4 Days spent on the Wapta Icefield over the Remembrance Day Long Weekend.

Summaries:
Snow and glacier conditions:
-Anywhere from 0-40cm between 1800-2100m depending on aspect and valley.
-Average of 115-150cm on glaciers with Balfour Glacier being an exception with probed depths up to 210cm
-Lots of apparent open crevasses but no encounters with questionable snow bridges
-Strong, uniform snowpack with surface of snow capped with a semi supportive melt freeze crust to 3000m. Snowpack was 'spring-like'.
-Signs of previous warming with glidecracks formed.

Weather:
-Thursday: clear with evidence of strong winds in am at higher elevations
-Friday: few clouds and strong to extreme winds. Minimal transport and deposition considering extent of wind.
-Saturday: 5cm of warm/wet snowfall and moderate winds with temps 0 to -3 @ 2000-3000m
-Sunday: clearing in the am with cooler temperatures.

Avalanche conditions
-Minimal to no avalanche activity.
-Few size 1-2 natural loose wet following wet snowfall Saturday (12th)
-Few size 1 natural soft windslabs with extreme winds Friday (11th)

Approaches:
-Ski remained on back till the Peyto Glacier. Rockfall was a concern in the canyon with sun and warm temperatures.
-Exit down to Sherbrooke Lake had snow till the lake with sections of bootpacking and bushwacking

Overall, a successful and beautiful early season trip and hopefully the glaciers will be set up for a good year but low down still needs much more snow. Unusually warm late fall conditions.

For more photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/samckoy/sets/72157660783311538