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Just returned from a fun week of powder skiing out of the Fairy Meadows hut with the Alpine Club of Canada. We had between 50-70cm of fresh snow through the week with generally light W to SW winds and temps between -12'C and +2'C at treeline. We observed sluffing on steep N facing terrain up to size 2 during the storms; some solar triggered sluffing and storm slabs on very steep S aspects up to size 2.5; and two size 2.5 to 3 deep slabs mid-week on very steep glaciated North aspects around 2800m which we suspect occurred on the Feb 10th layer. The upper 2m of snow was bonding well on N aspects with no significant shears found. We did not observe the Feb 10th layer in snow pits but remained cautious about areas with a thinner snowpack or rocky outcrops and minimized overhead hazard. Some weaknesses were found on buried sun crusts on S aspects. The snowpack at treeline was between 250-300cm. While there are more crevasses visible than in other years, the average snowpack on the glaciers is between 300-400cm of firm snow. Most snow bridges were in good shape and glacier travel was straight forward. NW winds have loaded the terrain a little differently this year but the standard ski lines and routes
over the Gothic Glacier, through Friendship Col, across the Granite Glacier, and over the Enterprise and Forbes glaciers are all in good shape. Access up the Granite glacier to Adamant and Austerity looks a little more challenging than usual and Pioneer Pass had some options for travel but was not in great shape. This morning we called the hazard Considerable in the alpine, Moderate at treeline and Low below tree line with cautions for wind loading, solar triggered slides, and lingering concerns about the deep persistent weaknesses that may be present in the snowpack. Great late winter ski conditions! -- Conrad Janzen, Lydia Marmont, Jeff Mitchell and Emilie Stenberg ACMG Guides
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