Rae Lake - Ski Tour (Attempt)

Quick report

Weather

cloudy

Ride Type

mellowSlopes

Riding Quality

terrible

Attempted to ski tour up to Rae glacier. Conditions are simply not ready for riding (which wasn’t a surprise). Elbow lake is frozen over and the lake edge held weight, but the ice is obviously thin and wouldn’t recommend travel across. Coverage around 2350m ranges from 5cm-30cm depending on wind loading/exposure. The snow is light and crystal-like, which provides no support. Skis and boots go straight down to rock. Awareness for anyone considering travel in the area - hiking boots and gators would be more effective than skis until a few more decent snowfalls hit. Ended up hiking more than skinning with current conditions.

Weather

Avg Temp

-7

Wind Speed

windSpeedLight

Blowing Snow

light

Sky Condition

brokenClouds

Wind Direction

W

Storm Start Date

2023-10-23

Temperature Trend

steady

Snowpack

Obs Type

summary

Site Aspect

N

Site Elevation

2350

Cracking Observed

1

Site Elevation Band

alp

Isolated areas of surface hoar noted. Snow was very sugar-like and non-cohesive. There is no real base established, avg. depth ranged from 5-30cm depending on exposure. Feet and skis go straight down to ground. A couple minor and isolated incidents of shooting cracks/wind crust, but nothing that caused immediate concern for safety.