Still some powder in Montana

La qualité du hors-piste était:

OK

Les conditions de neige étaient :

• Croûtée
• Affectée par le vent

Nous avons parcouru:

• Pentes alpines
• Forêt dégagée

La journée était:

• Nuageuse

Route: Goat peak via Montana bowl ridge; down some Montana alpine and then up Roscoes; back down Almost Heli and N-facing aspects of Kokanee ridge down to Catchers Mitt.

Skiing Conditions: S-facing aspects were variable. Pockets of good skiing (10-20cm on a crust), but significant wind scouring towards the ridgelines. Didn't notice much solar effect - I think the underlying crust was from the recent rain/warming event. N-facing aspects generally skied much better. Almost Heli very good. Lots of partially covered avalanche debris further down on N-facing aspects which made for challenging skiing (see image).

Avalanche and snowpack: Huge cornices on the lee side of Montana ridge (see images). We were initially concerned about potential for windslabs on lee alpine slopes, but didn't see any signs of reactivity on the route we skied. No cracking or slab activity on Almost Heli or Roscoes. Plenty of avalanche debris from the last cycle, but we saw no evidence of fresh activity.

Weather: Overcast throughout; minimal solar warming. Generally light winds; no visible snow transport during the day.