Tenquille New Years

A group of 10 rode slopes in the Tenquille area for 5 days Dec 27-Jan 1. Snowpack was fabulous, with deep powder and stable conditions on everything we rode. We skied couloirs, gullies, steep face lines, trees, and bowls on Copper Mound, Fossil Pass, Finch Ridge, Tenquille Mountain, Goat Peak, Mt. McLeod. Some small wind/storm slabs seemed possible on ridges and entrances to steep lines, but we did not trigger anything greater than .5. Snow quality stayed consistent throughout, with light and deep powder across the board, with some wind affect only on ridge tops. Weather was cloudy the 27-29. Sun and warming on the 30th-1st decreased snow quality on southern aspects leading to heavier, wet snow and pinwheeling, as well as some .5 wet/loose slides. We expect southern faces to have developed a crust below 2000m. We switched to sheltered lines and North/West/East aspects the 31st. We observed significant surface hoar between 1600 and 1900m on the 31st/1st. We observed 4 snowmobiles in the valley on the 30th, within the Tenquille Lake Recreation area, an excluded zone under the Visitor Use Management Plan.