Crowsnest Snowshoe

<p>Today in the Crowsnest we tried something a little different and did some snowshoeing. We planned a trip that accessed a ridge feature from a mellow treed slope. As we approached the ridge the snow condition changed from soft to wind affected and we started to see shooting cracks coming off of our snowshoes. Once on the ridge, we found overhanging cornices that were unsupported. We stayed well back from the ridge and hugged the treeline and dropped down the more mellow treed west-facing slope where there was less snow and no cornices. There were great views from the top, but we didn't stay too long as the winds were strong. As we came back down when we got to the corniced ridge we remotely triggered an overhanging cornice that triggered a small size 1 avalanche into the trees. </p>

Terrain Ridden

Mellow slopes.

Terrain Avoided

Steep slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

Whumpfing or drum-like sounds or shooting cracks.

Snow Conditions

Wind affected.

Weather Conditions

Cloudy, Sunny, Windy.