Amazing how the stars can line up for a great day out... and how seven aspirant guides and one Mountain Guide all meet at the summit! Excellent travel conditions and weather provided for an effective training day. Starting from Helen Creek trailhead with -14c at sunrise, clear skies and minimal wind, we made very good time up the Helen drainage where colder air (and snow) was hanging low. Breaking out of treeline at 2300m, the day had warmed up significantly to around -4c and an avg HS of 100cm, mostly faceted and very wind affected. The ramp up to Cirque Peak was mostly bare rock and very easy travel (see pic). The cornice near the top is still something to respect but was comfortably negotiated. Descending the couloir was fairly straight forward - 2x60m lines are recommended as there is very little snow currently (see pics). Lots of shark's teeth looking for rope to eat! FYI, for those who don't yet know, there are now 3 rap stations spaced 30m apart to get you nearly all the way down. The North glacier skied well enough despite the wind affected surface and the Bergshrund was completely filled in. Skiing out the Cirque/Observation drainage near the top was an exercise in walking over rocks, ski for a bit, walk for a bit and so on until enough snow allowed for the best 5 turns of the day. Exiting this valley and the enchanted forest down to the highway was as expected for early season Rockies - beware the shrinking snowpack as you glide through dense forest. Having said that, the snow quality on the exit was excellent and skied well all the way to the road.
One avalanche observation of note: Sz 2 slab off the East asp of Observation summit area (3100m) flowing over an unsupported cliff onto slope below. Likely occurred past 48-72hrs. Overall, a very satisfying day for everyone.

Jason Kuruc - ASG
Adam Greenberg - ASG