Regional Summaries

From all reports it is currently a grey damp world in the Rockies and Columbia mountains. Information is limited but it seems that above treeline in the Rockies somewhere between 5 and 15 cms of snow have fallen. Limited reports from the Columbia Mountains show rain at Treeline and probably higher.

The new snow and wind may have built windslabs in alpine areas. In the Columbia Mountains and the Rockies any rain should be assumed to have weakened crevasse bridges, cornices and shallow snowpack areas.

In the Rockiest this past week people have been getting out between storms for alpine climbing in areas such as the Columbia Icefields. Reports from both Athabasca and Andromeda found decent travel, but it is definitely still wintery above 2800m which is true for the Rockies as a whole. An avalanche fatality in Kananaskis Country this past week is an unfortunate reminder that many features in the alpine still hold enough snow to avalanche, and that snowpack and terrain choices should be evaluated throughout the day.

Coast:

One report of a flight over the SW coast (Squamish to Meager) observed significant melt out below treeline but lots of coverage in the alpine still with no suncups yet so likely good turns still to be had. Lingering cornice hazards with a few large er avalanche events estimated in the last 36-72 hours and interesting glide cracks.

Tom Wolfe
ACMG Mountain Guide

It seems to be a wet and chilly day in most of the Rockies and Columbia Mountains. Snow is probably falling somewhere in the Alpine but a quick survey of the Parks Canada remote weather stations in Glacier and along the Rockies Divide made me think it would be a grey, damp just barely freezing sort of day up high. Yukk!