[MCR] Selkirks: Northern Valhallas

[Public Mountain Conditions Report]

Finishing off another week in the Kootenays, this time in the north  
end of the Valhallas.

Over the week we've seen a significant wind event, a significant  
warming event with freezing levels to near mountain top and in the  
past 3 days over 40 cm of new snow.

The avalanches we've seen have been loose snow and releasing in  
extreme terrain and stopped at the top of the lower angled slopes  
below, size 1-2, failing in surface layers, windloading, warm temps  
and snowfall being the triggers. An exception to this was one large  
size 2 that started in steep skiable terrain at a treeline elevation  
halfway down a large avalanche track that ran into the top of the  
runout - temperature triggered.

We heard two whumpfs this week, both on south aspects at 2000 m. So  
we stayed away from south aspects.

The snowpack is a typical complex March one: three surface hoar and/ 
or facet layers in the top meter or so, several buried suncrusts on  
solar aspects and buried windslabs in open treeline and alpine areas.  
But so far around here it has been unreactive to skiers. That seems  
to be an exception, many of our nearest neighbours have been  
reporting skier triggered avalanches on a variety of layers. We were  
cautious in windloaded areas, limited exposure to overhead hazard and  
stayed in areas that have had regular skier traffic over the winter.

Mark Klassen
Mountain Guide


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