I’ve spent the past few days skiing in Kokanee Glacier PP and the Slocan Range.

The snowpack is well settled in most places and carries skier traffic extremely well. Small surface sloughing with skier traffic and loose wet avalanches to size 1.5 on solar aspects were the only instabilities observed.

HS ranged from 100cm to 140cm in areas travelled. The Nov 16 surface hoar is down 30-50 cm and is not reactive to skier traffic. It did however produce a size 2.5 avalanche mid storm prior to Nov 27 on a NE aspect at 2150m.

There is a widespread surface hoar layer to 20mm; this extends to ridge top in areas not affected by wind. On solar aspects the surface hoar sits on top of a 2cm pencil melt freeze crust. North facing alpine features have surface hoar on top of /or 10-15cm of facets on top of 1 finger snow.

There are still lots of early season hazards—open creeks, rocks, stumps and logs.

Conor Hurley
ACMG Ski Guide
www.arctosguides.com