[MCR] Hummingbird Pass, Whitewater ski hill area, Southern Selkirk Mountains

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

I conducted the field day portion of an AST1 course today in the 
Hummingbird Pass area near the Whitewater ski hill.  These are a few 
observations from the day.

When we arrived at the parking area at 8AM, we found about 17cm of new 
snow had been deposited by the storm overnight.  The snowfall continued 
for most of the day and another 2-3cm was laid down by the afternoon.  
I'd say there was a healthy 20cm of new snow on the ground by the time 
we got back to the cars at 4PM.  And, it was still snowing lightly when 
we left.  The forecast is for this to continue through tonight and part 
of tomorrow.  There was little wind throughout the day and I couldn't 
hear any up higher on the ridges either.

There was about 1m of snow on the ground most everywhere we went and the 
coverage over rocks, stumps and fallen trees is minimal at this low 
elevation.  The rain crust from mid-November was around 60cm down and 
the crust from late October was about 15cm up from the ground.  It was 
difficult to test the bonds on and around these crusts as the pits I dug 
were on level ground.  It will be interesting to see what the additional 
load from the storm snow of today and tomorrow does to the stability.  I 
think we could see some natural avalanche activity tonight and tomorrow, 
perhaps failing on these crusts.

We didn't gain much elevation (max 1600m) and the visibility didn't 
allow us to see much of the ridges up higher, so no natural avalanche 
activity was observed (not say that there wasn't any, just couldn't 
see).  In the pass, we observed some point releases and sloughs off the 
cliffs.

The temperature was around -2C for the day.  It was the kind of 
temperature that felt colder than it really was.  Didn't take long to 
start getting that damp, cold feeling.

Although the snowpack is building, the coverage at lower elevations is 
minimal, so any sliding activities would best be done cautiously to 
avoid any mishaps.  If I were going out again tomorrow, I'd be treading 
lightly and avoiding serious avalanche terrain.  This storm could push 
the snowpack to the tipping point and produce a natural avalanche cycle.

Thanks to my keen and attentive students, we had a great day exploring 
the snow.

Craig Hollinger,
ACMG Assistant Ski Guide.