Regional Summaries

As I write this the coastal alpine peaks are enshrouded in cloud and it’s below freezing on the summits. The weather the past week has been unsettled, with fresh snow in the alpine making for tricky conditions. Photos an experienced friend showed me from a failed attempt on Mt Tantalus on Tuesday looked like January, with lots of rime ice. He also noted that the crevasses were starting to open up since the previous week, but the bergshrunds were still in good condition.

In the North Shore Mountains there is still a lot of compact above 1200m, although very little below this.

Junuary on the coast has ended. Some intense the past couple of days has resulted in isothermal snow conditions in the alpine, poor freezes, and a slab avalanche cycle within recent (last week) and old snow layers up to Size 3. Several guides have turned around on common objectives in the Sea to Sky corridor for this reason along with the threat of falling cornices.

Many alpine rock objectives have now come into shape, with good conditions being reported in areas such as the Tantalus Range.

The weather on the coast has been unsettled since last weekend, with 30-40cm of new snow accumulated in the alpine on Blackcomb Mountain. The new snow was wet and sluffing today, as you would expect this time of year. No slab avalanche activity has been reported, although it is possible with that much new snow. The new snow fell as rain below treeline, which has helped to melt away last winters snow lingering on the trails.

Conditions are currently suitable for both alpine climbing and skiing in the Coast Mountains, although you have to do your research and pick your objectives carefully to find out where the snow still remains. You can still expect to run into significant snow patches as low as 1300m (depending on aspect, tree cover and sun exposure), then continuous snow before you reach the alpine.