Barkerville Breeze

At the Barkerville riding area, we found 30 cm of soft snow sitting over last week’s crust. The new snow was being actively transported by wind onto north-facing slopes, and we could see wind slabs building in real time. We started cautiously, riding small test rolls to see how the snow was reacting. When we didn’t observe any cracking or wind slab pockets release, we gradually stepped up into larger features. We also dug a pit to examine the recent melt-freeze crusts and assess how well they were bonding to the snowpack. The February crust didn’t have a slab over it yet, and our sleds were riding through it. The January crust was easy to spot, and we were surprised to find some preserved surface hoar in the north-facing profile. Despite that, our tests didn’t produce any concerning results.