Market Run

<p>Blower pow, no wind. Great ski conditions in Market Run today. Both bowl and gully are well filled in. Lower valley has plenty of snow for access. First tour of the season for us and considering the avalanche forecast being at “considerable” we decided to head for Market Run and at least ski the gully if stability didn’t allow for the upper bowl. We dug a pit on a small slope with a similar aspect to the line in the upper bowl (east aspect), although considerably lower in elevation (150m). Compression test failed at tap 24 (4th tap from shoulder) with a resistant planer collapse. Failure layer was at a difference in snow density about 40cm down. Extended Column test collapsed at tap 21 (first tap from shoulder) but would not propagate with further taps. We continued testing, looking at the facet layer deeper down and had compression test failure at tap 27 (7th from shoulder) with a resistant planer collapse, and no result on the extended column test. Based on these results we decided to continue up to ski the upper bowl, assuming no major changes in snow cover. Once up, we made a plan to stick to the skiers left side, increasing the chance of a traversing “escape” to the left if anything popped. This slope is planer and well supported so the risk seemed well within tolerances. Skied the bowl one at a time and regrouped in a safe area, then continued down the rest of the gully. Fantastic conditions!!</p>

Terrain Ridden

Alpine slopes, Mellow slopes, Sunny slopes.

Terrain Avoided

Convex slopes, Steep slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

30cm + of new snow, or significant drifting, or rain in the last 48 hours.

Snow Conditions

Powder.

Weather Conditions

Cold, Sunny.