A few observations from a quick lap of White Queen near the Whitewater
ski area. We skied up the west ridge from Humming Bird Pass into a near
white-out so observations of adjacent slopes were not possible.
At 9AM in Nelson the air temperature was a balmy +2 then -1 at the
Evening Ridge parking lot (elevation 1490m) a half hour later. The past
week's storm snow had filled in the up-track, but trail breaking off the
track was easy with only ankle to cuff deep ski penetration. Not much
wind slab formation in the new snow even on the summit, but lots of
buried wind slab above 1900m. I stayed off anything steep, so didn't
get a feel for how well the bonding was for these layers. It was -6 on
the summit just past noon, so it looked like the predicted cooling trend
had started.
The ski back down on a south-west aspect was great fun on the supportive
layers below the storm snow. We skied conservatively, skiing steeper
slopes one at a time and avoiding steep, unsupported terrain. Some
sloughing occurred on steeper terrain, but it didn't run far or gather
much mass. A skier coming in above the previous skier's track was able
to cut off some blocks of slab (15-20cm thick) which would tumble down
the slope, but this was possible only in steep terrain (>40 deg). In
all, a pleasant and uneventful morning of touring.
Would have been interesting to see what the various parties who joined
us on the summit observed after they scattered in different directions
on their descents...
Craig Hollinger,
ACMG Apprentice 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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