Crusty at Crusader

La qualité du hors-piste était:

OK

Les conditions de neige étaient :

• Croûtée
• Poudreuse

Nous avons parcouru:

• Blocs de coupe forestière
• Pentes de faible inclinaison
• Forêt dégagée

Nous sommes restés à l'écart de:

• Pentes convexes
• Pentes raides

La journée était:

• Nuageuse
• Chaude

Cruised up to Crusader cabin today. Staged from the bottom of the road. Road is moderately whooped.

Thin (1cm) Melt freeze crust with 4-6 mm surface hoar on top on all aspects up to 2200 m. Above 2200 m, north facing terrain still holding dry snow.

We observed two size 2 persistent slabs on alpine features at treeline, one of which was triggered by a snowmobile. They likely failed on surface hoar down 40-60 cm and occurred on east and west aspects.

The cooling temperatures and cloudy skies were likely decreasing the reactivity of the persistent slabs today, but we were treating the terrain cautiously because the snowpack is structurally weak. As the old saying goes.. “Never trust surface hoar”.

We were avoiding large slopes over 30 degrees.

With snow in the forecast, the surface hoar/crust combo that is currently on the surface will be one to watch.