Tutshi Chutes

<p>We went to Tutshi Chutes to explore the area. We had no expectations regarding visibility or riding quality. The snowpack felt stable under our skis throughout our entire progression. On average there was between 80 and 100 cm of soft snow with a boot penetration around 60 cm. The snow at tree line on the West aspect generally not wind affected (no windslabs). However heading slightly south we found a few very localized slabs and avoided venturing further. Cutting 5x 30cm square blocks as we progressed revealed a similar pattern: heavy snow with a Fist hardness, very little layering except for the bottom layer of facets. The block would release and drop easily at its base when isolated from the rest of the snow pack. Riding quality was much better than what we anticipated. The snow provided good support and easy turns through the dense trees. We stopped our progression just below where multiple rock cliffs are exposed because of the documented wind slabs dangers that might affect the open areas as well as the steepness of the slope.</p>

Terrain Ridden

Dense trees.

Terrain Avoided

Alpine slopes, Convex slopes.

Avalanche Conditions

Rapid temperature rise to near zero degrees or wet surface snow.

Snow Conditions

Heavy.

Weather Conditions

Cloudy, Warm, Wet.