Spent the last two days guiding for Robson Backcountry Adventures in McBride. Saturday was up on McBride Peak, and Sunday (28th) was on the Cariboos side up the Dore River. We skied runs up to 37 degrees on N, W and S aspects from 1400-2200m. We found no signs of instability under our skis but did experience natural avalanche activity (see below). I was most surprised at how wind-pressed the snow was well below ridge crest indicating strong winds have been in the area for a while and the potential for triggering windslabs was more extensive than anticipated.

Weather: On Saturday we had cold but clear weather, -22C and L, SE winds. There was a steady rise in temperature overnight and into Sunday with cloudy weather and snow falling 1 cm/hr all day. Winds were M-S, SW all day with significant wind transport.

Avalanche Conditions: On McBride Peak, we observed 3 natural avalanches (see photo), one that appears to be a Deep Pers. Slab up to sz 2.5-3, all on west aspects in steep, alpine terrain that were approx. 48-72 hrs old (see photo). On Sunday, there were 2 audible Na in extreme S-facing terrain. Likely LD avalanches but were unobserved due to weather conditions.

Snowpack: On the Rockies side, HS 160cm at TL; Cariboos side, 185cm. Mid-Dec. MFcr down 60cms breaking down around 1900m on the Cariboos side. HS 270 on the glacier. Due to the strong winds at TL/ALP today, there was a bit of an upside-down snowpack with 4F surface snow and F underneath with ski pen. up to 30cms. We were most concerned for windslabs at TL/ALP and were really surprised at how wind-affected the snow was well down into TL, far below ridge crest. With the colder temps, and gusty winds, they seemed stubborn to trigger but was the most concerning layer this weekend.

Overall, ski conditions were excellent. Face shots all around, especially on sheltered BTL/TL runs. The snowpack is significantly deeper than this time last year and we are shaping up to have an excellent winter season at this rate. :)