I have spent the last four days ski touring in the Bugaboo Creek area around the Bugaboo lodge, from 1500m to 2400m. The weather has been clear or scattered skies, calm all four days, with temperatures from -2 to -10. Snow depth
on valley bottom is 60cm and 180-200cm around 2400m. The snowpack tapers off in depth markedly at around the 1650m level to about 60-70cm.
Above the 1900m. level I found two rain crusts consistently down 90-100cm. In between the crusts is a variety of strengths and crystal type, but mostly strong, well bonded to both crusts. Compression tests give either no results
or in the high end of hard results on the lower crust, resistant planar or progressive collapse. Otherwise the snowpack is strong and well sintered. There are really no other weaknesses, bottom layers are dense and well bonded to the ground. Below 1900m,
there is a solid 10cm rain crust at the ground.
Changes over the last 4 days are that the storm snow from last week had a 25-30cm. ski pen which is now 10-15cm. Surface hoar is present on N + E aspects to 10-12mm and 5mm on S+W asp. I couldn't
find any SH above 2100m.
Other observations from around the area are no visible fracture lines or avalanche debris, no wind effect except for a little on the top of the Bugaboo glacier and small or no cornices where there are usually much bigger cornices even at this time of year.
This is one of the better November snowpacks I've experienced in this area.
Skiing is totally dynamite!
Dave Cochrane
Mountain Guide