Apex - Powder 8 Bowl

Quick report

Johnny Smoke ยท Jan 10, 2023

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Quick report

Weather
sunny
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, denseTrees, openTrees, steepSlopes, sunnySlopes
Riding Quality
Good
Snow Conditions
powder, windAffected
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSound

Nice sunny day up high in the south Okanagan, with a mild temperature inversion. A soft layer of 15 cm on an old windslab made for some nice turns. I skied open sunny runs to 35 degrees and some previously skied norths to 45 degrees. I avoided steep open slopes at TL and below that haven't had avalanches. Overall the snowpack continues to be weak and below average depth. Typical depths around the area are 80-120cm, with some protected areas lower down up to 150cm. Some whumpfing noted, but only in flat, non-avalanche terrain. Alpine areas are not loading up like usual, and our regular performers are still below threshold. Caution around open slopes below 2150m is indicated as that's where there is now more load over top of a layer of basal facets and depth hoar. Some north facing slopes are also wind loaded over this layer. Additional loads in the coming weeks will likely result in full depth avalanches. Test pits gave hard ECTP results on the facets below the crust.

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