Soft turns in the Shames Backcountry

Quick report

Weather

sunny, warm

Ride Type

openTrees, sunnySlopes

Riding Quality

good

Snow Conditions

powder, windAffected

Avalanche Conditions

avalancheConditionSlab, avalancheConditionSnow

We checked out the Shames Backcountry today. We observed a previous avalanche cycle (size 1-2) from Wednesday's storm. We saw one size-2 persistent slab in steep, rocky terrain on an east aspect. Avalanches that were 24-48 hours old. We did not observe any new avalanches today. We additionally observed some wind effected snow at treeline ridge crests and on a treeline/alpine north aspect. There was a light southwest wind today. In most treeline areas there is around 30cm of unconsolidated snow sitting on 20cm of old settled snow. Below this there is a crust that exists up to at least 1400m. Temperatures remained below freezing over the day and there was a bit of afternoon cloud. There is surface hoar (2-5mm) on the snow surface at treeline and below treeline. That Shames Backcountry was great today! We look forward to our next trip out there. Enjoy the weekend!