Stormy at Perley

Ventured to Perley Rock on Sunday for what we were hoping would be a chill day in the mountains. The uptrack proved more arduous than usual, requiring ping-ponging among avalanche debris, with many more kick turns than usual. About half way up, snow had buried the previous day's uptrack. Wind and visibility were coming and going, and the sun was out about 30 minutes before reaching Perley. Just as we turned around, very quickly, a storm developed that forced us to stop in our tracks, with zero visibility and high winds. We layered up, dug a hole in the snow, and tucked inside under a tarp for 1.5 hours while waiting for the conditions to improve. Finally, things settled down and we started skiing down, still in bad viz. On the moraine, new wind transport was evident on the leeside and we triggered a size 1 while gently poking the edge of the slab. Snow was great on the ski down. An adventurous day. We were glad to have extra warm gear; make sure you are prepared for those surprise spring storms!