Valhalla Basecamp Feb 19-21, 2018

We just wrapped-up a short heli access ski touring basecamp in the headwaters of Robertson creek. Our camp location was at 1850m just south of the park boundary. From here we did daily excursions in and out of the park. Sky conditions evolved from clear to overcast daily. The cold temperatures ranged from -27C overnight and -15C during the day. There were some light winds from the northeast on Feb 19 otherwise it was mostly calm. There was negligible snow accumulation throughout.

The average snowpack height at treeline in this area was 300cm. The recent storm snow from last week-end varied in depth from 30-50cm and was generally evenly distributed at treeline. There was some recent wind transport and wind affect in specific areas of the Alpine. Skiing conditions were excellent at treeline and below on all aspects.

A few glide cracks were noted on steep grassy slopes at 2000m on northeasterly aspects. We saw evidence of a previous avalanche cycle from last week-end storm and wind event. All appear to be wind slabs to size 2 in specific terrain features. We saw no new avalanche during our stay and only a few signs of instability. Minor cracking was observed while skiing unsupported pillows in steep terrain. Various hand shears produced moderate to hard resistant shears down 30-50cm. We rated the avalanche conditions as 3-2-2.

The strong temperature gradient in the upper snowpack is promoting faceting and preventing cohesion in the recent storm snow.

All in all a cold but productive trip with great skiing and a super energetic group!

Cheers,

David Lussier
mountain guide
www.summitmountainguides.com