Subject: | [MCR] Bugaboos to Rogers Pass Ski Traverse, April 20-29th, 2014 |
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Date: | Wed, 30 Apr 2014 12:34:07 -0600 |
We completed a ski traverse from the Bugaboos to Rogers Pass yesterday under clear skies and with cool temperatures. We had very unsettled weather on the trip with about 30-60cm of storm snow in the alpine, but temperatures remained cool and travel conditions were good throughout the traverse. The snowpack was more of a settled winter snowpack than a true spring snowpack. North aspects still had dry snow as low as 2000m yesterday. Valley bottom travel was supportive even late in the day and only very thin solar aspects had gone completely isothermal. Early morning travel was very good the last couple days with the crust breaking down by early afternoon. Glaciers had more than 3.5m of snow and glacier travel was straight forward with the exception of a couple wind scoured areas.
We saw very little avalanche activity on the traverse. Solar triggered slides to size 2 out of steep solar slopes were becoming more common on the last two days, and several cornice failures and small wind loaded slabs to size 2 on North aspects were observed mid traverse following a storm. The one anomaly was a size 3.5 off the SW face of Mt Macoun failing on a deep weak layer in the last several days.
Our avalanche concerns consisted of cornice failures, loose wet sluffs, and deep slabs if things stayed warm.
The traverse was in very good shape. Here are a few specific comments:
A great spring ski tour! -- Conrad Janzen and Tom Wolfe ACMG Mountain Guides
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