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Hi all,
Today I was guiding near Cornice & Buzz ridge from 1800m to 2200m at Kootenay Pass. Temperatures were in the -7.0 range, we had high overcast skies with flurries and light to moderate winds from the west at ridge top. The average height of snow at treeline was 110cm and there was anywhere from 30 to 45 cm of recent storm snow overlying the December 16th crust/surface hoar layer. We did not see any signs of instability other than minor cracking between ski track. Traveling and skiing conditions were surprisingly good considering the below average snow coverage.
There was no real storm slab cohesiveness in the areas that we skied today but given the avalanche forecast we were conservative with our terrain choices. We skied moderately steep, supported terrain and avoided convex or shallow rocky areas. When we return to the parking lot we heard a second hand account about an avalanche involvement on an East aspect near Lightning strike ridge. Someone apparently went for a ride in a size 2 avalanche and got partially buried. The person had a positive airbag deployment and was uninjured but lost some gear.
Obviously the storm slab is starting to become reactive to skier traffic in specific areas. With the forecast precipitation and winds over the next 24 hours this will likely become more generalized. Be careful out there and keep your feelers out for the devellopeing storm slab.
Happy Holidays!
David Lussier
mountain guide
www.summitmountainguides.com
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