Mt Fernie Backside

Quick report

faelanprentice · Apr 9, 2019 · Northwest Coastal

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Quick report

Weather
wet, stormy, windy, foggy, cloudy
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, denseTrees, openTrees
Stayed Away
steepSlopes, sunnySlopes
Riding Quality
OK
Snow Conditions
heavy, wet
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionTemp

Headed up to the Mt. Fernie ridgeline via the Alpine Trails access road in mixed weather (rain, snow, clouds). Hand shears on the skin track at upper elevations (1800-2000 m) found soft, consistent snow (10-20 cm) sitting on a dense crust. Rode mellow N and NE aspect slopes from ridgeline before any warming occurred; no signs of instability and good turns to be found. Below treeline (approx. 1600 m; later in the day), small LW avalanches (size 1) could be triggered on small, steep, microterrain features. Snow was very wet and heavy by 1400 m in the valley.