In the mornings, ski crampons are becoming de rigeur. In the afternoons, the mountains are losing snow due to melting and wet slides. And in-between, ski conditions are difficult. This would be the last ski day of the season.
 |
| Heading up to Observation Peak |
I was hoping for some corn on Observation Peak, so we headed out of the city at 6am. Skinning started around 8:15am on bulletproof temperature slab with a light dusting of powder.
As we gained elevation, the snow started falling more heavily, though we still had breaks in the clouds. This made for an interesting combination of heavy snow and sunny skies.
 |
| Bow Summit parking lot, with Peyto Lake to the right |
Once we got above treeline, a number of cornice failures were evident, so we angled out right to limit our exposure and check out the cirque. The snow here was interesting ... it felt exactly like a groomed run at a resort. The crust was supportive and slightly broken up, with fresh powder on top.
 |
| The cirque, which looks to be very skiable |
The run down was actually very good. The crust held firm and supported our turns, but at the same time was soft enough that we weren't just skidding down the slope (a la novice knuckledraggers).
By the time we got back down into the trees, we were on superfast corn and we zipped through the glades and back down to the road.
I am now looking forward to next season. Here's to hoping for an abbreviated summer!
No comments:
Post a Comment