For those interested, myself and Grant Meekins just came back from a week based
out of Bow Hut on the Wapta.
Conditions on the ski in were not very inspiring. The average snow depth was
15cm’s, but we were able to ski from the car right to the hut. The canyon
didn’t present too much difficulty, two sections had to be walked.
Temperatures were mild throughout the week, and we received 35cm’s of snow in
the alpine, along with moderate to extreme winds from the S - W.
We made ascents of Mt.Gordon, Mt.Olive, the Onion and a trip over to Mt.Rhonda.
Snow cover on the glacier was as thin as we have ever “skied” it. Average snow
depth on the glacier was 80cm as of yesterday, with open crevasses and exposed
ice on the convex rolls. The normal way to Mt.Gordon was impassable due to open
crevasses.
The only day we had visibility (Tuesday) we saw several natural slab avalanches
up to size 2.5 on NE and N aspects triggered by wind loading.
Our main concerns were windslabs in the alpine that could be easily triggered
by a skier in steep terrain, falling into a crevasse while skiing unroped, and
cranking a rock in the shallow snow near and below the hut and ruining our
skies and our ski season.
We managed those concerns by generally avoiding avalanche terrain, using the
rope on the glacier (sometimes both up and down) and carefully probing a route
if we wanted to ski it unroped. The ski down from the hut, was more side
slipping, kick turning and snow plowing than anything else.
Not much info these days as the season gets going, so hopefully that’s useful
for folks in the Rockies.
Cheers
Jason Billing
Jason Billing
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
ACMG Alpine Guide/Apprentice Ski Guide
403.609.7602
_______________________________________________
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.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
See http://informalex.org/subscribe.shtml#unsubscribe to remove your name from
this list.
|