[MCR] Battle Abbey, Selkirks, B.C., Feb 18-25, 2012

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Spent the week in Battle Abbey with Roger Laurilla and enjoyed a very fun week of alpine and tree skiing!  We were able to spend the first couple of days skiing more aggressive open terrain before having to pull in the reins and spend the final part of the week in the trees and chutes below the hut as the load over the Feb 16th interface reached critical mass.  This morning we woke to 20cm of low density snow with no wind effect and sunny skies which made for a great finish to the week!
 
In this area the Feb 16 (surface hoar/sun crust/faucet) interface is down between 50-60cm.  It is providing easy test results and is reactive to skier traffic with whumphing and cracking in open terrain at treeline.  There has also been a lot of wind loading over the past couple of days which has left some significant buried wind slabs and new cornices to watch for.  These can also trigger the deeper Feb interface as was demonstrated by several large natural avalanches in the area during the week.  This mornings new snow was sluffing up to size 2 in steep terrain as the afternoon winds picked up and has also added significant new load to the Feb 16 layer.  
 
Basically there is a lot to watch for right now on the avalanche front and we kept the ski program to either small previously skied chutes, treed glades, or moderate angled well supported open terrain without significant overhead hazard.  With this in mind we had lots of great skiing that fit this profile, but it will take some time for this interface to heal and stop being a significant concern in any steep terrain.
 
A fun week of skiing and lots of great snow to enjoy!
 
Cheers, Conrad Janzen
ACMG/IFMGA Mountain Guide
www.banffmountainguides.com
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