Top notch at Surprise Pass

<p>Fantastic day at surprise pass, shared with 4 to 5 other groups (20+ tracks put in). No signs of instability observed at the pass, but on the approach small shooting cracks and slaby behavior were seen on the shoulder of Fairview bowl (before skiing down to the moraines). -11 at 8:00Am and -1 at 3:30 when we returned. Very minimal wind with high cloud ceiling, and sunny breaks made for pleasant weather. At the pass 15-20cm on a supportive crust, made for good climbing conditions. The ski down inspired our group to attempt boot pack up one of the couloirs that can be seen about 40% of the way down. The couloir was about 40-47 degrees and provided the best couloir conditions I have ever experienced. The 15-20cm experienced on surprise pass stayed true the whole way up, and provided little to snow sluffing on the descent. Wind loading that did occur near the top had already sluffed (likely the day prior), with a crown approximately 2cm deep across the whole couloir.</p>

Terrain Ridden

Alpine slopes, Steep slopes.

Terrain Avoided

Convex slopes, Sunny slopes.

Snow Conditions

Deep powder.

Weather Conditions

Cloudy, Sunny.