Fun outing today in Chickadee Valley just south-west of the divide on the
Kootenay Park side. Cold (-10C), windy, foggy and generally uninviting at
9.30 when we took off from the Great Divide Trailhead but after 30 minutes
up the valley on a well packed approach trail we were in the sun and out of
the wind.
We skied the second avalanche path on the right (southern aspect) and found
a totally facetted (recrystallized) snowpack of 50 - 80cm depth with a
melt-freeze crust about 30 cm down, which for most part did not carry.
Consequently, track-setting was cumbersome when we left an older ascending
track and the skiing was best in the main avalanche path where the snowpack
was compacted by old avalanche debris.
With plenty of weakness present in this thin, early season snowpack there
were no slab properties to be found anywhere we travelled today. Overhead
avalanche hazard seemed minimal given that it hasn't snowed in a long time,
one or more avalanches had already run after the last storm and finally the
start zones looked pretty boney and lacking volume. Main hazard today was
the risk of injury by getting a ski caught, which is why we had set our
bindings softer than normal.
Off note is the large surface hoar everywhere below treeline where we
travelled today which will be talked about once it snows again. The only
place where we found a thin sun crust (with surface hoar on top) was a
steeper gully wall on the southern aspect we skied today.
All in all a beautiful day in the mountains for as long as you didn't set
your expectations too high on the skiing quality!
Cheers,
Jorg Wilz
Mountain Guide (ACMG / VDBS / IFMGA)
OnTop ltd.
www.ontopmountaineering.com
+1 403 678 2717 or 1-800-506-7177
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