I just came back from spending five days from Sept 17 to 21 in the North Star Glacier region of the Purcells on a Mountain Rescue Course with Columbia Valley Search and Rescue.
During the week the team made tours on the North Star Glacier and made an ascent of North Star Peak as well as an ascent in the Scotch Peaks to the West.
We experienced winter like conditions on the Glacier where the HS varied from about 40cm at the toe (2500m) to 70cm above 2700m. We experienced light snow each day with generally light winds accumulating 20cm-40cm of dry new snow above 2700m. Freezing levels hovered around 2300m. No new avalanches were observed during our travels and no snowpack instabilities were observed.
On the glaicer foot penetration was around mid shin making us all wish we had brought our skis. Off the glaciers the thin snow cover made for tedious and slippery travel through the granite boulders and crags of the region.
