The Canadian Mountain and Ski Guide training program held a Ski Guide Certificate exam based from a camp near the head of Frisby Creek at 1500m in the northern Monashees from April 14-22.
Weather during the week was quite unsettled, with many pulses of convective snowshowers and cloudy skies. In total, we received 40cm of snow at higher elevations with that amount tapering to roughly half (15-20cm) at treeline elevations and below. Temperatures stayed relatively mild through the week with the coldest observed temperature being -8 and a high temp of 4 degrees (in alpine elevations). Winds were mostly light southerlies, with a few periods gusting moderate to strong. When the sun did poke through, intense radiation affected the upper snowpack.
In broad terms, the snowpack in this zone is very thick and well settled. While travelling on the glaciers, we were never able to probe the full height of snow, even from the bottom of test profiles that we dug. there is a minimum of 500cm of settled snow at higher elevations.
With the variable weather, the upper snowpack has many storm layers. On solar aspects and at lower elevations (below 1900m) there are a myriad of buried crust interfaces. Although the upper layering is complex, the bonding at the various interfaces appeared strong in test profiles. With the warm temperatures and intense radiation, the upper snowpack became moist everyday, with limited recovery overnight.
The week saw a transition from winter to spring avalanche conditions. Glide cracks were active through the week producing avalanches up to size 3 on rock slabs at and below tree line. A wide spread natural avalanche cycle was triggered by warming on Friday with loose wet avalanches to size 2.5 observed on any slopes that saw direct sun. Isolated windslabs were reactive to skier traffic in the immediate lees of ridgecrest features.
Matt Peter - Mountain Guide
Andre Ike - Mountain Guide
Craig McGee - Mountain Guide
on behalf of the CMSG Ski Guide certificate exam participants, Frisby Creek April 14-22