Bow Summit

Did a tour around the Bow Summit area today and got 3 laps in. A bit better than expected, had some fresh snow and good coverage with a supportive base keeping you off the rocks. There's a widespread rain-crust that is very supportive until you get to around treeline where you start to crunch through. Approx 5cm of fresh dry and light snow atop the crust, more as you got higher, the kind of stuff that the wind really likes. It was not bonding well, we were frequently sliding while skinning. We found surface hoar in sheltered areas below treeline, and it dissipated by the time we got to treeline where the wind could get it. Saw evidence of old avalanches in the alpine from the last storm but nothing new. Some pinwheels from that storm, must have been wet! The wind (W) started blowing shortly after sunrise and was transporting the new snow all over, it seemed to shift towards N around lunchtime. We had some good skiing laps down the regular NE chutes, but near the bottom the crust became less supportive and was a bit more tricky to ski. By lunchtime it was snowing quite a bit and visibility became poor, we then left. Coverage was around 80cm at treeline. Overall it was a better day out at Bow Summit than expected. It's definitely ski season there, but doesn't look like it is anywhere else... (shots fired!!).