Here is a brief summary from my last week checking ski conditions in the sea to sky corridor. Being Squamish based I have been trying to ski as close to home as possible, which is actually half decent considering its Nov 22!

The easy access, usual suspects (Paul Ridge, Hanging Lake) are getting hammered by traffic. Typically this time of year, folks can cheat up logging roads and explore different places, but last weeks snow of 30-50cms down to 400m has made driving much higher quite difficult. It did melt back a bit, but I would not expect to drive much higher than 600m, maybe up to 800m with an aggro vehicle and heavily chained.

Skiable elevations in the sea to sky are barely there at 1200-1400m, and that would be in open, meadowy areas. Tree skiing or talus slopes are not a great option yet. As of today I would speculate that the average treeline snow depth is around 100-120cms in the sea to sky. This has been settling rapidly with the warmth and rain from a few days ago, and travel is becoming easier every day as a result. Alpine observations have been limited with the weather, but expect very variable depths from what I have seen. If you want to explore, and avoid crowds, use your mapping skills to find the best roads that provide high elevation access so you can skin up the snow packed roads and stay out of the trees.

Just a heads up on the Callaghan/Hanging Lake. The trail is in tough conditions until about 1200m. It is very challenging to ski out it so take care. If you are new to backcountry riding, or riding in general, maybe don't start there! We need to keep the hospitals clear!

We are just reaching threshold amounts in many avalanche start zones, so stay sharp! So far I have not observed any avalanche activity in this zone.

Play safe!

Evan Stevens
www.zenithguides.ca
Mountain Guide