Tingly Turns And Towering Views

We travelled into the Rockies today, where the skiing was better than the Purcells, (no surface crust!) but with an important trade-off. Early January surface hoar is still reactive in test profiles and currently sits about 25 cm below the surface, making it a key layer to keep an eye on. Surface hoar is growing loud and proud from peak to creek. When it eventually gets buried, things could get sporty. For now, with no new snow in the near forecast, it’s mostly just providing that satisfying tingly soundtrack under skis. Total snow depth around 2200 m was about 130 cm, which is respectable for the Rockies. We skied with a proper Rockies mindset, moving deliberately from well-supported feature to well-supported feature, and found good skiing within those limits. Above the valley cloud, visibility was limitless. It was one of those rare Rockies days where you can really see the scale of the place, with clear views stretching to peaks like Mount Assiniboine on the horizon.