[MCR] Rogers Pass update

Since we've had a couple of Selkirks conditions reports I thought it would be worth mentioning what's been happening at the pass over the weekend.

On Friday we skied just east of the park at lower tree line and below tree line elevations and found the snow to be fairly upside down having a heavier layer(F+) of about 30-40 cms over 5-10 cms of lighter density snow. This layer was easy to feel with a ski pole. Surprisingly we did not see any obvious signs of instability or any serious concerns in a test profile near the top of our run. And while we skied some steep tree line terrain we didn't observe any cracking or slides. 

Touring near the summit of the pass on Saturday the snow felt much more upside right although you could still feel a slight density change with a ski pole down about 40-50 cms. This layer was failing in the moderate range (CTM 13/15 RP) on preserved stellar crystals. If you stepped out of your skis you would sink in about 60-70 cms. The skiing was truly good in the open but there were some old tree bombs just covered(with about 20 cms) from the recent wind event. It was snowing about 2 cms an hour during the afternoon.

Sunday the pass was closed and no permits were available. The avalanche control crew was getting size 2-3.5 avalanches to come down with artillery control. So now another 50-60 cms overlies the previous storm snow and wind slabs(at treeline and above) and it sounds like its a bit denser as well. Saturday nights storm had also come with strong S-SW winds creating more wind slabs in open terrain.

So right now the snowpack has a lot of different layers in it that are changing daily so take care when assessing the snowpack and deciding where to ski.

Cheers,

Greg Franson (ski guide)




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