we a pleasant day at Crowfoot Glades skiing some of the shorter pitches up on
the moraines. coverage is good for this time of year, with snow depths above
thresh hold (covering ground obstacles & anchors) below tree line.
we did observe 2 settlements within the trees and another party reported
several in the talus of the moraine features. we also did a compression test &
observed 2 hard results in the November 24th facet layer. both shears
performed with a sudden collapse characteristic. with these observations and
the Banff National Park hazard rating of Considerable for Alpine & Treeline, we
chose to ski conservative, well supported lines that had no risk of overhead
hazard.
there are numerous tracks in this location, especially in the trees and finding
fresh lines was somewhat challenging.
we did notice that there are some recent ski tracks in one of the planar slopes
below Crowfoot mountain. it is possible that folks may be pushing into higher
hazard terrain due to the lack of skiable lines in the more conservative
choices. this is a challenge we all face early in the season when we are all
keen to enjoy turns. it is sometimes difficult to remember that it is still
early season & we need to let the snowpack have time to settle, especially with
the weak basal layers that were formed in November of this year.
have fun everybody & ski smart!
dave healey
acmg sg
www.yamunska.com
_______________________________________________
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