Buller Creek Peak

jackvanlierop3807 , Thursday 16th May, 2024 1:40AM

Left the car around 6:00am, was able to start skinning from the road but quickly turned in to an hour of hiking in ski boots. By 2000m we were back to skinning. Moderate refreeze with up to a 10cm thick pencil/knife crust and moist snow underneath. Skiing was crusty in the alpine at 11:00am but turned to corn just before at 2500m. Crust was starting to break down at 2200 around noon on low angle sunny slopes but travel was still fast until the snow ran out. Our original plan was Lillian Northwest face but there were numerous large wet loose and wet slab avalanches estimated around a week old on the same aspect/elevation all around us and our line was stil loaded so played it safe and skied a southwest aspect on Buller Creek Peak. Very large grizzly tracks following the summer trail and Wards' tracks for multiple kilometers, also saw cub prints. Carry your bear spray.