Hollyburn South West Ridge Ascent

Quick report

Weather

cloudy

Ride Type

denseTrees

Stayed Away

alpineSlopes, steepSlopes

Riding Quality

ok

Snow Conditions

crusty, hard

Tough day navigating crusty and heavy snow through tight trees to the top of Hollyburn where the terrain opened up a lot more. There was a foot of fresh snow that had warmed and then cooled (we think) over night so it was heavy with a bit of a crust which is more extreme at lower elevations. Did my first pit test and messed it up a bit pressing on the shovel before tapping. However very little pressure at all compromised the column as I settled the shovel on top. The snow depth was 100cm over all with a very clear crust layer at 50cm which was the failing point of the column. Looking at the snow confirmed the touchy avalanche forecast for the weekend.

Weather

Sky Condition

overcast

Precipitation Type

snow

Snowpack

Depth

100

Test Fracture

sudden

Test Failure Layer Crystal Types

crust