I spent the last couple of days up Loop Brook skiing in the Bonney Moraines and above, so I thought I would pass on my observations on ski quality and travel.

Let's start with access - the travel up the creek is as easy as it gets as far as the notorious "Elephants Trunk" feature. The "Trunk" has seen a lot of traffic and is now its usual mogul field making uphill travel awkward, necessitating either ski crampons or a short bookpack (I preferred the latter) - above that there are a plethora of uptracks to choose from.

As far as snow quality goes, the snow up to the top of the Bonney moraines is boot top deep and topped with surface hoar in the 5 to 10mm range making for fast and fun skiing - most of the moraines now have numerous tracks on them, so getting a bit skied out in general, as are the exit slopes.

Above the moraines there is more wind effect on the exposed alpine slopes but there is still soft skiing to be had (see photo). I have watched numerous parties heading up the Lily heading into the Asulkan valley via both Sapphire Col and the Dome Col - the slopes below the Dome col looked like they had seen a bit more wind than elsewhere.

As of yesterday morning I would guess about 20 tracks descended the Lily into Loop brook.

Hopefully that helps inform those of you heading to Rogers Pass this coming weekend.

Cheers,
Scott Davis ACMG Mountain Guide