Blue Sky Anomaly

Quick report

northrockiesfieldteam · Jan 15, 2021 · McBride

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Quick report

Weather
windy
Ride Type
alpineSlopes, openTrees
Stayed Away
steepSlopes
Riding Quality
Good
Snow Conditions
windAffected, powder
Avalanche Conditions
avalancheConditionSlab

A great visibility day up the Dore with lots of morning sun, clouds and wind increasing throughout the afternoon. We saw evidence of several recent avalanches, all on northerly or easterly wind loaded features. Most of the avalanches we saw we suspected were 24-72 hours old. They were in the size 1.5-2 range and likely around 30cm deep. There was one large anomaly though on a NW chute (photo 1) that ran a lot deeper than the others with a fracture line well over 1m deep. We chose to ride lower angle alpine lines, avoiding overhead hazards like cornices and steep wind loaded slopes. The skiing was best in the trees where the strong south easterly winds hadn't affected the 20cm's of new storm snow, making for some great powder skiing.