Snowpack:

Sea to Sky: Great spring snowpack for March because of the lack of persistent weak layers and a stable mid and lower snowpack. However, it has been a windy year where certain rock features and glacial features don’t have the snowpack they normally do which has led to some exposed ridges and exposed blue ice on glaciers. On average, there is approximately 300cm of snow at treeline and 400cm plus on glaciers depending on the exposure to wind. Moist and melting snowpack below 1000m and below tree line.

In addition, cornices are large and looming along many ridgelines this year because of the windy season and shallow windward side.

Recently, moderate and strong winds from the North have been transporting approximately 10-30 cm of new snow, creating wind slabs on lee aspects, creating light wind pressed snow on north aspects, and scouring exposed ridgelines. Melt freeze conditions have been prevalent on solar aspects on sunny days created laminated crusts, not good skiing on south aspects and we are well away from corn cycle skiing. The freezing levels generally ranged from 1000m to 1600m.

The mid to lower snowpack is generally well settled and older weak layers have bonded. Shallow areas are heavily faceted.

Weather:

We started with low hazard and several clear days at the beginning of the week and skied through the passing of a strong NW frontal system. The storm produced strong to extreme SW winds and moderate to heavy precip. Snowfall amounts ranged from up 40cm in Callaghan and 25cm in the Whistler area. Winds scoured most windward and cross loaded features in the alpine and high tree line, however leftover convective flurries post storm produced another 10-15cms with light winds.

Other Hazards:

During the week some of the other hazards we managed were widespread, large cleaving cornices, open crevasses, open creeks and other backcountry groups.

ACMG Training and Assessment Program Candidates