Oh Tennanbaum

We rode in Groundhog Lake today. It was a cool -16C at the parking lot, but thanks to an inversion, it warmed up to - 7C as we approached treeline. The sun poked through the clouds at times but the southwest wind was enough to feel cold and blow some snow around. 10 cm of new snow brings the total over the Mid-December crust to 25-40 cm. This new snow is being blown into fresh wind slabs 30-50 cm thick immediately below ridge top. This slab was reactive in tests, but we didn’t see any new avalanches in our travels. Wind affected snow over the crust made for firm but easy travel today, and we looped from Groundhog over to Proserpine. The best riding was in sheltered pockets around treeline where the wind had left the snow alone.