[MCR] Rockies Waterfall Ice - Junkyards, Louise Falls, Moonlight and Snowline, Haffner.

Hey there, 

Some observations from the last 5 days spent ice guiding from Canmore. The recent warm weather has started to deteriorate some of the lower elevation ice routes we visited this week, a few of them probably won't be around for much longer.

The Main Area at the Junkyards is still doing fine, although starting deteriorate a bit. The little curtain that touched down on the climbers left side of main area was barley standing and likely to collapse if it hasn't already by now. Despite getting a little bit rotten a large chunk of the main area should still last while longer.

Louise Falls is the biggest I've seen in a while with space for at least three ropes/lines leaving the cave. The main line right up the centre is probably the easiest with big hooked out features the whole way up the pitch. Left side of the left pillar was a little tougher and the pillar on far climbers right has seen a bit of traffic, but being the steepest and least traveled, was the hardest line out of the cave. Ice was still in great shape on the whole. 

Moonlight and Snowline in Evan Thomas Creek, are hanging in there but barely. The first pitches of both lines are in rough shape, but got better as we climbed into the 2nd and 3rd pitches. Moonlight looked to have slightly thicker ice to start, but was starting to delaminate from the wall behind. First good screw went in at about 20 meters off the deck. Snowline seemed a bit more delicate, and took some very thoughtful climbing not to completely knock down the bottom 10m. of the route. First good ice screw went in at about 25 meters out.

My guess is Snowline could be done for the season if the warm weather in the forecast shows up next week or if it sees a heavy handed ascent. Moonlight might have a bit more time, but it's definitely on the way out.

At Haffner the pure ice lines are still doing fine, but a lot of the thinner ice features at the tops of the mixed lines in the main area are getting to rotten to be of any use. We saw lot's of the big snow mushrooms collapsing off the upper walls and landing in the main area with the daytime warming as well.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

Mike Trehearne

Alpine Guide / Assistant Ski Guide

mike@cloudnineguides.com

www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Rockies: Chickadee Valley

Went up the Chickadee Valley today, Saturday March 31. 

Only a few cm of recent storm snow at the trailhead but by the time we got to beneath the moraines at 2000 m there was 55 cm of recent storm snow. This snow was sitting on a sun crust a few cm thick that we could feel easily with our ski pole. I believe this crust was buried March 29.

Upon investigation we found an Easy compression test, Sudden Planar in character, on this crust. The failure layer was surface hoar sitting on the crust. We also saw a Hard, Sudden Planar shear down 110 cm on the Valentine's Day surface Hoar. 

Considering this and adding the fact that the sun had come out and was beating down into this south facing valley we beat a hasty retreat without committing to the steep slopes of the moraines and abandoned our idea of going up the glacier to Chimney Col.

We cautiously skied a bit along the trim lines on the edges of the west facing runout zones lower in the valley. The snow was already becoming moist there from the solar radiation.

We saw two size 2 loose snow avalanches coming off steep east facing cliffs in the afternoon.

In the next while I'm going to stay away from the west and south facing slopes that has this March 29 buried crust.

Mark Klassen

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

Banff-Lake Louise, Canada

facebook/ facebook.com/alpinism

[MCR] Wapta Icefields, Rockies, March 28-30

As part of a recent Apprentice Ski Guide Exam two groups traveled up to the Wapta Icefields from March 28-30. One group approached from Bow Canyon and the other from Peyto; each completed a short traverse and descended the opposite approach. Trips were also completed to the Wildcat Glacier via Baker / Trapper Col, Little Crowfoot, Rhonda South, and the Baker / Habel Col.

We encountered good travel conditions due to cool temperatures, low ski penetration and reasonably good snow coverage. Temperatures remained below freezing in Alpine but TL and BTL were starting to see affects of spring warmth. In spite of the wind, good skiing is still found in sheltered areas.

The approach to Bow Hut is in good condition with the creek mostly covered – although there remains considerable overhead hazard from snow slopes and cornices collapsing. The Peyto approach is also in good condition and requires the normal amount of boot packing in the moraines.

Seasonal strong winds have created variable snow depths in the region. This recent storm brought moderate to strong S and SW winds. We encountered less recent soft wind slab than anticipated other than in isolated pockets. Snow depths varied from over 3meters on most glaciers to bare ice on steepest part of the Upper Peyto Glacier. Snow from previous storm appeared to be 10-15 cm in alpine but was closer to 20-30cm in more sheltered areas below tree line.

Surface hoar was observed down 70cm on a 2100m W facing moraine feature nearby to the Mistaya Lodge. Snow tests showed some reactivity to snow tests although we saw no recent natural or skier activity on this layer.

We had limited visibility during the trip, however we only observed 1 new natural avalanche in our travels. We avoided traveling on shallow snowpack areas out of concern for triggering persistent deeper instabilities. We were also cautious traveling in areas that might have had wind slabs. Cornices remain a serious overhead hazard with their potential to create debris and trigger larger slabs. While a few have fallen, there are many more that lurk overhead.

If the weather improves and sun comes out we anticipate to see an increase in activity on solar aspects and cornice failures.

It was a great week skiing with friends.

Cecelia Mortenson
ACMG Assistant Alpine and Rock Guide
CAA L2 Avalanche

 

via

Peter Tucker
Executive Director
B: +1.403.949.3587
M: +1.403.689.4324
ed@acmg.ca  |  www.acmg.ca

 

[MCR] Aster Lake Area, Kananaskis Country

Spent the past 3 days (March 28-30^th) in the Aster lake area in Kananaskis Country. 

 

Weather was a bit of a mixed bag with up to 20cm of snow falling over the course of the 3 days and temperatures hovering around -3 to -6C.  Despite the winds forecast to be somewhat calm, they remained in the moderate to strong range out of the SW throughout the 3 days and as a result, the new snow was quickly forming storm slabs up to 40cm thick in open wind affected terrain.  Average height of snow at treeline was 230cm.

 

Below 21-2200m a widespread temperature crust was being encountered on all aspects.  This crust was supportive while skiing but was providing a good bed surface for fast sluffing in steeper features and we were certainly avoiding wind affected terrain wherein a slab could be found overlying this crust. 

 

We unfortunately didn’t get a good look back towards Mt Joffre so can’t tell you what the snow coverage looked like back there and if the face has been blown down to bare rock.  Of note, the winds in this part of the world appear to have been rather intense this winter.  Many areas were scrubbed down to bare rock and there was lots of variability in snowpack depths as you travelled. 

 

Snow quite hard up there as we left the area on Friday afternoon.

 

Mike Koppang SG

Public Safety Specialist

Kananaskis Country, AB

 

 

 

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[MCR] K Country Skiing

I skied glades W of Spray Lakes Rd above Headwall Creek this AM with friends Carter and Kevin. We skied BTL between 2000-2300m. Conditions were overcast with snowfall up to S2. Temp between -4 and -1C.

We found storm slabs 20-40cm thick. Ski cutting on unsupported slopes over 30 degrees produced easy results on temperature crust to size 1. Below HST we observed a supportive midpack to P hardness. HS of 150-200cm. We did not observe the SH layer in our profile.

A slide path left of the glades we skied had slid naturally in the past 24h producing Sz 1. Suspect failure of HST on temp crust. It would appear that HST is not bonding well. Caution is advised on steeper terrain and in gully features.

On the drive back to Canmore, we observed winds S-E from W at ridgetop of Nestor.

Brent Peters
AAG

Sent from my iPhone
_______________________________________________
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.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Rocies, Bow to Yoho traverse

I guided a ski traverse from the Bow Hut to the Stanley Mitchell Hut and out the Yoho Valley from March 24th to 29th.

March 24th: great travel into Bow Hut. Only a couple of pools or water open in the canyon creek, then, and little solar sloughing from the skier's left hand wall in the canyon, I suspect that has changed with the warmth of yesteday.

March 25th: Great travel across the Wapta on a wind pressed surface to Mt Collie. We gained the basin below Collie via the climber's right hand side of the icefall (close the rightmost open crevasse in the photo below). I judged these slopes to be less steep than the left hand of the icefall. We skied down to the proposed site of the Alpine Club of Canada's new hut as per the new guidebook -Summits and Icefields 1 (basically the col between Yoho Peak and the long southwest ridge of Mt Collie). Getting to the proposed location was straight forward, exiting from it down onto the Glacier des Poilus involved a bit of thinking. We cut a steep south facing slope above a wind moat (first moist snow of our tour) -there may be other options that would be found given a hut there (two pictures of our exit below). We descended onto the Glacier des Poilus via westsouthwest facing snow patches and a rib from the above described col. This descent felt far less serious than the traditional descent via the large southwest facing slope at the head of the Glacier des Poilus.

We camped out on an a lake locked ice berg at the end of the Glacier des Polius. The consensus of our group was that the ACC should build the hut.

March 26th: We traversed towards Isolated Col and I stuck my nose right into it's lower slopes where my heart rate ramped up and I decided that turning the Whaleback would be a better option. A one day old size 2 slab out of the Whaleback's east ridge line made me feel better about giving Isolated Col a miss (moderate westerly ridge top winds on the 25th was the trigger, I suspect). Our first of three nights in the Stanley Mitchell Hut.

March 27th: We had some fine skiing in flat light on the north side of President Pass. We skied from the last benches below the bergshrund as the visibility was poor and I didn't feel good about climbing up the steeper slopes into the pass. My team solved the problem of the clogged outhouse with lots of hot water and a long stick. Good problem solvers, my crew.

March 28th: More fine skiing on the Mt McArthur/Isolated Peak glacier. Better visibility, but we still skied from below the bergschrund because of McArthur having it's head in a cloud all day.

March 29th: We skied down to the Yoho Valley and out to the cars, lots of kicking and gliding with a wee bit of skinning on the biggest uphill.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

[MCR] Duffy - North Joffree Shoulder

Went for a ski tour on the North Joffree Shoulder today. Temps were hovering at or above 0 near the car and -5 at 2100m, and snow quality quickly improved above 1400m. 15cms of HST at the cars, with up to 40cms of HST at treeline.  We went to ski From 2050m in the first more open short alpine style kind of features that we could safely ski cut on entering.  With a safe and successful ski cut, we managed to initiate a 25cm deep soft slab that then propagated 130m along the ridge line creating a size 2 avalanche.  The bed surface was the March 26th layer with some small surface hoar and facets present at that low alpine elevation.  Lower in the run we were also able to ski cut the same layer in a more sheltered location with 2-4mm preserved surface hoar.  We suspect that winds in the predawn hours were strong enough to stiffen the snow in all open terrain, as the ski quality also suggested this.  We were unable to go any higher into the alpine, so we do not know if this March 26th layer is still reactive up high.  Stay safe out there!  Ski quality was excellent in the upper below treeline elevation ranges. 

Evan Stevens
Mountain Guide.

[MCR] South Coast- Duffy Lk

Skied today in the Duffy Lake area. North aspects were still in good shape above 1750m, everything else was sun crusted. By the end of the day 15cm of new snow covered the old surface. In some places the crust is supportive with skis. The mid day sun was not strong enough to  cause even balling.  No new avalanches observed. I found the alpine hazard was Moderate, tree line was Low.

 

Dave Sarkany

DSK Guiding

 

 

ACMG Ski Guide

SKGABC Level 3 Sea Kayak Guide

 

604.938.4056

dsarkany@telus.net

 

[MCR] Wapta Conditions

Spent March 25-27 in Peyto Hut Area on the Wapta.

Good coverage on the ice with 260-300 cm above 2600 metres. Surface snow
was generally wind pressed but still very skiable.
Max temp in alpine was 0 degrees but snow was staying dry due to cool
winds.
Several pits(dug down to 150 cm) in vicinity of Trapper/Baker Col showed
various moderate shears in top 40 cm and a well settled snowpack below.
The Feb surface hoar was not found in the places we dug, however I would
assume that it is present in many areas on the Wapta. Before skiing any
bigger features I would check fort the presence of the surface hoar.
We were skiing well supported slopes and avoiding shallow areas.

Looks like Spring has finally arrived,

Brian Webster
Mountain Guide

_______________________________________________
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.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] South Coast, Spearhead Range

Skied out to Tremor Mt today. All south aspects where firm with a sun crust.  North slopes below 2000m seemed warmed enough to have a thickened top layer that made skiing tricky. North aspects above 2100m where good, mid boot deep and light.  There where ski tracks everywhere, the place was very well traveled over the weekend. No new avalanches today. Looked like the Alpine Hazard was a very solid Moderate.

As we skied out at 5pm it started snowing very lightly.

 

Dave Sarkany

DSK Guiding

 

 

ACMG Ski Guide

SKGABC Level 3 Sea Kayak Guide

 

604.938.4056

dsarkany@telus.net

 

[MCR] Coast Avalanche and Snowpack Observation Flight

Hey again,

I did another observation flight yesterday. I flew from Squamish southeast to the Harrison-Fraser Divide, up to the Stein, over Lizzie Lake zone, south of the Joffre, north of of Mt Currie, to the eastern edge of the Pemberton Icecap and south to Squamish. Here are some observations:

·         It was one of the warmest days of the year with temperatures of up to 15 degrees at valley bottom and a freezing level peaking around 2400m.

·         Although all zones received lots of snow in the past three weeks one area saw significantly more snow in the recent storm. This area  started at the north end  Pitt lake and extended East and South to the Lower mainland and over beyond the Hope into the Cascades of Manning park.

·         Several size 1-2.5 solar avalanches and snowballing were noted on southerly aspects to ridge top.

·         Except for one southwest facing Sz 3.5 no recent (prev 72 hours) slab avalanche were noticed anywhere on the coast but large destructive cycles occurred during the storm systems in the previous two weeks.

            -A first cycle occurred between March 15-19^th throughout the coast with slides to small size 4, possibly stepping down to the Feb 08 or 16 layers.

            -A second cycle occurred north of the Squamish latitude east to west as well as south of that latitude in the area east of the Stave drainage. This cycle likely occurred around 20-21^st most likely on the Mar 07/08 laye with slides up to Sz 3.5

·         Although partially covered, several large crowns were still visible from these events and looked roughly 100-250cm deep in places.

·         Most of the crowns were low in the start zones and massive amounts of hangfire remain.  In many cases less than 50% of the slopes slid.

·         The glitter of surface hoar was visible on protected north aspects from the air!

Minimal cornice activity was observed on the flight but the cornices are large and looming. Lots of glide cracks were opening up especially east of the Pitt River and south of the Joffre area.

The amount of mountain recreation and industry work was impressive. More impressive were some of the places people were going! (?) Some examples:

1.  A couple of fellows were high marking the same slope the killed the Squamish man earlier this month. The slope was completely reloaded with no evidence of previous slides. As the sleds climbed a stream of snowballs was initiated in the warm surface snow. Their 3 friends were sitting on their sleds watching from give or take 30 meters of the terminus of the previous fatal slide.

2.  Fresh skin tracks under even fresher wet slide debris on south aspects in the Lizzy Lake area

3.  Road clearing machinery parked in slide paths that were bare of snow at road level but had large start zones with cornices hanging above.

Be safe out there, although it is spring and things are settling out there is still a lot of snow in the hills!

Cheers,

Conny Amelunxen

MG

[MCR] O'Hara area, Rockies, March 25th 2012.

Lake O'Hara lodge's last day of operation for the winter season. Good ski conditions and the snow feels good in moderate angle terrain with a deep well distributed snowpack. Not interested in poking around in the wind affected/variable snow depth areas. 
 
Opabin Glacier and Pass are well covered but I would wait for a lower avalanche hazard to ski the Wenkchemna-Opabin traverse.
 
If anyone has big spring ambitions for Lefroy, it will need a lot more snow without wind. The west face is looking surprisingly dry. The centre, fall line gully has a big rockband exposed and the skiers left Y gullies are looking awfully skinny. Very surprising considering how well the face's snow survived the summer.
 
Ice climbs on Wiwaxy are almost non existent.
 
Larry Stanier
Mountain Guide
laristan@telus.net

[MCR] French Haig Robertson Traverse

Overall great conditions on this trip yesterday with up to 40cms of recent storm snow on the Robertson glacier with no wind affect making for excellent skiing.

Good coverage on the glaciers (350cms+) and a thin overcast sky with a cool down flow wind kept things chilly (-10) all morning up high.  The big South facing slope leading up to the Robertson col (crux of trip) was moist in the afternoon but we were able to boot pack up rocks most of the way with an average of 10-20cms of snow underfoot.  This is a serious place so one needs to be certain on stability.

Our biggest concern was overhead hazard with the new snow and the intense power of the sun this time of the year.  We are slowly getting into spring skiing but we are not there yet!

Have fun.

Mike Stuart

CanadianAlpineGuides.com

[MCR] Correction - Vermilion Peak on March 24

I was at Vermilion Peak on March 24.

Jordy Shepherd
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.PeakAlpine.com

_______________________________________________
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.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Vermilion Peak, Kootenay Park March 25

I guided a day of split boarding in Kootenay Park today (March 25) in the burn on Vermilion Peak.  We measured a temperature of -6 C at 2400m at 1:pm and a light cool breeze from the SE.  It was a sunny day, and the recent storm snow rode well, with the surface getting moist on solar aspects in the afternoon.  The surface will crust up with sub-zero temperatures tonight.  Popular place, we saw more than 20 other skiers and split boarders.

 

Jordy Shepherd

ACMG / IFMGA Mountain Guide

www.PeakAlpine.com

 

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[MCR] Avalanche Control - Mt. Hector, Mt. Bourgeau and Mt. Dennis

Parks Canada will be conducting avalanche control on Mt. Hector, Mt. Dennis
and Mt. Bourgeau tomorrow March 25, 2012.

No skiing, climbing or other activities in these areas during this time.

Thank you for your understanding.

Visitor Safety
Parks Canada

_______________________________________________
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.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Rogers Pass conditions March 20-23. Glacier Crest, Bonney, Ross Pk, Lily traverse.

From March 20^th – 23^rd we received a bit of snow which did refresh skied terrain. Not  much wind associated with these intermittent snow showers. We skied mainly North and West aspects. Great snow above 1700M. South and East aspects had sun crust treeline & below. Below 1500M warming snow is getting heavier, verging on upside down in places. Snowpack generally feels stable apart from solar or wind exposed/loaded features.

 

The snowpack is settling fast with warming temps, in places it could be forming a settlement slab. Glide cracks opening up on slabby terrain.

 

March 20^th – Abbott trees & Glacier Crest.  Abbott -  Only one slope facing more NE was good, everything else had sun crust.  Glacier Crest – Excellent conditions but getting wind affected near ridge top.

 

March 21^st – Bonney Morraines-  trackless this day!  Snowpack felt very positive. We put a high up-track above the end of the first Ross peak avalanche runout. This big scary avalanche path  has not yet run, it gets early morning sun, same aspect and features (large start zone, cornices, shallow spots) as the Abbott path that slid to size 3 and took out the up-track earlier this week. Bonney area received heavy skier traffic March 22^nd and 23.

 

March 22^nd- Ross Peak – Very good snow Alpine to treeline and below treeline where sun sheltered. On a steep planar slope ski cutting produced two size 1 soft slab avalanches fracturing 20cm's down in storm snow. Sun had just hit this. Moist and heavier snow below 1500M.

 

March 23^rd – Lily traverse starting from Asulkan drainage. Excellent conditions throughout. Intense radiation by 1pm in the high alpine. Snow was moist from treeline  on most solar aspects. Stiff breeze at Saphire col otherwise windless. 

Eric Dumerac- Professional Mountain Guide
✆ 403-609-1564 
Mountain Skills Academy 

[MCR] Spearhead Traverse

Skied around the Spearhead Traverse today. Ideal conditions. The alpine North East to West sides stayed cool.

South exposures got heated a bit. Some point releases and later a thin crust formed.

Trail breaking was 15-25cm but ridge tops are scoured.

Saw lots of mid storm/end of storm avalanche activity to Sz 3 on all aspects and mostly low in the Alpine.

I assessed the hazard in the alpine as Moderate on north aspects, but I was reluctant to ski bigger features due to the amount of recent snow and evidence of past avalanche activity.  South aspects hazard went Considerable during the mid day heat.

 

Dave Sarkany

 

 

ACMG Ski Guide

SKGABC Level 3 Sea Kayak Guide

 

604.938.4056

dsarkany@telus.net

 

[MCR] Chilcotin Mountains: McGillvray Pass

Just finishing off a week at McGillvray Lodge in the Coast range.

We have had about 40 cm of snow over the week, on top of the large storm they had here last week. The sun has come out the last couple of days and there are variable, thin sun crusts southerly aspects. 

Cornices are huge and not well supported and these have been our main concern this week. There is also a crust and facet layer buried less than a meter deep on thin and crossloaded solar aspects that has made us avoid those slopes. Plenty of good skiing on other aspects.

We have not seen any avalanches this week.

The skiing has been great.

Mark Klassen

ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide

Banff-Lake Louise, Canada

web/ alpinism.com

[MCR] Commonwealth Lake, K-Country, AB

Wonderful skiing off the Spray Valley Rd today. 15-20cm of very low density new snow overlies crust on west aspects. Evidence of old widespread avalanche cycle on surface hoar on even low angle slopes. Most of the debris is now buried but still barely visible on the surface. Couldn't feel it much under our skis. It was reassuring to ski slopes that had slid previously. 


Ken Bélanger

ASG, CAA 2
TopCog Adventures - Outdoor Guiding & Adventure Travel

[MCR] Special Avalanche Warning: March 23 - 26

The CAC issued a Special Warning for this weekend. The press release is below, but NEW this time, is a supporting video on our utube channel...
www.youtube.com/user/CanadianAvalancheCtr
 
Enjoy your weekend!
 
ilya storm
 
Special Public Avalanche Warning for BC’s Interior Mountains
Fourth warning in five weeks for recreational backcountry users
March 23, 2012, Revelstoke, BC: For the first weekend of spring, the Canadian Avalanche Centre (CAC) is issuing its fourth Special Public Avalanche Warning in five weeks. The warning area includes the South Coast Inland, the North and South Columbias, the Cariboos, the Purcells, the South Rockies, the Lizard Range and the Kootenay Boundary region. This warning is in effect from Saturday March 24 through to Monday, March 26.
“Our main concern is the same weak layer we have been tracking for the past month,” says Ilya Storm, Forecast Coordinator for the CAC’s Public Avalanche Warning Service. “Over the past few days, we have received numerous reports of very large avalanches and near-misses throughout the areas affected by the warning. We’re hearing about people with lots of experience who were surprised by avalanches, sometimes triggered from a significant distance,” explains Storm. “What’s significant is that in many of these cases, the terrain was relatively simple. That tells us this weak layer is primed for triggering.”
Adding to the situation, the weekend forecast is for clear skies and sunshine in the regions covered by the warning. “The sun is going to entice backcountry users in the alpine, but at the same time it will have a destabilizing effect on the snowpack,” explains Storm. “With the current volatility of that layer, this is a potentially deadly combination.”
The CAC has posted a “conditions alert” on their YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/CanadianAvalancheCtr
The CAC advises all recreational backcountry users to make consistently cautious decisions and to avoid avalanche terrain in the areas targeted by the special warning. All members of a backcountry party must be equipped with a shovel, probe and transceiver. The CAC strongly recommends all backcountry users take an Avalanche Skills Training course. Snowpack stability changes constantly through the winter and spring. Backcountry users need to check the avalanche forecasts regularly to keep informed of conditions in their area. More detailed information is also available on the CAC Forecaster’s Blog. For the forecasts, blog and information on training check www.avalanche.ca/cac.
—30—
For more information
Mary Clayton, CAC Communications Director
Office: 250.837-2141 (228)
Mobile: 250-837-1492

[MCR] Rockies - Ski touring - Crowfoot Glades & Helen Shoulder Glades Hwy 93N

Hey all,

Just a few quick observations from a couple days touring on the Icefields Parkway the last couple days.

Spent the 21st doing laps in the Crowfoot Glades area. Ski quality was great and the area hadn't seen much traffic recently, had the whole place to ourselves.

We saw multiple cornice failures throughout the day coming off the big head wall above the glades. Likely triggered by the heavy sun affect. The cornices released three slabs on the east face below up to sz. 1.5. But despite all that mass hammering into the slopes below, we didnt see any avalanches produced as a result on the slopes below.
In a pit at 7300ft in an open north facing feature just above treeline, stability tests gave moderate, resistant results, down 40cm's on a windslab interface, and the valentines surface hoar was down an average of 110cm's producing hard but sudden results.

Despite the makings of a good bridge over the Valentines Day surface hoar, we were really careful not to be flirting with anything that looked like thinner snowpack areas (where it would be easier to trigger). With the layer only being buried down a meter or so, doesnt seem like there's much room to be wrong right now, and the consequences would no doubt really ruin your day.

On the 22nd we were up the south end of Cirque Peak to the Helen Shoulder Glades. Two big obvious crusts on that west aspect to deal with right now. The shallower of the two down 15cms right now, gave no results in tests, but with a bit of wind that could change quickly. The deeper of the two was down on average, 70cms, and has faceted out the snowpack below it. Hard, sudden results in the tests, but when it failed it was on the ground. Again, seemed like a decent idea to stay well away from shallow areas.
On the east side of the ridge, just below ridgecrest the surface hoar was electric. Easy, sudden results in all tests down 70cms on the Valentines Day surface hoar

In terms of ski quality it was actually pretty good on the west aspects. The suncrust down 15cms really only jumped out at you when the terrain tipped up steeper than 35 degrees.

Play safe out there!

Mike Trehearne
ACMG Alpine Guide & Assistant Ski Guide
mike@cloudnineguides.com
www.yamnuska.com

_______________________________________________
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.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Avalanche on Lipalian Mar 20

A size two avalanche was observed on upper Lipalian above Larch Ski Lift
today. There is a chance that this avalanche was remotely triggered by a
party ascending the ridge earlier in the day. A full call out response was
initiated by the Lake Louise Snow Safety and Patrol. Search with beacon and
Recco produced no signals. Helicopter response with dog confirmed no entry
track and investigation with the party confirmed no involvement.
Brad White
Visitor Safety Programs Specialist
IFMGA Mountain Guide(Embedded image moved to file: pic13030.gif)
(See attached file: Lipalian skier remote_natural Mar 20, 2012.jpg)

[MCR] Rogers Pass conditions March 17 - 19.

 

Excellent snow quality last three days.

March 17^th skied the Cheops area (Hourglass & E slopes to highway). No new avalanches, no whumpfs/cracks or ski cutting results apart from limited power sloughing.

 

March 18^th , clear sunny day skiing onto the Asulkan glacier up to 2550M (below Leda pk). Snowpack tests in this area revealed no results. A cool day with  –11. We saw one size 1.5 from a steep wind loaded SW slope below treeline however more action occurred later (see below).

 

Today (19^th) we went up Connaught creek to ski Ursus bowl (2300M) and Balu pass slopes. Video peak was baking in early pm sun. Test pit on steep NE slope (2120M) yielded moderate to hard results 20 and 45 down. No whumpfs, cracks or ski cutting results where we skied. Widespread sun crust mid treeline and below on solar aspects.

 

 Upon our return today we received reports of Two large avalanches up to size 3 from the East face of Mt. Abbott that slid yesterday sometime after 5pm. Reports are that the Abbott avalanche was initiated by a small cornice failure sometime after 5 PM.

 

Consensus from discussions with colleagues at the Pass is that the snowpack though settling still has many overloaded areas that are ripe for a natural or artificial trigger especially in large open and steep alpine features.

Eric Dumerac- Professional Mountain Guide
✆ 403-609-1564 
Mountain Skills Academy 

[MCR] what does a size 4 look like?

I have just posted a message on the Canadian Avalanche Centre’s forecaster blog: http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/bulletins/forecaster-blog

 

There’s photos impressive photos of a recent size 4 avalanche that took out a thick band of mature timber. Also discussion about data from yesterday and where I think we are headed with the current conditions. It’s going to be a tricky few days. Don’t let better weather and clear, sunny skies influence you to make a poor terrain choice right now—it’s going to be difficult but discipline and a conservative approach to the mountains is going to be necessary for a few days yet.

 

Karl Klassen – Manager, Public Avalanche Warning Service

Canadian Avalanche Centre kklassen@avalanche.ca

 

 

[MCR] Mt.Field-Rockies-March 17

Ventured to the lower treed slopes of Mt. Field today.
 
-6 nil precip in the AM and -3 S-1 in the PM overcast all day.
 
Went up the most climbers left hand side of the main slide path, in thick forest. 
There is a great deal of 30-50 year old timber that has been broken or pushed over down to 1500m.  And a number of crown lines up to 1m deep and debris piles strew about.
 
The main bowl under the summit has an impressive crown, suspecting a large cornice fall was the trigger for this slide. 
 
The snowpack was 250-300cm from 1900-2200m. 
 
Profile @ 2000m
The Feb surface hoar layer is about 130cm down at this elevation and still very preserved, test results in the Moderate range collapsing suddenly. 
The mid to upper snowpack is consistent with plenty of pencil stiff snow above and below the Surface Hoar layer.  
Storm instabilities where found about 50cm down resistant to shearing, the surface is fluffy.
 
We gave overhead exposure a great deal of respect today, as there are some large cornices plumped up on the Field/Wapta ridge. 
There was no obvious evidence the high lookers left slopes have slide in the cycle.
 
Sunshine and daytime warming is a good time to give overhead exposure to cornices and the slopes they land on some thought.
 
Merrie-Beth Board
ACMG Ski and Assistant Alpine Guide

[MCR] Selkirks - Northern Valhallas

Having spent the last few weeks guiding at Valhalla Mountain Touring in the northern end of the Valhallas, I felt like a local conditions update would be good.  We have done a lot of digging to try and find what I am calling 'land mines'.  The February Persistent Weak Layers (PWLs) are lurking in some places but not all, and finding them is hit and miss.  Digging multiple pits in a small area has revealed one pit having 12mm preserved surface hoar, and the next pit nothing.  At this point alpine terrain is a way simpler snowpack than the treeline and below tree line elevations, with the biggest concern being recent storm snow instabilities.  The surface hoar layers at treeline and below are still giving 'cash register' shears, in the hard range, but lots of stored up energy.  Basically this is analogous to walking through a mine field...you might make it through no problem...but you might not, and BOOM!  Steep south aspects are being avoided all together, as the buried suncrust/facet layer is NOT to be trusted.  Other concerns are recently formed huge cornices from strong winds and big storms, and still lingering basal facets in some rocky alpine start zones that will probably re-awake with the first high rains of the year. 

Tons of 5 star skiing to be had though, as it has been snowing 10-20cms a day for weeks now!

Stay safe,

Evan Stevens
Mountain Guide
www.vmt.ca

[MCR] Whistler backcountry

We were able to get into the Whistler backcountry this afternoon, skiing the backside of Flute. Well over a meter of storm snow that is settling but still is somewhat upside down with weaker snow below a bit of a firmer surface. Still outstanding skiing though and we did not see much for signs of instability or the big winds they have had recently. No whumpfs or cracking and no avalanches visible with ok but not great visibility. In the ski area it looked like they were getting mostly small avalanches with explosives control and ski cutting.

Mark Klassen
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
Banff-Lake Louise, Canada
web/ alpinism.com

Sent from my mobile device for which I refuse to advertise
_______________________________________________
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.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Rockies, Bow Summit

I had planned on leading a ski tour to Crowfoot Pass today, March 16th, but decided to give it a miss while driving through 15 centimetres of new snow on the highway, which added up to 30 centimetres in the last 24 hours, or so, in my mind. We moved onto Bow Summit where the skiing was great. We dug a pit and I was pleased to find 220 centimetres of snow and no reaction on the Valentines surface hoar (down 90 centimetres) on a compression test. Snowed lightly and sporadically through the day and was snowing about 1 centimetre an hour when we drove away. The Bow Summit parking lot has not been plowed out as of late and attempting to drive in will result in getting stuck for all but monster trucks.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

_______________________________________________
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.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] special public avalanche warning

The CAC has issued the third special public avalanche warning in four weeks. Very large, very destructive avalanches have occurred in the last few days. In some cases, these avalanches are overrunning low angle terrain, destroying mature timber, and extending traditional avalanche path boundaries. If you’ve never seen a truly big slide, taking a drive through Rogers Pass is illustrative right now. Weather will improve over the weekend and that will entice folks into the mountains after an extended stormy period of strong winds and poor visibility. When the sun hits later in the weekend, it will be the first major warm-up of a snowpack that contains two metres or more of still largely unsettled storm snow, fresh windslabs, and deeply buried persistent weak layers. We often experience significant natural and human triggered avalanche activity during and for several days after a time when these factors coincide. I know it’s hard to think avalanches when the sun is shining on a slope covered in perfect  powder, but a high degree of discipline and consistently cautious terrain and route selection will be required this weekend and probably into next week. Please keep your head up and stay off of and out from under avalanche terrain unless you have extensive local knowledge, a high level of training, and lots of experience handling conditions like these. This might be a good weekend to play in places where avalanche hazards are managed and controlled by professionals.

 

You can view the text of the warning here: http://www.avalanche.ca/uploads/SPAW/Special%20Warning%20March%2015%202012.pdf

 

Our avalanche forecasts (http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/bulletins/latest) contain more detailed information and are updated daily by about 5 p.m. PDT.

 

Karl Klassen – Manager, Public Avalanche Warning Service

Canadian Avalanche Centre, kklassen@avalanche.ca

 

[MCR] Rockies, Healy Pass area, Storm Mountain Fire Break

I guided a ski ascent of a small peak about 1 kilometre east of Healy Pass on March 12th. A size 2 slab avalanche had slid out of the looker's left hand shoulder of the second slide path. The crown looked to be as deep as one metre and about 40 metres wide. I suspect that it was a fresh wind slab. The debris ran to the lower part of the track, but not into the runout zone. The slide did not trigger any deeper layers. We restricted our travel to low angle terrain.

Yesterday, March 13th, I instructed my AST 2 class in the Storm Mountain Fire Break in Kootenay Park. Only a couple centimetres of new snow in the Stanley Valley parking lot when we got there. We set an ascending track from the parking lot to the top of the fire break. Once we had 7 people standing in one spot there we got a large whompfing settlement on what I guessed was the basal facetes. Some of the fracture line was visible to us 10 metres up slope, thankfully the slope is only about 15 degrees there (not avalanche terrain). We got several easy compression test results there on the Valentines surface hoar layer down 60 centimetres (snowpack depth was 160 cms -the top half bounded snow, the bottom faceted junk). These observations very much validated the day's hazard forecast of High in the alpine, High at treeline, and Considerable below treeline. We made a run down the fire break which has been seeing a lot of skier traffic and needs more snow to cover old tracks. While
training in the bottom of the fire break we had about an hour of snowfall of 3-4 cms/hour and when we got back to the parking lot there was about 8 cms of new snow lying on the ground there.

Happy trails,

Barry Blanchard
Mountain Guide
www.barryblanchard.ca
www.yamnuska.com

_______________________________________________
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.
Please check out http://acmg.ca/mcr for more information.

[MCR] Black Prince / Kananaskis

Ski touring today at the main Black Prince apron along the Smith Dorrien Road: -2C at the parking lot at 9.30 AM and variable, at times heavy snowfall all day. Most notable were strong at times gusty winds, which seemed to be blowing up the valley (i.e. south-easterly) and more northerly in the pm. By mid day, there were about 30-40 cm of recent snow sitting on several decomposing sun crust layers in the upper snowpack. We ended up turning around before exiting the trees as the slab became denser and deeper with the increased wind transport higher up on the slope.

 

Getting out of the unplowed parking lot at 3.30 pm and the drive home was probably the most adventurous part of the day. Heavy snowfall (probably 4 cm / hour) and the strong winds made for tough driving conditions and we took the long way back to Canmore via HWY 40.

 

Jorg Wilz

Mountain Guide (ACMG / VDBS / IFMGA)  

 

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