Quick report
We sledded up Miller Ridge north of Pemberton today in the middle of the absolute deluge that is hitting the coast. Conditions were pretty severe with non-stop rain and strong south to southwest wind above treeline. The alpine needs time to adjust yet. Visibility is near zero, getting there is rough, and itās not worth it right now. We avoided all avalanche terrain and linked low-angle slopes to get out and have a look around at the impact of the storm. It rained up to about 1950 m, with precipitation just starting to transition to snow around 2000 m. During a brief break in the clouds, we saw that large storm slabs had failed naturally in a north-facing alpine bowl across the valley with impressive propagation (see photo). In another north-facing bowl just above treeline, we observed small slabs that entrained snow as they descended the slope and resulted in loose wet avalanches. (see second photo). At and below treeline, the stormās impact on the snowpack feels like it has peaked. Rain was actively draining through the snowpack, with runnels forming on the surface. Skiing quality was, frankly, terrible, but sled travel wasnāt the worst. That said, this is very much a āmaking lemonade out of lemonsā kind of day. We had a good look around, stayed disciplined with terrain, and came away pretty encouraged for the future. This storm is a full reset for the snowpack, which should set the table nicely for spring adventures once temperatures return to normal.