Elkford East

Very little snow fresh snow down low but 35cm up above 2100m. Snow quality is amazing! The new snow is sitting on a thin crust that was not supportive. At 2000m there is only 10cm of new snow and a second crust 10cm below the first one. both crust were reactive to hand sheer tests, with the upper one easier and more planar. We had lots for cracking (none shooting) from 2000m to 2100m and then less as we climbed to the ridge top around 2300m. The snow pack below the new snow and crusts is very moist and you can get a ski pole easily 60cm down. No wind tonight, and it looks like the fresh snow was came with some North winds.

Today we went to Crown Mountain to keep assessing the distribution of the persistent slab problem in the South Rockies region. As we were sledding to our destination, we observed a few natural size 1 loose dry avalanches out of steep alpine features one size 1 persistent slab avalanche, failing on buried surface hoar. We found up to 50 cm of soft snow at the surface of the snow pack. On north aspects, this has fallen on a layer of buried surface hoar. On south aspects, this has fallen on top of a melt freeze crust. In our snow pit test we had a propagating result on the persistent weak layer (ECTP13 down 45). The soft snow has been redistributed by wind in the alpine, creating pockets of wind slab. As we were moving through terrain, the wind was moderate from the NE and was blowing snow around at higher elevations. We were able to see cornices and wind slab actively forming. As we were skinning up a low-angle slope, we were getting a significant amount of settlement (whumphing) so we decided to test a small slope on our skis to see how reactive the softer snow would be on the surface hoar, and we got a reactive result (see photo). The persistent slab problem is a major player in this area. After digging in the snowpack, and testing the slope, we made the decision to ski down our low-angle skin track and back to our snowmobiles.

Sledding north of Elkford. Dug pit at 1780m Snow depth 117cm Aspect NW 32cm of new storm snow on top of persistent slab. 85cm snow below is very faceted snow, not much bonding. Snow storm was reactive and subject to failure in compression test.

Today was spooky low down and on east aspects. Lots of whomping in the open well below treeline. We stayed on low angle unconnected slopes to reach the alpine/ridge top. As we went up conditions seem to improve and hand sheer test went for easy planner to hard and a break. However, after skiing the first line we went to check another spot and were able to get shooting cracks that ran 30-40 feet up a small steep east facing slope so we went back to the first area and skied another lap on a true south feature. We dug a pit at 2000m in a shaded SE facing 29 degree sloped and had CT14 and ECTX but we only isolated down to the first crust for the test. Fun day, but tricky conditions and more surface hoar is widespread in the alpine above 2100m.

Went out north of sparwood today aiming to ski some steeper lines but backed off due to reactive wind slab hazard in TL and ALP. 8cm HN redistributed by strong W wind has formed wind slab up to 40cm deep in TL and ALP. No natural avalanches observed. Several whumps and shooting cracks from areas of deposition. Warming has created a 3cm breakable temperature crust in areas that were previously soft. SH still stands in scoured areas and where it has been buried by new snow it is mixed in with a layer of coal dust. Whumphing occurred typically 3-4 steps onto a loaded pocket and shooting cracks propagated across the entire loaded area. Start zones in alpine lee features look to be capable of producing size 2 avalanches.

We skied a northeast-facing couloir feature. The approach followed a south-facing treeline gully/valley up to the ridgeline, where crusty, sun-affected and melt–freeze surfaces were present. Travel was slow and challenging in these conditions; however, snow on the sheltered northeast aspect remained well preserved and soft. Signs of existing avalanche activity (size 1–2) were observed on south- and west-facing approach slopes, likely from the previous warm-up cycle (~1 week ago). No evidence of new avalanche activity was noted.

Today we ventured north of Sparwood to see if we could still find some preserved dry snow. The day was overcast with high cloud, and light winds from the SW at ridgetop. Temperatures hovered around -5 all day. We observed no new avalanches, and we were successful in finding some preserved dry snow in sheltered and shady areas. The extended high pressure and cold temps have contributed to 20-40 cm of facets on the surface. This is capped by surface hoar up to 20 mm in size. The surface hoar is 5 mm on exposed solar aspects, but is sitting on a thin breakable crust, and we still expect any new snow in this area to be problematic at all aspects and elevations. While we are crossing our fingers for this next minor storm system to produce, we will be very wary of increased avalanche hazard anywhere we see new snow accumulating.

Today, we ventured into the mountains north of Sparwood. The goal was to do a big exploratory loop and see what kind of terrain we could access with the low avalanche danger. We were surprised to find soft dry snow above 1900 m on sheltered and northerly aspects. On the southerly aspects, there is a solar crust. As the slope becomes steeper, you can expect the crust to become thicker and more supportive. This is caused by the solar radiation hitting the snow surface more directly than it would hit flat ground. So, want good snow? Flat meadows and sheltered northerly terrain above 1900 m is your ticket! While in the field today, we observed no new avalanches. The day was overcast, with small breaks in the clouds later in the afternoon. It was lightly snowing, less than 1 cm per hour throughout the day, and the winds were calm. We observed no snow transport throughout the day. On the snow surface, we found surface hoar growing on all aspects in the treeline and in open meadows below treeline. The surface hoar we observed today was rather large, reaching 1-2.5 cm in height. This sits on a solar/temperature crust or soft, faceted snow grains. The top 20 cm of snow has begun to facet, making the snow quality feel better than expected. While the danger remains low, this can create favourable conditions for exploring more terrain, but it will become problematic during the next snowfall event. Below these faceted grains, there is a layer of buried surface hoar, which was unreactive to stability tests today, as the slab above has begun to facet out. The mid-pack and lower-snowpack is generally well-bonded and supportive.

Crusty down low upto 1700m then there is soft snow in not wind effected areas, and full coverage. Some ridge tops are down to the rocks but in protected areas we found 150cm of snow. At 2000m in sheltered terrain we had medium effort planar hand shear results but a bit higher when we saw minor cracking we had no hand shear results only breaking apart. Skiing was really good in 20-30 cm of wind pressed snow. 50cm down there is a 30cm thick strong crust. The snow pack felt right side up with a probe until the last 10cm which dropped out. While we were out there was a bit of snow transporting.

Today we headed out to Crown Mountain with the intention of getting nerdy about the Persistent Slab problem. We aimed to get up high using non avalanche terrain and find a representative slope to test our layer of concern and find out more about the general structure of the lower snowpack. The day was windy, -5 at treeline, and overcast skies all day. Surface conditions made for fun sledding and skiing with about 20cm of new snow from the past 48h! Total height of snow at 2000m ranged from 150-200 cm. Our findings in our snow pit revealed a right side up, supportive upper and mid snowpack. The lower snowpack however is a different story, loose, sugary facets exist above the Nov crust complex, and do not show signs of bonding. We suspect this weak layer has been the culprit of several large natural avalanches occurring in the past few days. Areas in the alpine where a bridging crust from December warming and precip does not exist are likely areas to trigger this persistent problem. Check out Avalanche Canada’s public resources to learn more about persistent slab problems!

Started the day right with cookies from LBP :-), then headed to the mountains behind Grave Lake, where we found an accumulation of almost 40 cm of dry snow on a (dry) faceted mid and lower snowpack. The Feb 3rd and December 23rd crusts are there, but aren’t the stiff bridging crusts we’ve found elsewhere in the region. At 2000 m, it was -7, no wind, mostly cloudy, and the full-depth of snow was 80-100 cm. We saw small loose dry avalanches out of extreme terrain, and moved small loose dry avalanches as we skied in steeper terrain. ….. And we had lovely views of the Line Creek mine !

Today was a bit of a bust access-wise. There is still very little snow in the valley bottom north of Sparwood making travel difficult. Our high point today was 1800 m firmly in below treeline terrain. There was 10 cm of new low-density snow accumulated through the storm, this new snow is falling on a heavily faceted snowpack. The December 23 melt-freeze crust is down 35 cm and we were seeing small dry loose avalanches on steep features involving this fluffy snow and facets. It remains chilly -17 °C for most of the day with light easterly winds.

Today on the west side of the Alexander we found a generally shallow snowpack. There was very little snow (read dirt) below 1600 m. At our top out point at 2150 m we found a 200 cm snow depth on north-facing slopes. We are still finding soft snow on the north slopes but it is settling and bonding. The upper pack has a few old wind slabs that seem to be bonding to previous surfaces with only resistant test results. The mid-pack is well consolidated, a facet layer can be found down 95 cm that we suspect is the mid-January. No significant test results but we will keep an eye out for the mid-January layer where the snowpack is shallow, especially during the next warm-up. Below this, the lower facets are rounding. Test results (ECTX, CTH (21) RP down 28 cm on decomposing fragments, CTH (28) BRK down 95 on size 2 facets, PST 50/100 down 95 on size 2 facets) While the views today were spectacular there was not much for good riding.

Kananaskis lakes area got the 10 cm overnight at 2200m with little wind effect that the Spray lakes didn't. Made for good skiing. Not much wind today but picked up from the north in the moderate range at the end of the day. Due south aspects had a supportive melt freeze crust with 15 cm on top. Our pit on NE aspect at 2300m,HS135, just below ridge line in glades gave easy compression test on buried 1F wind slabs surround by 4F facets at 100cm RP. And below that, at the saw in the moderate range in the depth hoar At 50 cm. Couple tiny loose dry from the morning sun. Size 1.5 Na slab Avalanche 80cm crown on East aspect of invincible between 1-2 days old. Ran between 2400 and 2200 m.

Went sledding in a west facing bowl on the divide. Found more soft snow available for transport than we expected and the wind was loading constantly while we were out there. So much so that we saw a couple of small natural wind slab avalanches come down while we were there. So we stuck to mellow trees well away from any overhead hazard and had good sledding!

Pit at 2150 m sheltered W slope in trees. Isolated a few compression test columns. All 3 failed while isolating the back side of column. Layer 60 cm down. Lots of whumpfing but no avalanches observed. No naturals observed from alpine. Suspect the SH is only in sheltered areas.

We were in the Crown Mountain area today where we found a snow depth of 145cm. We found the November 21 Surface Hoar layer alive and well in this area. It is definitely a layer that we will watch as we continue to get test results on it. We have been testing locations where we expect to find surface hoar (sheltered treeline terrain) and with poor visibility and no direct alpine obs, we still suspect that this layer may also be in sheltered locations in the Alpine also. We are keeping our trip plans conservative while this layer is a player.

We were in the Crown Mountain area today where we found a snow depth of 145cm. We found the November 21 Surface Hoar layer alive and well in this area. It is definitely a layer that we will watch as we continue to get test results on it. We have been testing locations where we expect to find surface hoar (sheltered treeline terrain) and with poor visibility and no direct alpine obs, we still suspect that this layer may also be in sheltered locations in the Alpine also. We are keeping our trip plans conservative while this layer is a player.

Went and skinned a west facing ridge but rode the deep wind deposited pockets along tree line where we didn’t hit the crust. Between 20cm 60cm HT on the west face 1500-200. Over 200 elk holes that made for interesting skinning. 15cms new snow fell over night and lightly snowing on and off accumulating less then 5cm all day. Did notice shooting cracks but only where the snow pack was shallower to the crust. Was a cold day -17 at the truck wind from the SW, with transport of snow off ridge tops.

Found a few whumpfs today! NE of Sparwood at treeline and below (we didn't go into the alpine) With 35 cm new snow of snow over a surface hoar hoar layer and obvious clues of instability we played in low angle terrain today…because we know that whumpfs and shooting tracks often translate into avalanches in terrain over 30 degrees. So today we didn’t need to do any snowpack tests to tell us we could trigger avalanches in steep terrain, but we did one anyways because ?. Saw several size 1-2 storm slab avalanches from steep alpine terrain. Running to the middle of the runout. Couldn't see the start zone because of clouds.

Today we rode up towards Crown Mountain for the first time this season. Snow coverage is thin below 1600 m but improves rapidly above! Harmer road is still being plowed and has active industrial traffic, be sure to use your radio if you are headed out this way! We are excited to report the day was cool, -6.6 at 2100 m and -1 in the valley. Light to moderate wind from the SW, overcast clouds all day and snowing about 1 cm per hour! Winter has returned! Above 1800 m there is 30-60 cm of wind affected new snow. Snowpack depths range from 1-2 m with windward features being scoured back and lee features exhibiting deposition of storm snow up to 1 m deep. We saw limited new avalanche activity, one size 1.5 storm slab from yesterday on a NE aspect at 2200 m. We had column test results in our snowpit, easy to moderate collapses within the storm snow. No propagating results from ECT. A deep tap test of the PWL down 150 cm revealed a moderate sudden collapse occurring on 2-3 mm rounding facets over a crust. Overall we were impressed with the coverage and riding quality in this area!

There was 10 cm of new snow at 2200m on solar aspects it was sitting on top of a supportive crust that was supportive to skiing. On north aspects, there is a little soft snow remaining but becoming harder to find. Cornices remain large and the backsides are beginning to deteriorate making them weaker. There was no wind today and the sun was out for a good part of the day with a few cloudy periods. There was a few size 1 dry loose out of extreme terrain and no real wind-affected snow.

Braved the cold and headed up to a treeline ridge at 2100m and dug on NE and S aspects to investigate the persistent avalanche problem. Making sure not to travel in any terrain that its likely to be in on the way. We found the January drought layer down 50cm and it was made up of surface hoar and facets. We did several snowpack tests on it (ECTx2, PST, RBx2) and only got one result that indicated instability (Extended column test propagated in hard range). Also observed a few natural cornice triggered avalanches (size 2.5) out of extreme NE alpine terrain. We suspect they occurred in the last 24 hours.

Today north of Sparwood we were rewarded for seeking out lower freezing levels. It was a true stormy day, so little to no visibility into the alpine. Total new snow was 15 - 20 cm and in sheltered areas it was much deeper as the old snow surface was still soft. The winds were moderate with strong gusts from the SW all day, this coupled with the new snow and low visibility kept us out of the alpine and far away from any overhead hazards. We also are still on the look out for surface hoar in the South Rockies region but are not finding anything significant and new snow seems to bonding to previous surfaces. We did have a few resistant burp test results down 30 cm on a preserved stellar layer that is decomposing. We will be giving this new storm snow some time to settle.

We were pleasantly surprised today to find soft snow north of Sparwood in a sheltered area protected from winds. There was 5cm of new snow over 15cm of soft snow from the last storm. With no change in the avalanche conditions, we played around on some of the lower slopes where the snow was less wind affected. We investigated if there was any surface hoar now buried by the new 5cm of snow and could not find anything significant and may be mixed in with the new stellar snowflakes accumulated from the last few days.

Avalanche hazard is dropping so we went exploring! The big trick today was where to find good snow after all of last week's wind and rain? We did some virtual scouting (Fatmap and Gaia) and found an area that looked promising. It had to have a safe route up so we could dig down to check on the crust near the bottom before we committed to our line. We were rewarded with generally stable conditions and excellent snow above 1750m in sheltered areas. Feels good to be pushing into new terrain and skiing some steeps.

The storm started to pick up throughout the day at Alexander Creek with about 5 cm of heavy snow by the afternoon. It wasn't enough to create fresh storm or wind slabs (yet), but we still stayed away from big alpine slopes just in case the onset of the new snow and mild temperatures were stressing the deep persistent slab. The total snow depth was about 170 cm at treeline, with the upper snowpack feeling fairly consolidated. Riding in the trees was variable with an unpredictable mix of hard and soft pockets, but overall decent coverage.

With all the new snow and elevated danger ratings we made a conservative trip plan for north of Sparwood. We had to fight the desire to push into bigger terrain when the storm cleared earlier than expected and there was even some blue sky. We saw evidence of a large natural avalanche cycle overnight and the wind was still loading easterly slopes in the alpine. We still had loads of fun (and stucks) playing on fresh roads and cutbanks while giving the storm slabs time to bond to the old snow surfaces.

Spent the day north of Sparwood where there was 5-10cm overnight the first part of the storm came in warm so the precipitation saturated the SH layer which may support the bonding of the layers above and below it. Temps cooled and deposited 10cm of snow overnight and with more snow throughout the day, the total 24-hour accumulation was around 15cm. There was no whumfping or cracking either sledding or skiing today, but we still stuck to low angle slopes at treeline and avoided any overhead hazards due to new snow and lack of visibility. We dug a profile at 2100m on a SW aspect (see snowpack tab for more details)

We spent the day north of Sparwood today and found that the recent HST has settled into 25 - 30cm over various surfaces of crusts and wind slabs. This recent snow seems to be bonding well, there was no obvious signs of instabilities like shooting cracks or whumping. We did see a few recent avalanches in steep north-facing terrain that looked to be +24 hours old and triggered by small chunks of cornice and propagating below a rock face. There were light winds throughout the day and afternoon flurries that were heavy at times and accumulated up to 5 cm of new snow. As we left the sun came out which provided some warmth from the cooler -6.5 temperature in the alpine. The snow was amazing in sheltered areas.

Riding conditions were not that fun today - it's kind of "dust on crust" conditions out there with about 3cm of new snow over a variably thick sun/temperature crust left over from the warm days this week. High elevation north facing slopes still have some powder but are quite wind affected as well. We saw no signs of recent avalanches and experienced no signs of instability out there today. It was still snowing about 1cm per hour when we left the mountain this afternoon so we are keeping our fingers crossed it keeps adding up overnight and the sledding quality improves!

Went out to look at the size and distribution of the weak layer of feathery surface hoar crystals that were buried on January 17th. 5 - 10cm of snow cover these crystals that we found are most preserved on north-east facing slopes between 1500 - 2100m. We found evidence of windloading in isolated areas that have stiffened the snow over this weak layer enough to create shooting cracks as we were sledding along cutbanks.

We spent the day North of Sparwood checking out the distribution of surface hoar (feathery crystals on the surface) following the recent inversion. We found very large nacho sized crystals between 1600m - 2000m. We also found it above this elevation but it was smaller averaging 20mm in size. These large feathery crystals sit on various surfaces. A sun crust on steep south facing slopes and softer snow on more northerly facing slopes. There was no new large avalanches today in this area but our snowpack tests indicate the bottom of the snowpack is still weak and has the potential for human triggering where the snowpack is shallow.

Lots of avalanche activity here during last week's storm cycle. The only recent avalanche activity looked to be from cornices dropping off of ridgetops. Some cornices triggered storm slabs and a deep persistent layer near the base of the snowpack last week. It looked like conditions are improving in the area since our last couple of visits with no whumpfing or shooting cracks observed even while sidehilling across steep test slopes. We dug on an east slope at 2150m at treeline and found 140cm of total snow. The recent storm snow seems to have bonded quite well to old layers. There was a layer of surface hoar down 55cm but none of our snowpack tests failed on it.

Not much improvement in this area from when we were out here last week. Still getting shooting cracks for over 30m when undercutting small road banks with the sleds. We experienced whumpfing along the way as well. We didn't want to expose ourselves to any big road banks or steep slopes at all and only made it up to 1830m at a cutblock before turing back. We dug a quick text profile and found the culprit to be large surface hoar crystals near the base of the snowpack down around 75cm (see photo). Views of Erickson Ridge showed several slab avalanches out size 2 to 3 that had ran in the last few days. We suspect they ran on the deep persistent weak layer of surface hoar but could not confirm from far away. In our option, both the riding quality and the snowpack is better in the neighboring bulletin region of the Lizard Range and Flathead.

It still felt like winter in the Alexander Drainage today with temps of -9C in the alpine and moderate winds forming windslabs. We saw several small old wind slabs that had avalanched out of steep north-west facing alpine slopes. There were also some very large cornices in the area, one of which broke and slid a long way down an east facing slope but did not trigger a slab. We were extra cautious approaching ridge lines thinking that the large overhanging cornices could break pretty far back. At lower elevations, there was about 25cm of soft snow on a crust, in sheltered areas in the trees, which made for fun riding.

The snowpack was frozen when we started out this morning at around 11am. We started off playing on sunny slopes where the snow was just starting to thaw from overnight. As the afternoon warming progressed the upper snowpack started to get pretty slushy and we suspected loose wet avalanches would start coming down shortly on sunny slopes, so we moved to shaded north facing slopes and found some dry powder still. At 2pm in the shade at treeline the temperature had reached 7C. We had some feathered visitors in the area and it felt like spring had definitely arrived! We headed home around 3pm to avoid being out during the hottest and most dangerous part of the day.

As usual, we found the snow here a lot shallower and weaker than in the neighboring Lizard Range/Flathead bulletin area. The monsters in the basement are still very much alive out here, even if it seems like they are taking a nap and hiding from the frigid temperatures for now. Triggering a large avalanche on a persistent weak layer is still on our radar in areas like the Alexander Drainage. The snowpack is very wind affected in open areas which means both windslabs, and some horrible riding conditions. We observed one large avalanche from the past week that speaks to the kind of propagation still possible.

There was poor visibility for most of the day we did get a quick break in the clouds to see that SW aspects in the Alexander area were stripped clean and had deposited snow into Lee features in the alpine and treeline. We did not get any significant test results on the persistent weak layers in our profile but did see evidence of older slab avalanches in steeper terrain where the snowpack was shallow. We stayed away from slopes with overhead hazards due to the poor visibility today.

There was poor visibility for most of the day. We did get a quick break in the clouds to see that SW aspects in the Alexander area were stripped clean and had deposited snow into lee features in the alpine and treeline. We did not get any significant test results on the persistent weak layers in our profile but did see evidence of older slab avalanches in steeper terrain where the snowpack was shallow. We stayed away from steep unsupported terrain and slopes with overhead hazards due to the poor visibility today.

There was poor visibility for most of the day. We did get a quick break in the clouds to see that SW aspects in the Alexander area were stripped clean and had deposited snow into lee features in the alpine and treeline. We did not get any significant test results on the persistent weak layers in our profile but did see evidence of older slab avalanches in steeper terrain where the snowpack was shallow. We stayed away from steep unsupported terrain and slopes with overhead hazards due to the poor visibility today.

Traveling was challenging today as we struggled to cross wind slabbed side-hill slopes. The distribution of this windslab, formed over the last few days by NW winds, is somewhat patchy and was anywhere from 5-20 cms deep, pencil resistance. We dug a pit at 1910 m in a sparsely treed area and observed a surface hoar layer overlaid by a 15 cm windslab. We had an easy result in our extended column test on this layer, however we felt that in places where the windslab wasn't present, the surface hoar was not likely a concern. The Jan 5 layer was hard to find in our pit and seemed to be bonding well within the well-consolidated mid pack. The Dec 15 and Nov 27 layers are down 110 cm and 120-130 cms respectively and are well preserved. Not likely to see these go away any time soon and be wary of shallow snowpack areas where they may be easier to trigger.

We rode up to the edge of a slide path and while turning around the sound from the loud exhaust triggered an avalanche.

The cold is back! Still finding the weak layer down around 50cm at 2100m here. It's still proving to be reactive in tests in our snow profile (ECTP 18 down 50 on SH) but we saw no evidence of new avalanches during our day today. Total snowpack in the area averages around 140cm with about 10-15cm of that being new snow from the last 2 days.

Did some exploring today along the border. Went out early today due to the warmer temps forecasted. At 1:00 the upper 10cm was perfect for building snowmen - and bonded to the previous surface. There was no recent avalanche activity and the clouds kept the sun exposure to a minimum.

A profile at 2100m on an east aspect showed 165cm of snow. The new storm snow totals from the last week was about 35cm which rides nicely with a consolidated mid pack below. However all of this was sitting on weak facets down 75 cm. We had sudden planar results on facets. We did not observe any new avalanches. This facet layer will likely persist for the season and if triggered a large avalanche would result. See the MIN for photos of the Mt.Hosmer size 3.5 avalanche that ran into the facets.