Smith Basin Elkford

<p> Today in Smith Basin in Elkford we found a much shallower snowpack. The total depth was 140 cm in our profile on a sheltered southwest-facing slope. There was little wind effect at this treeline location and the storm snow from Christmas is slowly settling over the Dec 4 rain crust layer. We did find sugary snow crystals (facets) over the Dec 4 crust but did not get any test results. There were no new avalanches in the area, no wind today and the sun made it feel a lot warmer than -19 which was the temperature at 2200m. There is still soft snow out there and the riding was fun and helped keep us warm.</p>

Terrain Ridden

Mellow slopes.

Terrain Avoided

Alpine slopes, Steep slopes.

Snow Conditions

Powder, Wind affected.

Weather Conditions

Cold.