[MCR] Ferris Glacier, Crowfoot Knob

I ski toured up to Crowfoot Knob, the little peak to the west of Crowfoot Mountain, today. The temperature in the parking lot at 9:00 am was -13 C, with a high of -3 C at 4:00 pm at the end of the day. The bright sun didn't seem to heat things up much today. Moderate west winds all day with plenty of snow transport in the alpine.

At 11:00 am we observed a cornice failure on a steep alpine E aspect, elevation 2600 m, size 3.0, about 100 m wide and running ~400 m. It propagated a slab avalanche in the lower slopes (approx 50 m x 40 cm deep, ran ~100 m). See attached photo. This was the only avalanche observed today.

You could see the results of the avalanche cycle from last week in old slab avalanches, mostly in the size 1.0-2.0 range, on all aspects and mainly in the lower alpine and treeline elevations. The slopes threatening the approach (along and above the canyon) have mostly slid with a couple of exceptions that did not seem menacing today.

We skied mellow open slopes (<30 deg) and small, supported alpine slopes to 36 deg and avoided exposure to large slopes and cornices. Snow coverage on Ferris Glacier was about 150 cm. Snow quality was light, wind pressed powder which skied very nicely.

Good to be in the beautiful Rockies today, with unlimited views, sunshine and blue skies. What a place we live in.

Regards,

Tom Wolfe
Mountain Guide ACMG/IFMGA
www.sawback.com
Cell: (403) 707-9996

Onion_Nc_20160223.jpg
Description: JPEG image

_______________________________________________
These observations and opinions are those of the person who submitted them. The 
ACMG and its members take no responsibility for errors, omissions, or lapses in 
continuity. Conditions differ greatly over time and space due to the variable 
nature of mountain weather and terrain. Application of this information 
provides no guarantee of increased safety. Do not use the Mountain Conditions 
Report as the sole factor in planning trips or making decisions in the field.
See http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.
See http://informalex.org/subscribe.shtml#unsubscribe to remove your name from 
this list.