[MCR] Rogers Pass update

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Since we've had a couple of Selkirks conditions reports I thought it would
be worth mentioning what's been happening at the pass over the weekend.

On Friday we skied just east of the park at lower tree line and below tree
line elevations and found the snow to be fairly upside down having a
heavier layer(F+) of about 30-40 cms over 5-10 cms of lighter density snow.
This layer was easy to feel with a ski pole. Surprisingly we did not see
any obvious signs of instability or any serious concerns in a test profile
near the top of our run. And while we skied some steep tree line terrain we
didn't observe any cracking or slides.

Touring near the summit of the pass on Saturday the snow felt much more
upside right although you could still feel a slight density change with a
ski pole down about 40-50 cms. This layer was failing in the moderate range
(CTM 13/15 RP) on preserved stellar crystals. If you stepped out of your
skis you would sink in about 60-70 cms. The skiing was truly good in the
open but there were some old tree bombs just covered(with about 20 cms)
from the recent wind event. It was snowing about 2 cms an hour during the
afternoon.

Sunday the pass was closed and no permits were available. The avalanche
control crew was getting size 2-3.5 avalanches to come down with artillery
control. So now another 50-60 cms overlies the previous storm snow and wind
slabs(at treeline and above) and it sounds like its a bit denser as well.
Saturday nights storm had also come with strong S-SW winds creating more
wind slabs in open terrain.

So right now the snowpack has a lot of different layers in it that are
changing daily so take care when assessing the snowpack and deciding where
to ski.

Cheers,

Greg Franson (ski guide)


<http://www.bluebirdguides.com>

www.bluebirdguides.com
info at bluebirdguides.com
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