choice is a good plan for this and a bunch of other reasons like rocks, crevasses, early season legs etc.
It looks like it will be a cool to cold weekend. If you feel you can manage the thin ice and thin snow then you had better go!!
Be light on your tools and your skis and to state the obvious-try not to fall.
Larry Stanier
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
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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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_______________________________________________
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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